grilled mahi mahi wrap

This sandwich was so deliciously simple, I'm still kind of thinking lovingly and longingly about it. Isn't that always the case when you have no expectations? Duffy's is an impossibly casual beachfront burger join in Vieques. And quite frankly, that's just as it should be. Bypassing the burgers on the menu, my eyes darted towards the grilled Mahi Mahi wrap: grilled Mahi Mahi, lettuce, tomato, and cilantro-lime sauce. Done. And a Margarita on the rocks. No salt.

What the Margarita lacked in any and all good Margarita-y flavor, this sandwich more than made up for. Totally simple but packed with flavor. Which is just what I crave when I'm at the beach. No frills. Just simple grilled fare. You too, right?

I can't imagine this being a difficult number to recreate. I'd marinate the Mahi Mahi in a combination of lime and orange juice with some garlic and cilantro. Don't let it go too long. The acid in the citrus juice will start to cook the fish. And unless you're serving this as ceviche, that's not what you want. After it's marinated for about an hour or two in the refrigerator, throw the fish onto the grill until it's just cooked through. A few minutes a side (if that) is all it's going to need.

Then heat up a large flour tortilla, dress it with a little lettuce, tomato, and red onion, and lay the grilled Mahi Mahi right on top. Fold it up, cut it in half, and go on and relish in that light and easy sandwich.

Serving suggesion: Eat while digging your toes into the sand.

mojitos (really, really good ones)

Let's talk about Mojitos. A rum-based drink infused with the peppery and almost medicinal zip of fresh mint muddled with cane sugar, tons of fresh lime wedges, and topped off with soda water. Insert straw. Sip. Smile. You're on vacation. Even if it's off your fire escape, looking out onto the bustling city below.

And me? Oh well, I just happen to be enjoying mine in Vieques. Whether or not that makes them taste even better (this is a fact) is up to you to decide, but there's something about this cocktail that immediately transports you to vacation/summer mode. It makes you smile. And sometimes that's all we need. A friendly little boost to help curl the sides of your mouth upwards to show off those pearly whites when you can't get to the tropics.

Mojitos, when done right, are really, really good.

Incidentally, the best Mojito I've ever experienced was in Vieques at the Inn at Blue Horizon about two years ago. It was the first stop we made right after the airport (and the world's most traumatic flying experience known to mankind. Let's just say by the time I sat down at the bar, I may or may not have still been wheezing/in hysterics/kissing the ground/contemplating how in God's name I was getting back home without having to take off the ground in that magic school bus they call a 10-person plane. I've since sought medical attention to aid this process. But I think hypnosis is in my near future.) so it's questionable whether or not this cocktail was more of a life saver than a particularly delicious Mojito but I'm going to argue the latter. The description on the menu said something about Blue Curacao and I immediately scoffed.

Yep, I'll admit it. I scoffed. Hoping the bartender didn't see or hear me. I don't order blue drinks. That's just not how I roll.

But it was the Blue Horizon's namesake cocktail and it had the word Mojito in it and so i ordered it. As is. I ordered the blue drink.

A few minutes later (after watching my sweet bartender muddle away with nearly a whole bunch of mint and a handful of limes), a blue-hued, icy cold beverage was set in front of me. One sip, and not only was all the flying anxiety immediately alleviated, but I was genuinely blown away by the quality; the proportions of this particular Mojito. The perfect balance between sweetness and tang with the subtle muskiness of the rum in the background. Perhaps it was the dreaded Blue Curacao which miraculously made the ingredients sing such an exotic yet familiar harmony: it was damn good.

Now I don't know about you but I don't keep Blue Curacao at home. Nor do I think it's absolutely necessary to have on hand to make the world's greatest Mojito. Or anything, for that matter. So let's break this down sans, shall we?

In a tall glass, toss in at least 10-12 mint leaves and 5 slices/wedges of lime (or more) and 1-1/2 Tbsp. of sugar (I will say that I've tried this with Splenda--I know, I know, I know, let's just say I couldn't find the sugar, or something--and it came out pretty darn tasty. So there. Just sayin') and muddle the crap outta this. If you don't have a muddler, the bottom of a wooden spoon can work in a pinch. But let's get you a muddler, k? Once as much of the juice has been released by the limes as possible and the mint leaves are smashed and the sugar is nearly dissolved, it's time to add the rum. Add in a shot glass or so of Bacardi Rum, fill the glass with ice, and top it off with a splash of seltzer water. Give it a little stir.

Insert straw. Sip. Smile.

vieques dinner party

One of the many things that's so great about Vieques are the people you meet down here. What it lacks in "nightlife" it more than makes up for in social events. You jump from dinner party to ground-breaking ceremonies, cocktails by the pool to a tour of someones newly finished home. Not only is most everyone from Cape Cod or Massachusetts (strangely) but it's always an incredibly interesting crowd and part of the reason I'm always excited to go back, is to see the familiar faces again. And share some great food and drink while seeing said faces.

On Sunday night, we're hosting (by the time this is posted, we've hosted) a little dinner party and as per usual, I cozied up to a few past issues of Gourmet and Saveur pool-side and got to menu planning. Yes, I'm on vacation. No, I don't consider this work.

Back in January when I visited Locanda Verde, I told you all about the Blue Crab Crostini which we ordered as a starter. This one dish, albeit tiny, was quite possibly the most memorable part of that meal. A charred piece of bread, rubbed with garlic and tomato then topped with a light crab salad and a sliver of jalapeno and cucumber. It was incredibly fresh and zippy and the sweet, tender crab against the nearly smoky piece of bread was pretty genius. I had to recreate. And with that, I had my inspiration for what to serve with cocktails.

Regardless of availability, I'm going to go the canned crab route and hope for the best. And I'm not worried about it.

HOWEVER, due to a questionable consistency of the canned crab we picked up at the market, a plan two was quickly put into place. Before even getting down to the island, I had decided that grilled pizzas needed to happen. There was undoubtedly a pizza place on the island (or so I assumed) and I figured by flashing a smile, I'd be able to bag a ball or two of fresh pizza dough. After running into Mia's Pizzeria one night, I approached the counter and kindly asked for some raw pizza dough.

Perplexed looks are an understatement.

I tried explaining my game plan. "We love to grill the pizzas! I just need the dough, if that's possible."

After a few moments of awkward-ish silence, he began to bag up two huge, swollen, and pillowy balls of dough. I couldn't help but smile while I watched their beautiful consistency start to be gently wrapped up in paper. Finally the silence was broken. "You know, I worked at a pizza joint in Brooklyn for over 16 years before moving back down here. I make all my own dough. Every day. No one else on the island does that."

At this point, the sweet man was probably concerned with my level of excitement. I was beaming. Beaming with anticipation of the quality of this dough. I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

Since the crab crostini was officially postponed, I figured Plan B of grilled pizzas wasn't too shabby. Topped with slices of goats milk brie, white onion, and sauteed mushrooms, and topped with fresh torn basil, it was hands down my favorite part of the meal.

The dough, was in fact, near perfection. Chewy and salty. I'm craving a piece right now.

Thank you, Mia's. I will be back.

Funnily enough, there's not a huge fresh fish presence on this island (something about the fish caught in or around the island not being safe to eat. hmph). The grocery store is predominately meat: chicken, beef, or pork. The only fish option was bacalao, which, I love, but when I'm in the tropics, I can't help but crave the opportunity to take a whole fish, stuff it with a few orange and lemon slices, a few sprigs of herbs, and throw the whole thing on the grill. But, alas, that doesn't happen down here. But believe me, we make do.

Dinner will be grilled chicken (skin on, bone in, please) marinated in chipotle, plenty of fresh garlic, and lime. Coconut-milk will turn normal rice into a risotto-like consistency and the addition of a few nubs of fresh ginger to the simmering coconut milk, brings this to celestial levels. Black beans bumped up with red peppers, red onion, a dash of chipotle and jalapeno and tons of fresh cilantro on the finish along with a salad with plenty of sliced avocado and red onion and this plate is not only full, but glowing with flavor and nods to the Caribbean. Done my way.

This is when pictures follow...

away i go

I'm off my friends, to Vieques, Puerto Rico for a much needed week of R&R. If you're not familiar with Vieques, it's a small island off of Puerto Rico and is also known as an unequivocal Heaven on Earth. The beaches are so seemingly untouched, horses roam freely all over the island, and the only traffic obstruction are mangoes falling into the streets. And even more inspiring is the house in which we're staying which belongs to the fabulously talented, Donna Gorman. The home was featured on the cover of Metropolitan Home last summer and the pictures below are from that spread. Donna along with architect, John Hix, designed the house to be completely off the grid which means all the power for the house is drawn from solar panels on the roof. The fabrics shown are a combination of Donna's line, see, as well as Marimekko prints.

I mean, it's drop dead, is it not? Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait.

I'm sure as heck bringing my camera to snap about a zillion or more photographs as well as my laptop but Internet connection will be an interesting feat. I will try my absolute hardest to check in when I can. I'm already planning out meals filled with coconut rice, cilantro, mangoes, and mojitos.

I'll be tweeting regularly (no surprise there), so follow me on Twitter.

xo