The dinghies started heading our way almost at once. People were thrilled that we were sharing, and a few brought little gifts. Lola gave us a few cans of her favorite local beer, Rick and Ami a bottle of red wine. All in all we shared the fish with 15 other boats and still had plenty in our freezer. The fish was the talk of the anchorage for the next few days and many of the guys wanted to see “the lure”. I posted a picture of the fish and the lure at Marina Juan’s.

I invited our new wahoo friends, Rick and Ami, on Tara Vana over for dinner a few nights later. Guess what we had? Wahoo of course, encrusted in finely chopped cashews and served with a beet, carrot, and mango salsa, hot garlic bread, and Ami’s fantastic green salad.

This is what I love most about the cruising lifestyle, making new friends and sharing the adventure. As we ate and laughed together we learned we were all headed west to Panama so we will likely share more good food and fine adventures along the way.

Recipes:

Beet, Carrot, and Mango Salsa
1 medium/large beet

1 large carrot

1 large ripe but firm mango

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons chopped parsley and/or fresh mint

Boil the carrot and beet until they are slightly tender, cool quickly, peel and coarsely shred separately. (The beet will stain the carrot red if you mix them together too soon.) Dice the mango and place in a bowl with the carrot. Add lime juice and honey and toss. Cool all ingredients. Toss in the beets and herbs just before serving.

Cashew Encrusted Wahoo

4 fresh wahoo filets

1 egg + 1 tablespoon water

1/2 cup finely chopped cashews

1/2 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil

Dry the wahoo filets. Dredge each in seasoned flour. Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Dip each fillet in the egg to cover both sides. Spread the cashews out on a flat plate and press each filet lightly into the nuts to coat both sides.

Add the oil plus one tablespoon of butter to a heavy skillet and cook the filets at a moderately high temperature for about 4-5 minutes. Add the last tablespoon of butter and flip the filets to cook the other side for about 4 minutes until light golden brown on each side.

Serve with cool Beet, Carrot, and Mango Salsa on the side.