For those who have stepped outside here in the Florida panhandle over this glorious Easter weekend know, Spring is here. As far as ingredients go, there is no better time of year to have cooking as your profession. People are in town, vegetables are bright and lively, and fish and shellfish are starting to come back in full force in the 30-a area. Artichokes, peas, mushrooms, avocados, early tomatoes, arugula, asparagus, strawberries are all coming in lively and fresh. Crabmeat, Cobia, Pompano, Tuna, Grouper and Snappers of all sorts are in abundance as well. There is a feeling of action in the air. Visitors are here, farmers are pulling veggies after a long winter and fishermen are reeling in boatloads of goodies more and more every day.

There is something special about cleaning a Cobia, a great example of a Spring/Summer Gulf Coast fish. Love it or hate it, Cobia, (sometimes called Ling or Lemonfish) is a true taste of Spring for me. Cobia is a fish that has no specific season for fishing, but rather is migratory. It makes its way onto fishing boat long lines in early spring, when the weather warms up. The fish is known for its oily, somewhat steaky texture, and its natural robust lemon like flavor. It can really stand up to a lot of big flavors, and has the great nutrition like that of a Salmon or Tuna. It is a chef’s fish, in that it will not be overpowered by full flavored accompaniments or bold cooking techniques, such as olive oil poaching or cast iron searing. Any fish that can hold up to a hard sear in beautifully seasoned cast iron, I am all for.

The part of this fish I enjoy most comes after I clean, bone, and portion the fillets. It has a buttery belly that contains some large bones, making it unusable for a full fillet, but having the best flavor. I will keep these to marinate for the fish tacos at lunch, giving them a quick dust in corn flour, and flash frying them, perching them upon a charred flour tortilla, topping the crispy nuggets with a 10 vegetable-crystal hot sauce and buttermilk slaw, and piling on some salsa fresca topped with a juicy squeeze of lime. Mexico meets the Gulf South, Baby! That’s what we are all about.

If I have some of the belly pieces left over, I will make a ceviche of Cobia, meyer lemon, and habanero. U can put that on anything from a spoon to a house made fried pickle if u are feeling crazy. Boy o Boy I Love the Spring! Stop on by the restaurant to get your taste of some Cobia and some other Spring delights from our new Spring menu.