Awesome Bowl, Thank You Island Fin Poke

Diced raw fish, time to talk poke!

Poke bowls have been a favorite of ours since discovering them in Hawaii. When Island Fin Poke opened in The Villages, we were there. 

A rock n roll band entertained Brownwood Paddock Square as we walked to dinner. The song, Under The Boardwalk, made me hungrier. My kind of song!

Colorful, inviting, popular - words that came to mind upon seeing it. Looks like Hawaii… looks comforting… a large dinner crowd suggests they see it as I do. 

Building a bowl is fun. Tell the server your idea of delicious, then watch them make it your reality. Why doesn’t it work that way when I ask my boss for a raise?

Making choices can be daunting. Here, it is literally impossible to choose wrong. Rest easy, let us make our choices:

A base of rice, spring greens, or both. Me, I’m watching carbs, spring mix, please. 

Tuna, salmon, chicken, spam and other proteins from land or sea will entice you. One or more, as you desire. Me, spicy tuna and lots of it, please. 

Crunchy, spicy, or sweet veggie mix-ins will give your creation texture and pop. Me, let’s start with jalapeños, please. 

Marinating sauce, do not skip this offering. Go for Shoyu, Ponzu or other sauces easier to pronounce. Me, island fin fire sauce, please. 

More toppings can’t be wrong so point to many more. Me, chili oil, crispy onions, pickled ginger, wasabi peas and toasted coconut for starters, please. 

OMG we aren’t done! Finishing sauce time. The togarashi will entice your need for sesame and honey. Me, something new, Jamaican cream, please. 

Time to eat! I’ll be back after I devour this carefully architected bowl, I promise. Excuse me. 

A bowl of awesome, that’s my review. 

Until the next time I visit and create a whole new bowl of awesome. 

A bit more about Island Fin Poke. Locations can be found in 14 of our United States. Their website has a nutritional calculator if you care to enter all your choices and see just how healthy of a poke bowl artist you are. Their Instagram has almost 2,000 mouth watering posts of why you should try this place. 

Enjoy the poke, enjoy the awesome, at Island Fin Poke! 

#islandfinpoke #thevillages #restaurantreview #pokebowl #awesome 

Stone Crab: Smoked, Buttered, Sauced and Savored

Smoking seafood makes you anxious? I get it. Seafood is easily overcooked and it tastes horrible.

Settle your fears and journey with me to success. 

Stone crab claws - a zillion chefs, cooks and hungry folk have posted recipes declaring these delicate claws are delicious after just a short boil. Agreed! But we seek more, we seek awesome. Head up, chest out, we are going to smoke them. 

In a hurry? Bummer, but ok, jump to the Recipe Card. 

Attitude is everything when cooking. When I smoke crab my attitude is Crack’em nice, Smoke’em heavy, and Bath’em lovely. 

Crack’em nice - Gently crack each claw and knuckle (leg portion at claw base). Do not smash and destroy, this is not anger management therapy. Crack just enough to allow smoke to kiss that sweet meat. Added bonus, little need to crack further when eating. 

Smoke’em heavy - Our smokers highest smoke setting (not temperature) must smother our claws, quickly infusing our chosen smokey flavor and kicking up the crabs aromatic allure. It takes me 10 minutes to enjoy a bottle of beer. Our claws will be smoked before the bottle is empty. 

Bath’em lovely - you may say this step is optional, for me it is mandatory. Those smokey claws won’t be done until a quick seasoned butter bath completes their transformation to awesome. Another bottle of beer gone, claws are done. Old bay is what I season my butter with. At times, I add lemon pepper too. A friend suggested using cinnamon, I mean ex-friend.  

So you want your claws dressed in more than just butter. Ok, dish up your favorite dipping sauce. We dunked our claws in a savory mustard sauce my wife makes.  

Tell me now, smoking seafood doesn’t really sound so scary, does it? Trust me, it is not!

Lean in to your fear, give it a try, and let me know if I steered you towards awesome. 

Do you have a different dipping sauce that makes your claws awesome? Please tell me about it. 

You need help with your golf car tune up? Nope, I am not your guy. I will tell you crab claws are the perfect meal after a tune up. It’s true, remember I said trust me! 

#seafood #smokedseafood #crab #stonecrab #oldbay #butter #lemonpepper #recipe #seafoodrecipe #smokerrecipe #pelletsmoker #campchef #awesome