The Slow Food Orlando Event, February 26th, at Port Canaveral’s Wild Ocean Seafood Market was a huge success. Over seventy hungry seafood lover’s attended the Sea to Table Event to eat fresh Florida tile fish, smoked mullet and shrimp salad, sip cold beer and wine and learn, listen and ask questions about Florida sustainable seafood.

Wild Ocean Seafood Market offers a large variety of fresh Florida seafood, shrimp (pink, white and rock), spices and seasonings. The owners, Jena, Mike and Sue along with marketing manager, Cinthia, and the fishermen and sales staff offer all that’s available from the Altantic waters. If they don’t have it, they can source it for you. And that’s what this Slow Fish: From Sea to Table event brought to the table. The day was filled with information-learning about Florida seafood-where it’s sourced, how it’s processed, fish cutting demos, and talking points* about what to look for when you’re at the market and what to do with it once you get it home. (*see these 10 talking points below)

Here are my top ten talking points when buying fresh seafood:

1. Keep an open mind when you venture to the market. Look for bright red blood lines, firm flesh, clear eyes and glistening skin and flesh. 2. Ask to smell the fish before you buy it. 3. Ask for ice to transport it home. Even better, bring a cooler for transport. 4. Keep it on ice, in the package, in your refrigerator until you’re ready to cook. 5. Thirty minutes before cooking, rinse your seafood in cold water, pat dry, salt, cover and refrigerate. 6. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Make sides and salads, set the table, open and pour wine, light candles. 7. Remove fish from refrigerator and finish seasoning. Heat stove-to-oven skillet on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add a small amount of oil to cover the cooking surface. 8. Place fish fillet top side down in skillet. Sear two minutes. Turn and repeat. Place entire skillet in hot oven to finish cooking. Ten minutes total cooking time. 9. Remove from heat. 10. Serve immediately.

Thanks Wild Ocean Seafood and Slow Food Orlando.