Grouper

A local fish with a large mouth and stout body, the first swimmer on our list goes to the grouper!

This fish can be gigantic, with the largest weighing in at 880 lbs. Their diet consists of other fish, octopi, and crustaceans, which it eats whole. This fish is a beast.

The fishing season for most species of grouper runs from June through December. Still, you can catch different species of grouper throughout the year.

Many say that grouper has a taste similar to a combination of bass and halibut, but all 400+ different species taste slightly different.

The most common species of grouper you will find in the Keys are:

Gag Grouper

Black Grouper

Red Grouper

Scamp

Smoked Fish Dip

The Florida Key's smoked fish dip is a holistic experience; It's usually a mixture of a bunch of different local fish. Smoked mullet, mahi-mahi, Spanish mackerel, and kingfish are examples of commonly incorporated fish. Other ingredients generally include mayo, celery, scallions, peppers, pickles, and lemon juice, but there are many different variations.

As a no-waste plate, it utilizes the leftover pieces of fish meat instead of throwing them away. This dip is a traditional Florida experience and said by many to be "the quintessential taste of old Florida."

Spiny Lobster

Casually called "bugs" by locals, the spiny lobster takes the number seven spot. This crustacean is pretty abundant in the Gulf of Mexico, with large populations around the Keys.

If we compare the spiny lobster to its New England relative, we will notice many differences. The spiny lobster looks different; these guys don't have the iconic Maine lobster claws. They have two long spiny antennae and are just overall a little scarier looking.

The spiny lobster also has a milder sweetness and a firmer texture than the Maine lobster. Since the "spiny" doesn't have those iconic lobster claws or knuckles, you will find most of its meat in the tail.

Yellowtail Snapper

Found swimming around the coral reefs of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, the next food on our list goes to the yellowtail snapper!

The yellowtail snapper is a game fish that's popular amongst recreational and sport fishers but has also successfully been farmed. The peak season for this swimmer lies between the warmer months of the year but can be caught and eaten fresh year-round.

Fishermen can catch this fish throughout the year, so it is always in season in the Keys, but it is most popular in the year's warmer months. Its texture is light, flaky, with a sweet and mild flavor slightly buttery due to its high oil content. Many believe it to be the best-eating fish of the snapper family.

Florida Stone Crab

Locally nicknamed "stonies," this crustacean can be found in coastal waters from Connecticut to the shores of Belize and has a special home in the Gulf of Mexico.

Generally scavengers, this particular crab has a taste for oysters and is often found where oysters grow. The harvest season for stone crabs in Florida is between October and May. Said to be sweeter and flakier than blue crab meat, their flavor is often compared to a combination of shrimp and lobster.

Eating stone crabs is also highly sustainable. Annually, many fisheries harvest only one of the crab's claws at a time. By the following year's harvest, the crab will have regenerated a new one entirely! One claw is left so the crab can defend itself while it lives its life on the ocean floor.

I'd imagine they're so popular in the Keys for their sweet flavor, sustainable harvest, and prolific locality.

Key West Pinks

Not all shrimp are created equally. According to many, the "Key West Pink" is bigger, sweeter, juicier, and PINKER than most!

One might think of a translucent piece of seafood with a brown and blueish hue when thinking of most raw shrimp. Key West Pinks are unique. When they come out of the water, they already have a pink coloring to them and only intensifies when cooked. The shrimp acquire this pigment from the local, coral-based sand they search through to find their food.

Although these shrimp can be harvested year-round, their primary season is between November and June.

Rum

Rum is a popular liquor for tropical and tiki inspired drinks for a good reason. A spirit made by fermenting and distilling sugarcane juice and molasses is similar to tequila in the fact that there are different grades such as light rum, golden rum and dark rum. Rum can also be flavored. A common and popular flavored rum is Captain Morgan Spiced Rum thats infused with a bunch of different things from your spice cabinet. When you think of the flavor of non-flavored rums, think different degrees of toasted sugar. Some common rum cokctails that one might encounter are pina coladas, mai tais and rum runners.

Although there are rum distilleries on the islands of the Florida Keys, I believe the prominence of the spirit to be credited to the Jimmy Buffet Parrothead culture and tropical environment mostly, secondarlity to the sugarcane and rum thats produced in other nearby regions.

This species of wrasse primarily lives along the coasts and reefs of the western Atlantic Ocean, mainly in reef-like areas with plenty of soft coral and crustaceans, its primary food sources. This fish is thin but boasts a pig-like snout that it uses to search through the ocean's sediment to find shellfish to eat. This method of scavenging is how it got it's name, the "hogfish."

The hogfish is called a Florida Key delicacy for its delicate taste with sweet undertones. The fish's flavor gets compared to grouper but lighter. In local waters, the hogfish fishing season runs from May through October.

Conch

Indigenous to the Gulf of Mexico, the Queen Conch is the subspecies of this sea snail we think of when we think Florida Key fare. This mollusk lives in the warm shallow waters, seagrass beds, and reefs along the coast of Key West. Mouthfeel-wise, conchs have a texture similar to clams but tougher and slightly sweeter. Nonetheless, they are used interchangeably in many recipes. Here, conch fritters are this sea creature's claim to fame.

Because of their locality, a once flourishing population of queen conch supplied the bellies of many Florida natives, locals, and tourists. Since the animal grows at a very slow pace, they are highly susceptible to over-fishing. Florida conchs have been illegal to harvest for some time now and cannot be used culinarily. Most, if not all, conch you see in the Florida Keys is sourced by neighboring regions, especially the Bahamas. If you notice a restaurant serving local conchs, please don't eat there. With overall declining populations, maybe limit consumption to one conch dish per visit.

The oceans will thank you.

Key Lime

The number one spot goes to key lime pie! Named after the fruit that gives it its flavor, the filling is a mixture of key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolk. It is creamy, refreshing, and traditionally served in a graham cracker crust. The usual three toppings include merengue, whipped cream, or no topping at all.

The history here is a little blurry. Although these limes aren't originally native to the Keys, future generations will believe they are forever thanks to Florida's successful marketing and regional pride.

Key Limes are native to Southeast Asia. They made their way into Mexico, then into the Florida Keys. History books say that the first key lime pie was made here in the late 1800's. Popularity for this dessert quickly grew. Even though the recipe became engrained in the heads of many bakers, the first published recipe didn't come out until the 1930's. The dessert was promoted as "Florida's favorite treat" and then "the greatest of all American deserts." Florida also made it unlawful to make a "key lime pie" with anything other than key limes. You see, the key lime pie is 100% Florida Keys, but it's also a little Southeast Asian.

Yum.

Top 10 Foods: What to Eat in the Florida Keys