Fishing

A couple of weekends ago, we made a weekend Gulf Coast run.  The extended red snapper season called my name.  I really wanted to head south.  Turns out, I love to fish! 

The family loaded up the vehicle and headed south to Bay City Lodge in Apalachicola, Florida.

Arriving late Friday evening, we opted not to fish and headed instead to Indian Pass Raw Bar.  What a great decision!  The raw oysters tasted slightly salty and delicious.  While Ben and I ate oysters at the bar, the kids ate and watched the show outside.

Early Saturday morning we headed out Apalachicola Bay, through the Government Cut (between St. George Island and Little St. George Island), and offshore about 10 miles.  Ben located the lucky reef, and we started fishing.  We caught red snapper, grouper, King Mackerel, and cobia, aka the craziest fish in the ocean. 

When Benjamin reeled his cobia upside the boat, Ben got excited.  He claimed he had been carrying his cobia hickory stick so long, he thought it might rot before he got to use it! 

The other night, we enjoyed grilled cobia.  Yum!  Seasoned only with olive oil and Old Bay seasoning, Ben grilled it to perfection.  With a side of Late Summer Vegetables, the dish was decidedly worth sharing!

Late Summer Vegetables

Ingredients

• 2 T bacon drippings
• 1 Vidalia onion, chopped
• 2 c okra, chopped or sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 small to medium red tomatoes, diced
• 1 large green tomato, diced
• 2 t fresh rosemary, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large, heavy skillet, saute onion in bacon drippings over medium heat about 5 minutes.  Add okra and cook, stirring 5-10 minutes.  Add bell pepper, tomatoes, and rosemary.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 15 minutes, adding water if necessary.  Serve hot; delicious with grilled cobia!