Now you can enjoy fabulous food from the Florida Keys & Key West - â¨
without leaving home!
Find out whatâs cooking in the Florida Keys & Key West, â¨in this fun and lively tribute to the island chainâs top local restaurants. â¨From signature starters and lite bites to tropical mainstays and⨠decadent desserts, itâs a flavorful romp that will keep you hungry for more!â¨
Whether youâve been to the Keys or have only dreamed about it,â¨this keepsake cookbook will stay with you long after â¨the dishes are done.
Now you can enjoy fabulous food from the Florida Keys & Key West - â¨
without leaving home!
Find out whatâs cooking in the Florida Keys & Key West, â¨in this fun and lively tribute to the island chainâs top local restaurants. â¨From signature starters and lite bites to tropical mainstays and⨠decadent desserts, itâs a flavorful romp that will keep you hungry for more!â¨
Whether youâve been to the Keys or have only dreamed about it,â¨this keepsake cookbook will stay with you long after â¨the dishes are done.
So What Exactly is âFlorida Keys Cuisine?â
  Itâs spicy conch chowder, savory Cuban pork, succulent pink shrimp dipped in tangy mustard sauce, or coated in coconut. And itâs all as unique and appealing as the 125-mile island chain itself.
 The Keys have a rich seafaring history (even today, fishing remains the second largest industry here), so youâll find lots of it on local menus including yellowtail, grouper, mutton snapper, and Mahi-mahi which are generally sautĂŠed, broiled or blackened.
 Ever hear of Key West pink shrimp?  Considered one of the Keysâ most popular ânatural resources,â itâs a bit sweeter than other types of shrimp and can be sautĂŠed, battered and fried, used on salad and pasta, or steamed and served with savory sauces.
 If you happen to come down during âStone Crab Seasonâ (October 15 - May 15), youâre really in luck. Stone crab claws, renowned for their sweet and succulent meat, are a popular delicacy here. They can be served warm with drawn butter or chilled with mustard sauce.â¨Just be careful because either way, they are totally addictive.
 We have lobster down here, too, but unlike its northern cousin, our spiny lobster is clawless. The meat, however, is still sweet and tender, and just like a âMaineâ lobster, itâs often served steamed or broiled with drawn butter.
 Conch (pronounced âkonkâ) is another delicacy for your foodie bucket list. Even though itâs no longer fished in the Keys (most of it comes in from the Bahamas), youâll still find it on a lot of local menus. This versatile mollusk pops up in spicy tomato-based chowder, deep-fried fritters, ceviche, and even breaded and fried as conch steak. No two restaurants prepare conch precisely the same way, and weâve included several recipes for you to enjoy on pages 22, 23, 26, and 37.
 Of course, itâs no surprise that the most popular ethnic food in the Keys is Cuban, brought to Key West by the cigar makers and their families who fled their homeland in the 1800s. Cuban dishes include Ropa Vieja (a rustic, humble stew with shredded beef in red sauce); Picadillo (a soft, fragrant stew of ground beef and tomatoes); and the biggest crowd-pleaser of all: The Cuban mix sandwichâ a blend of slow-roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles served on fresh Cuban bread, flattened in a press that looks like a waffle iron. There are several excellent Cuban restaurants throughout the Keys, and weâve listed our favorites on pages 93.
 Oh, and letâs not forget the Keysâ signature dessert: Key lime pie. Believe it or not, no two Key lime pie recipes are alike. Some are topped with meringue and some with whipped cream. Some are nestled in a graham cracker crust, while others rest in a chocolate crust. Weâve included a recipe for one of our favorite versions that you can try at home on page 79. If you get down to the Keys, we encourage you to make the rounds and taste as many as possible so you can discover your personal favorite. Chow!
Have you ever found yourself in a new destination clueless about where to eat great food and then having to regret you didnât go to a place that others were flocking to get a great meal? This recipe book is unique in that it not only teaches readers how to cook restaurant dishes at home, it also indicates to readers the locations of prized restaurants at which they can savor these award-winning dishes. Childs creates a new bucket list for adventurous visitors wishing to visit Miami. She outlines a culinary tour involving restaurant -hopping to partake in these sensational dishes.
Key Eats promises the reader not only intoxicating food but also breathtaking locations ideal for nature lovers. In our contemporary situation of lockdown airports and decreased dining mobility, this book is a welcome addition to the average kitchen. This recipe book is popping with color and food presentation flair. Childs carries her readers on a flavor and fun-filled virtual tour from Key West to Key Largo. Key Eats shares various foods for devouring: seafood, sushi, gourmet Italian, Mexican, and Thai.
Fish lovers are sure to discover some mouthwatering dishes in this book. My favorite fish recipes are the Chipolte glazed Mahi-Mahi and Fish Matecumbe recipe. Sweet potato lovers might find some interesting ways of serving this fiber and taste-rich vegetable besides the traditional sweet potato pie. To adults adverse to reading, this book offers enough food pictures to make reading redundant. If you arenât a seafood lover, this may not be the recipe book for you as there are only four meat recipes that are not seafood. If you are willing to expand your culinary palate, this book can be the ideal place to begin as the fish dishes are divine.
Key Eats is easy to read and follow recipe book. The cooking instructions are well organized, and the ingredients are easy to find at the average local grocery store. It features Miamiâs food festivals giving brief descriptions of the activities and dayâs events. Key Eats is destined to become an iconic souvenir of Miami's finest foods, dining places, and food festivals.