Florida Keys Matecumbe Fish
By Cheryl Forberg
We have made a few trips to the Florida Keys in the last couple of years as we spend more time with our families in Florida. If you have not been to the Keys, you should try it at least once. They have gorgeous beaches, sparkling water, water sports galore and great food, especially seafood.
The Keys have their own airport in Key West, but if you are already in Florida, it is fun to drive at least one way to Key West, so you will not miss the plethora of amazing water views on the way. Of course, you can stop for a meal on the way down, too. If you start your drive in Miami, you can take Highway One (also known as Overseas Highway or “The Highway That Goes to Sea”) all the way down to Key West, the Southernmost point. Heading South, you will have the magnificent Atlantic Ocean on your left and Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico on your right. There is a busy tourist stop on the water in Key West that is said to be only 93 miles from Havana, Cuba.
The drive from Miami to Key West is 164 miles and takes about 4 hours. The Keys begin about 15 miles south of Miami. Fifty miles later, Key Largo is a great stopping point as it is about a third of the way there. There is an amazing seafood restaurant on Highway One in Key Largo called The Fish House. (Left side if you are driving south!). We have stopped there for a meal every time we drove through. The seafood is as local as you can get, and they have a wide variety of fresh seafood every day. In fact, local Florida lobster season runs from early August and closes at the end of the following March.
The last time we dined at The Fish House, we noticed a fish preparation on the menu that we had seen but had never tried before called Matecumbe. Named after one of the 800 Florida Keys, Lower Matecumbe Key was an important marker because there were five freshwater wells on that part of the peninsula, which was entirely surrounded by saltwater.
“The name of the region, Matecumbe, is itself of much interest, as it is the only place name in South Florida which dates from the sixteenth century and is still used to designate the same or approximate location as at that time”. Initially, there were Matecumbe Indian settlements that prospered there with a shell culture, but there is little clear record of their history.
That said, I am not sure how the name of this Indian tribe became associated with this fish dish, other than the fact that they both appeared to originate in this part of the Florida Keys.
Matecumbe Fish
This recipe is adapted from an extremely popular fish entrée at an amazing restaurant in Key Largo, Florida. We have been there several times, and we chose to have Yellowtail Snapper with our Matecumbe preparation. The restaurant will prepare this dish for you with any choice of fish they have caught that morning. Today, while making this at home, I had the great fortune to find fresh hogfish in Venice, Florida. But I cannot imagine any fish not tasting great in this delectable sauce. It is a large recipe, enough for eight people or two pounds of fish. If you are cooking for a smaller group, you can freeze half the marinade to use at a later date.
Florida Keys Matecumbe Fish
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
6 ounces extra virgin olive oil
One 8-ounce jar capers, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh Melissa’s basil
4 ounces Melissa’s shallots, peeled, ends trimmed and finely chopped (1/2 cup)
5 medium Melissa’s ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped (1 pound (2 1/2 cups chopped) or 1 pound Melissa’s Heavenly Villagio San Marzano® tomatoes, quartered
2 large or 3 medium lemons, juiced, about 6 tablespoons or 3/8 cup lemon juice
½ medium onion chopped is 4 ounces or ½ cup
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds/ 8 4-ounce fish fillets of your choice
Preparation
Add the olive oil, capers, basil, shallots, tomatoes, lemon juice, onions, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper to a medium bowl and stir to thoroughly combine. There will be 4 cups of marinade. Refrigerate until ready to use, at least 1 hour and up to overnight. If you are in a hurry and have a Food Saver or vacuum sealer, you can place the marinade in a 2-quart vacuum bag and use your device to draw out the air and seal the bag. Removing the air causes the marinade to concentrate quickly, and your marinade will be ready right away. If, for any reason, you want to cook half the amount of fish, you can freeze half the marinade and use it later. It is also great on chicken!!
When you are ready to cook the fish, position an oven rack 4 to 6 inches below the broiler and preheat the broiler. (Or preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.)
Place the fish fillets on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.
Place under the broiler WITHOUT THE MARINADE and cook until done on one side; watch carefully, as it may only take a couple of minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets and the distance to the broiler. Remove from the broiler and turn each fillet over.
Top each fillet with about 1/2 cup of the sauce. Return to the broiler and cook until the fish is done on the other side and fully cooked through in the middle. If you are unsure about doneness, cut into the center of the fillets; the fish should be opaque. Garnish with fresh basil and lemon.
The Keys have their own airport in Key West, but if you are already in Florida, it is fun to drive at least one way to Key West, so you will not miss the plethora of amazing water views on the way. Of course, you can stop for a meal on the way down, too. If you start your drive in Miami, you can take Highway One (also known as Overseas Highway or “The Highway That Goes to Sea”) all the way down to Key West, the Southernmost point. Heading South, you will have the magnificent Atlantic Ocean on your left and Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico on your right. There is a busy tourist stop on the water in Key West that is said to be only 93 miles from Havana, Cuba.
The drive from Miami to Key West is 164 miles and takes about 4 hours. The Keys begin about 15 miles south of Miami. Fifty miles later, Key Largo is a great stopping point as it is about a third of the way there. There is an amazing seafood restaurant on Highway One in Key Largo called The Fish House. (Left side if you are driving south!). We have stopped there for a meal every time we drove through. The seafood is as local as you can get, and they have a wide variety of fresh seafood every day. In fact, local Florida lobster season runs from early August and closes at the end of the following March.
The last time we dined at The Fish House, we noticed a fish preparation on the menu that we had seen but had never tried before called Matecumbe. Named after one of the 800 Florida Keys, Lower Matecumbe Key was an important marker because there were five freshwater wells on that part of the peninsula, which was entirely surrounded by saltwater.
“The name of the region, Matecumbe, is itself of much interest, as it is the only place name in South Florida which dates from the sixteenth century and is still used to designate the same or approximate location as at that time”. Initially, there were Matecumbe Indian settlements that prospered there with a shell culture, but there is little clear record of their history.
That said, I am not sure how the name of this Indian tribe became associated with this fish dish, other than the fact that they both appeared to originate in this part of the Florida Keys.
Matecumbe Fish
This recipe is adapted from an extremely popular fish entrée at an amazing restaurant in Key Largo, Florida. We have been there several times, and we chose to have Yellowtail Snapper with our Matecumbe preparation. The restaurant will prepare this dish for you with any choice of fish they have caught that morning. Today, while making this at home, I had the great fortune to find fresh hogfish in Venice, Florida. But I cannot imagine any fish not tasting great in this delectable sauce. It is a large recipe, enough for eight people or two pounds of fish. If you are cooking for a smaller group, you can freeze half the marinade to use at a later date.
Florida Keys Matecumbe Fish
Yield: 8 servings
6 ounces extra virgin olive oil
One 8-ounce jar capers, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh Melissa’s basil
4 ounces Melissa’s shallots, peeled, ends trimmed and finely chopped (1/2 cup)
5 medium Melissa’s ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped (1 pound (2 1/2 cups chopped) or 1 pound Melissa’s Heavenly Villagio San Marzano® tomatoes, quartered
2 large or 3 medium lemons, juiced, about 6 tablespoons or 3/8 cup lemon juice
½ medium onion chopped is 4 ounces or ½ cup
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds/ 8 4-ounce fish fillets of your choice
Preparation
