S.W AND RICH HERMANSEN
Staff Writers
wine@lbknews.com
We set aside mandates of healthy food choices when we select certain seafood favorites. Fried seafood has a devoted following for good reason. A
quick browning of battered seafood delicacies adds a crunchy feel and buttery flavor to shrimp, scallops, oysters, fish filets, and crab fingers. Frying of seafood has to be done properly to conserve delicate flavors. The batter has to match the type of seafood. Careful timing of the frying process proves essential.
For some seafood dishes, the usual frying method does not work well. The small bay scallops cost less than the larger ocean (divers) scallops, but, when sauteed in butter and an inexpensive off-dry sherry, the bay scallops rival their larger cousins. A filet of fresh flounder, grouper, or sea trout tastes better when dipped in a light egååg and milk batter, dusted with flour, and quickly pan fried than when deep fried. Frying crab cakes ruins them; gentle poaching in butter until lightly browned works best.
Lately our field research has taken us to popular seafood restaurants in Sarasota Florida. The new location of Tommy Bahamas on St. Armand’s Circle serves the restaurant chains famous fried coconut shrimp with a crustier coating than we recall having at the prior location flooded by Hurricane Helene a year ago. The heavier coconut batter overshadows the mild, briny taste of the gulf shrimp. Red wine and brandy in a Bahia Sangria from the bar enhance the brioche and coconut crust. The horseshoe shape of the new bar adds to the ambiance of a place favored by locals as well as tourists.
On a college football game day, we visited the Daiquiri Deck on the Circle for their oversized Bloody Mary’s. Well-seasoned and loaded with garnishes, this drink will carry you through three quarters of your favorite team’s game. We tried the fried coconut shrimp off the appetizer menu. The light golden batter left the crunch in the large gulf shrimp. A cocktail and fried seafood brunch makes a home team win sweeter or a loss at least tolerable. The Deck offers a better game day experience than many of the local sports bars.
The Old Salty Dog restaurant on City Island across from Longboat Key serves a basket of five large shrimp fried with French fried potatoes. The coating of the shrimp has a mixture of sifted tempura and coarser flour in an egg wash. This batter puffs up slightly to give the fried shrimp an airy feel. An icy Calusa Zote beer on tap and a view of small and larger craft entering and leaving New Pass set the stage for a perfect West Florida evening.
Another day during the early days of the stone crab season, we stop for brunch at Walt’s Seafood Market, Restaurant, and Bar. At 11AM the crowds are beginning to gather at this Old Florida tiki hut on South Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. The specials menu has a starter of two fried softshell crabs and sweet potato waffle fries. It has two large softshells coated in an egg wash and fried no more than a few minutes. The tender backfin lumps under the male crab hood and the large claws deliver a pure blue crab flavor and texture. The bar has Calusa Zote on tap as well as tropical cocktails that one would expect to find at tiki bar. Unlike most tiki bars that I know, Walt’s also offers to those ordering dishes such as tuna, salmon, or the ribeye steak, a bottle of Belle Glos Dairyman Pinot Noir from California at less than double its usual retail price, a true bargain.
Our field research continues during, and perhaps more so because of, the shutdown of the federal government. We would prefer to see the many dedicated scientists in federal agencies back at work. The gaps in support for their work threaten the health and welfare of our nation and the world.
S. W. Hermansen has used his expertise in econometrics, data science and epidemiology to help develop research databases for the Pentagon, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Agriculture, and Health Resources and Services. He has visited premier vineyards and taste wines from major appellations in California, Oregon, New York State, and internationally from Tuscany and the Piedmont in Italy, the Ribera del Duero in Spain, the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale in Australia, and the Otego Valley in New Zealand. Currently he splits time between residences in Chevy Chase, Maryland and St. Armand’s Circle in Florida.
Rich Hermansen selected has first wine list for a restaurant shortly after graduating from college with a degree in Mathematics. He has extensive service and management experience in the food and wine industry. Family and friends rate him as their favorite chef, bartender, and wine steward. He lives in Severna Park, Maryland.
