Some of my favorite travel memories involve food, especially when I’m exploring a coastal destination.
It’s one thing to order seafood from a menu. It’s another to stand beside a working waterfront as boats return from the ocean, talk with a chef about locally caught fish, learn about a destination’s fishing traditions, or discover that eating shrimp can somehow turn into a competition.
While filming Love Eat Travel with Michelle Valentine, I’ve had the opportunity to experience Florida seafood in very different ways, from locally caught fish along SouthShore’s waterfront to Amelia Island’s shrimping traditions and fresh stone crab in Florida’s Paradise Coast.
Those experiences have given me an even greater appreciation for the seafood I’ve cooked in my own kitchen over the years.
Before we get to seven of my favorite seafood recipes, let me take you to three Florida destinations where seafood became part of my Love Eat Travel story.
Tropical Waterfront Dining in SouthShore, Florida
During Season 1 of Love Eat Travel with Michelle Valentine, we filmed at Circles Waterfront in SouthShore, Florida.
The setting was spectacular.
I was surrounded by a lush, tropical atmosphere overlooking the marina, exactly the kind of setting that makes you want to linger over a waterfront meal.
During my segment with the chef, I enjoyed locally caught fish topped with tropical fruit. The colorful topping seemed perfectly suited to the surroundings.
It was one of those meals where the food and location simply belonged together.
That’s something I particularly enjoy about eating while traveling. A dish can become much more memorable when it reflects the atmosphere and character of the place where you’re eating it.
Sitting beside the marina with tropical surroundings and locally caught fish on my plate was very much a SouthShore experience.
Explore SouthShore, Florida with Love Eat Travel with Michelle Valentine.
Discovering Amelia Island’s Shrimping Heritage
Shrimp took center stage during our Season 2 filming on Amelia Island.
Amelia Island has a long connection to the shrimping industry, and I had the opportunity to experience a glimpse of that working-waterfront tradition firsthand.
During our visit to H&S Shrimp Co., we stood outside as the action unfolded behind us.
Boats had just returned from the ocean, and the crews were busy unloading extensive amounts of equipment, nets, traps and shrimp.
Rather than seeing seafood neatly arranged behind a market counter or beautifully presented on a restaurant plate, I was seeing some of the work that happens before it ever reaches either one.
It was busy. It was authentic. And it provided a very different perspective on an ingredient most of us buy without thinking much about everything that happened before it reached us.
For generations, shrimping has been intertwined with the history and identity of this part of Northeast Florida.
Experiencing even a small part of that while filming made the shrimp I ate later on Amelia Island considerably more interesting.
My Not-So-Successful Shrimp-Peeling Contest
And eat shrimp I did.
At Down Under on Amelia Island, we sat down to a big serving of shrimp and appetizers.
The shrimp was piled together, and we transferred it onto our individual plates before peeling it ourselves.
It was messy.
It was fun.
And apparently that wasn’t enough excitement, because I somehow ended up in a shrimp-peeling competition with the chef.
The challenge was simple: get that shell and tail off and get the shrimp ready to eat.
Surely I could do that.
I would love to tell you that the host of Love Eat Travel prevailed.
She did not.
The chef won.
For sure.
I’ll admit that challenging a professional chef to see who can prepare food faster probably wasn’t my greatest competitive decision.
Fortunately, losing a shrimp-peeling contest still comes with an excellent consolation prize.
You get to eat the shrimp.
Explore Amelia Island, Florida with Love Eat Travel with Michelle Valentine.
Stone Crab and Champagne in Florida’s Paradise Coast
Seafood took a considerably more elegant turn when we traveled to Florida’s Paradise Coast for Season 2.
The waters around Naples, Marco Island and the Ten Thousand Islands have a long stone-crabbing tradition, making stone crab an especially fitting food to experience while visiting Southwest Florida.
Our timing was remarkable, too.
We were filming right at the end of stone crab season, possibly even on its final day.
At The Turtle Club at Vanderbilt Beach Resort, I sat down to an elegant meal of incredibly fresh stone crab accompanied by champagne.
I had eaten stone crab before.
What I apparently hadn’t mastered was how to eat it elegantly.
One of our destination partners joined me at the table and gave me a lesson in the finer points of eating stone crab without completely destroying the sophisticated atmosphere around us.
Let’s just say she was considerably more graceful at it than I was.
There was something wonderfully Florida about the entire experience: fresh stone crab, champagne, an elegant beachfront setting and the Gulf of Mexico just beyond us.
More importantly, it connected what was on my plate with a seafood tradition that has long been part of Southwest Florida’s coastal culture.
From Amelia Island’s shrimping heritage in Northeast Florida to stone crabbing in Southwest Florida, seafood tells different stories depending on where you travel.
Explore Florida’s Paradise Coast with Love Eat Travel with Michelle Valentine.
From Florida’s Coast to My Kitchen
All that seafood has probably made you hungry.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be sitting beside the ocean to enjoy a wonderful seafood meal.
Over the years, I’ve prepared everything from Cajun fried oysters and seared ahi tuna to salmon, crab and plenty of shrimp.
Here are seven seafood recipes from my collection to try in your own kitchen.
1. New Orleans Style Cajun Fried Oysters
If you like seafood with a little Southern kick, start with my New Orleans Style Cajun Fried Oysters.
The oysters are crispy on the outside while remaining tender inside, with Cajun-inspired flavor that makes them anything but boring.
They’re a fun appetizer for entertaining, but you could just as easily make them part of a seafood dinner.
Add your favorite dipping sauce and serve them while they’re hot and crispy.
Get my New Orleans Style Cajun Fried Oysters recipe.
2. Stuffed Avocado with Gigantic Crab
Seafood doesn’t always have to mean something fried or heavy.
My Stuffed Avocado with Gigantic Crab combines creamy avocado and crab in a dish that’s fresh, colorful and packed with flavor.
Serving the crab right inside the avocado also gives you a beautiful presentation without a lot of complicated plating.
Serve it for lunch, brunch or as a lighter first course when you’re entertaining.
Get my Stuffed Avocado with Gigantic Crab recipe.
3. Horseradish Dill Roasted Salmon
Salmon is wonderfully versatile because it can work for an ordinary weeknight dinner or something a little more elegant.
My Horseradish Dill Roasted Salmon combines rich salmon with fresh dill and the distinctive bite of horseradish.
The flavors make the dish interesting without requiring an overly complicated preparation.
Serve it with roasted vegetables, potatoes, rice or a fresh salad for an easy seafood dinner.
Get my Horseradish Dill Roasted Salmon recipe.
4. Sweet & Sour Shrimp
After my Amelia Island adventures, there was no way I could create this list without including shrimp.
My Sweet & Sour Shrimp combines sweet and tangy flavors with one of my favorite versatile seafood ingredients.
It’s a great choice when you want something different from simply grilling or sautéing shrimp, and the bold sauce makes it easy to build a complete meal around it.
And don’t worry.
You aren’t required to race a chef while peeling the shrimp.
I’ve already done that for you.
Get my Sweet & Sour Shrimp recipe.
5. Grilled Mediterranean Fish Packets
Fish packets are one of my favorite ways to prepare seafood because they’re simple while still feeling special when you open them at the table.
My Grilled Mediterranean Fish Packets combine fish with light Mediterranean-inspired flavors for a fresh meal that’s particularly nice during warmer weather.
They’re also perfect for outdoor dining or date night because everyone gets an individual packet.
Open one at the table and enjoy that first burst of aroma before digging in.
Get my Grilled Mediterranean Fish Packets recipe.
6. Zesty Lemony Shrimp Cocktail
We’ll finish where our Amelia Island seafood adventure began: with shrimp.
Shrimp cocktail is a classic appetizer for a reason. It’s easy to serve, looks beautiful on a platter and works for everything from holiday entertaining to a summer gathering.
My Zesty Lemony Shrimp Cocktail adds bright citrus flavor to this familiar seafood favorite.
This is another recipe from my earlier video collection, so you can watch me prepare it in my kitchen.
And if you’re serving shrimp to friends, I recommend simply enjoying it rather than turning the evening into a peeling competition.
Trust me on this one.
Watch my Zesty Lemony Shrimp Cocktail video recipe.
7. Seared Ahi Tuna
Ahi tuna is one of those foods that can look restaurant-worthy without requiring hours in the kitchen.
A quick sear creates a wonderful contrast between the cooked exterior and tender center.
It’s a great option when you want a lighter seafood meal or something special for date night. Pair it with vegetables, rice or a fresh salad and let the tuna be the star.
This one comes from my earlier recipe-video collection, so you can join me in the kitchen and watch exactly how I prepare it.
Watch my Seared Ahi Tuna video recipe.
What Traveling Has Taught Me About Seafood
One of the things I’ve come to appreciate through Love Eat Travel is how much food can tell us about a destination.
Along SouthShore, locally caught fish felt completely at home beside a tropical marina.
On Amelia Island, I watched a working waterfront in action and learned more about a community with generations of shrimping history.
In Florida’s Paradise Coast, fresh stone crab connected an elegant beachfront meal with one of Southwest Florida’s celebrated seafood traditions.
Three destinations.
Three completely different experiences.
And all of them gave me a greater appreciation for what ends up on our plates.
That’s one of the reasons I believe food is such an important part of travel.
You aren’t simply tasting something.
You’re experiencing a little piece of a place.
Bring the Flavors of Your Travels Home
You don’t have to wait for your next trip to enjoy a great seafood dinner.
Make crispy Cajun oysters for an appetizer. Serve crab inside creamy avocado. Quickly sear ahi tuna. Roast salmon with fresh herbs. Fire up the grill for Mediterranean fish packets.
Or make shrimp the star of the evening.
Just don’t challenge the chef.
Whether I’m eating fresh seafood beside the water or preparing one of my favorite recipes at home, food has a wonderful way of bringing memories of places and people back to the table.
And sometimes the best souvenir from a trip isn’t something you bring home in your suitcase.
It’s a flavor you can’t wait to experience again.
I have a ridiculous obsession with crab everything, but I’ve never heard of stuffing an avocado with it! I’m surprised I didn’t think of that…lol