Gulf of America recipes highlight fresh Florida Keys seafood, including snapper, mahi mahi, pink shrimp, stone crab, and spiny lobster. Here are 25 easy dishes that bring the flavors of the Keys to your table.
Hi, I'm Felice. Welcome to Cooking in the Keys, where I share recipes inspired by the tropical flavors of the Florida Keys, including fresh seafood, Key lime pie, and classic island dishes.
Where is The Gulf of America?
The Gulf, historically known as the Gulf of Mexico and officially designated the Gulf of America by the U.S. government, is a large body of water south of the United States.
It borders several states, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, and surrounds the Florida Keys. It connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the Straits of Florida and the Caribbean Sea through the Yucatán Channel.
The Gulf is vital to the Florida Keys, providing fresh seafood that shapes local dishes and supports the fishing industry. It also connects the U.S., Mexico, and Cuba, making it a key trade, fishing, and energy area.
How the Gulf Shapes Keys Cuisine
The Gulf of Mexico plays a big role in shaping the food of the Florida Keys. It brings in flavors and traditions from nearby states and countries.
Mexico gives us fish tacos, quesadillas, and nachos. Cuba brings Spanish Rice, black beans, and the classic Cuban sandwich.
From Louisiana's Cajun country, we get Blackened Seasoning, used in many of our recipes to add bold, smoky flavors to seafood.
These influences come together to create a multicultural food scene in the Keys, shaped by the Gulf's natural resources and the traditions of our neighbors.
What Kind of Fish is in The Gulf?
The Gulf is home to a wide variety of fish, including snapper, grouper, tuna, mackerel, hogfish, tripletail, cobia, snook, amberjack, mullet, and wahoo.
Many of these species are caught throughout the year and appear on restaurant menus across the Florida Keys.
Mild fish like snapper, grouper, and hogfish are excellent for baking, frying, or pan-searing, while firm fish like tuna, cobia, and wahoo hold up well on the grill.
Gulf of America Recipes
The Gulf is home to Key West pink shrimp, brown shrimp, white shrimp, Royal Reds, oysters, stone crab, blue crab, and Florida spiny lobster. These 25 coastal recipes feature fresh seafood and tropical flavors that bring a taste of the Florida Keys to your kitchen.
How To Cook Fresh Mahi Mahi
Learn how to cook fresh mahi mahi. This mild, firm fish is found throughout the Keys, and when caught fresh from the Gulf, it makes an excellent meal. After a day of fishing, try this simple recipe to make the most of your catch.
Mahi Mahi With Cream Sauce Recipe
This mahi mahi with cream sauce pairs sweet, flaky fish with a rich lemon-caper sauce made with butter, white wine, cream, and fresh lemon juice. Ready in just 15 minutes, it's an easy meal for busy weeknights or special occasions. Serve it with pasta, rice, or vegetables.
Grilled Red Snapper
Grilled red snapper is a light seafood dinner made with fresh fillets, olive oil, citrus, and simple seasonings. The grill gives the fish a lightly charred exterior while keeping the inside tender and flaky.
Serve with Grilled Baby Broccoli or Mexican Street Corn Salad.
Pan Seared Snapper
Pan-seared snapper is a quick, high-protein seafood dish with fresh, clean flavor. Lightly seasoned and cooked in a hot skillet, the fish turns golden on the outside while staying tender and flaky inside.
Seared Key West Pink Shrimp
Pan-seared Key West pink shrimp cook in minutes with butter, garlic, lemon, and simple seasonings. Naturally sweet and tender, they make an easy Florida Keys appetizer or seafood dinner.
Peel and Eat Shrimp
Peel-and-eat shrimp are simmered with Old Bay, garlic, and lemon for a simple Florida-style seafood meal. Serve them warm or chilled with lemon wedges, melted butter, or Cocktail Sauce.
Blackened Swordfish
Try this easy Cajun Blackened Swordfish recipe! Ready in just 30 minutes, swordfish is cooked with bold blackened seasoning in a cast-iron skillet for a delicious dinner. Serve with Sautéed Tomatoes with Shallots.
Roasted Swordfish Steaks
Roasted swordfish is a simple way to prepare this firm, meaty fish. Seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper, it cooks quickly in the oven for an easy seafood dinner with fresh Florida Keys flavor.
Stone Crab Claws With Mustard Sauce
Stone Crab Claws with Mustard Sauce is a classic Florida seafood dish. The chilled claws have sweet, tender meat that pairs perfectly with the creamy, tangy mustard sauce. Serve them as an appetizer or centerpiece for a special meal.
For side dish ideas, check out What Goes With Stone Crabs?
Florida Fish Dip
Enjoy this classic Florida Smoked Fish Dip. Fish dip is a creamy seafood spread made with smoked wahoo or other smoked fish, cream cheese, mayonnaise, herbs, and spices.
A popular appetizer in the Florida Keys, it's perfect with crackers and fresh veggies.
Baked Grouper with Key Lime Butter Sauce
Baked grouper drizzled with a tangy Key Lime Butter Sauce is perfect for a healthy dinner! Ready in under 30 minutes, this easy recipe is grain-free and low-carb.
We love our key limes in Key West, but you can use lemons or limes if that's what you have. It will still be great!
Seared Yellowfin Tuna with Sesame Sauce
Yellowfin tuna is coated with sesame seeds and quickly seared, leaving it tender and rare in the center. Serve it sliced with creamy sesame dipping sauce, cucumber, green onions, and lemon wedges.
Crispy Blackfin Tuna
Tuna steak is coated in crisp panko breadcrumbs and quickly fried until golden on the outside and rare in the center. It's an easy restaurant-style seafood dish that cooks in minutes.
Crispy Fried Grouper Cheeks
Learn how to cook grouper cheeks on the stovetop with this simple recipe. Tender and mild, the cheeks are coated in panko and pan-fried until golden and crisp.
Serve with Sweet Coleslaw for an easy Florida Keys seafood meal.
Seared Tripletail with Lemon Butter Sauce
Tripletail is a mild white fish with tender, flaky flesh similar to snapper. It is lightly dredged in flour and seared in a hot pan while the butter sauce warms separately.
Spoon the sauce over the fish and serve with Sheet Pan Asparagus or Roasted Broccoli with Garlic and Cheese for an easy, complete meal.
Fish and Grits Breakfast
Fish and Grits is a full breakfast dish originating in the Florida Keys. This filling breakfast has hot creamy grits, bacon, eggs, onions, and small white flaky fish fillets called grunts.
Fried Hogfish Fillets
Crispy Ritz cracker-coated hogfish with homemade garlic aioli. Simple, fresh, and perfect for a Key West-inspired meal.
Grilled Grouper Collars
Grouper collars are one of the most prized cuts of large fish. Seasoned with classic Old Bay seasoning and perfectly grilled, they have crispy skin and moist, flaky flesh. Cook them until the skin crisps up, and the flesh turns opaque for an unforgettable meal. Serve with Mexican Black Bean Salad or steamed rice.
Boiled Shrimp With Potatoes and Corn (Shrimp Boil)
Boiled shrimp with potatoes and corn is a quick and easy one-pot meal made with pink shrimp, Old Bay, garlic, and lemon. It's ready in 30 minutes and perfect for a weeknight dinner or casual weekend meal. Serve hot with butter and lemon.
Shrimp Salad with Old Bay
Make this easy Shrimp Salad for a light, flavorful meal! This dish is perfect for summer with crisp Key West Pink Shrimp, crunchy celery, onion, dill, and a kick of Old Bay seasoning. Serve it on lettuce, in a sandwich, or with crackers.
Crispy Porgy Fish Recipe
Take your dinner up a notch with this panko-crusted porgy recipe! Light, golden, and crispy, it's a simple, delicious dish that goes with Roasted Broccoli and Coconut Rice with Toasted Coconut.
Boiled Spiny Lobsters
Boiling Florida spiny lobster is quick and easy! Just drop them in salted boiling water and crack them open for one of the best meals you'll ever have. Serve with melted butter, lemon wedges, and Cocktail Sauce for the perfect seafood dinner.
Spiny Lobster Salad
Chunks of Florida spiny lobster are tossed with mayonnaise, crisp celery, and fresh lemon juice. Serve this light lobster salad on its own, over greens, or in lettuce cups for an easy seafood meal.
Key West Lobster Rolls
In the Keys, we pull spiny lobsters straight from the Gulf. The tender lobster meat is tossed in a creamy mayonnaise dressing and piled into toasted split-top buns for a rich seafood sandwich you can make at home.
Key Lime Pie
Key lime pie may not come from the waters of the Gulf, but no Florida Keys meal is complete without it. Made with fresh Key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk, and egg yolks in a graham cracker crust, this cool, creamy dessert is a Keys classic.
More Seafood Recipes
Visit our full list of seafood recipes for more delicious ideas.
