Blackened Tilapia

Remember yesterday???  Cajun Rub (blackening seasoning)... We made a triple batch.  Now we start using it...

Tilapia is a wonderful fish ... Taste and cheap!  Every store from Aldi to Kroger to the cheap place in St Thomas sells big bags of single fillets, individually sealed and perfect for a quick lunch...

And this recipe is quick... Freezer to thawed in the microwave to 4 minutes in the frying pan and served... total time, just a shade over 5 minutes...

While the fish is thawing ... BTW, if you plan ahead, instead of microwave, put a fillet (still sealed in plastic) in a pan of warm water for 30 minutes and it will be thawed.  OK, back to the how to... While the fish is thawing in the microwave, take an aluminum non stick pan and melt one TBS butter for each fillet you are making...

Add one rounded teaspoon of the rub to the butter and get hot hot hot... You will start to see whisps of smoke coming from the spices.  At that stage, turn the heat down just a tinge.  You like the smoke, but you do not want to burn...

Add the fish fillet.  2 minutes, and you continue to see the smoke...

Flip the fish and 2 minutes on the other side...

Filled with flavor, cooked perfect, flaky, not over cooked...

I love blackened fish.

ST JOHN WATERFRONT BISTRO

St John Island (one of the "other" US Virgin Islands (the pretty one, almost the entire island is a national park)) is home to a very charming shopping district, just to the right of the ferry exit.  Mostly locally produced artwork and beachwear shops, a few high end jewelry stores.

And this beautiful restaurant!

THE WATERFRONT BISTRO (click HERE to get to their home page) is among the most picturesque places to eat in the entire US Virgin Islands.  Located bay side, with a view of the beach and Caribbean Sea, every table is a wonderful spot to enjoy your break from the world.

Jackie and I had a snorkeling session planned, but wanted to grab a quick bite before heading to our beach.  Their VERY reasonably priced lunch menu was a fun read.  It was foodie heaven to see such a wide selection of starters and soups (chilled tomato saffron with cucumbers and creme fraiche), specialties of the restaurant (Grilled ham and cheese, with gruyere cheese and an egg battered brioche)... But Jackie and I chose to split a blackened chicken breast sandwich with a garlic Aioli...

Only $9 (a bargain on the islands, where just about any burger is over $10, let alone with the beautiful view included free).  It was cooked exactly right, very large (we were splitting to eat a light meal prior to our snorkeling trip).  It was a great meal.

We had planned a quickie meal so we would have time to enjoy the island.  Instead, we stayed for a second adult beverage, enjoyed the top quality food and the view.  It was a great start to our day in St John.

the ST JOHN WATERFRONT BISTRO is certainly on our "must do" list for dinner one night.  The view includes one of the best sunsets on the islands.  Plus their dinner time menu shows the same amount of care as their lunch menu.  Looking for a burger joint... sure, they have that.  Looking for a memorable experience... They toss that in as well.

We loved everything about the Waterfront Bistro.  If you are planning a trip to St John, include this place as one of your "must see"!

Open Pit Bar-B-Que

Sorry, this is the only photo I have. Whenever I photograph close up, items and especially people, I always try to ask if they mind. The owner of this business did mind. Here's the story...

If you look close, behind the truck and wagon is the blue colored Pueblo grocery store that I blogged about earlier. I was walking to get my daily supplies for dinner when I spied the wagon. It had LARGE signs on the street advertising $5 BBQ sandwich. I assumed it would be a pulled pork, and I was willing. Seemed fair. BUT, up close, the sign read in small lettering, "chicken daily special".

Up close, his menu read $20 for a half rack of ribs, $12 for a pulled pork sandwich and $9 for a chicken sandwich. I got cheap, and lost my enthusiasm. I was going to eat in a couple hours, and I wanted to save the experience for when I was hungry, maybe a lunch sometime.

Now, this is near where the cruise ships let people out. I certainly do not look like a local, and I am sure he assumed he would never see me again.

He preferred not to be a story for the folks back home, and once he knew he was not making a sale, he preferred to not be disturbed.

Fair enough, I will probably be back, as I do love slow cooked pork. Maybe when I am a sale instead of a bothersome tourist I will get a better story.

Up close, he had a great set up for low and slow cooking. Smelled wonderful!

Jackie Took Me Out to Lunch - The Green House

Still without a permanent kitchen, so every meal is an effort to cook and clean. So Jackie decided she wanted to see a bit of town (locals call Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the island, "town". I haven't heard anyone except Jackie and I call it a city. Today was a evry heavy day for cruise ships, so there was a lot of bustle walking the dozen or so blocks from her office to the GREEN HOUSE Restaurant.

It was recommended as reasonably priced... OK, $10 for a burger and fries is about as reasonable as you were going to find.

I am still trying to soak up the idea of being around seafood (remember, Kansas does not get a lot of seafood). So I had the Mahi Mahi sandwich... supposedly blackened, but I don't think they have read my post on blackened spices versus true blackened cooking method (click HERE for that post). But, the spices were there, so it had lots of fresh fish flavor and spice flavors!

Served with two sides, I had a choice of a dozen, I chose garlic bread and cole slaw... Both excellent.

Jackie's burger and fries came with a generous amount of sweet onion.

Busy, very convenient and easy to find if you are coming in on a cruise ship, Lots of color and atmosphere and we both liked our food very much! They advertise evening specials, including a pound of Crab Legs for $25 that we will try to make one day soon.

They have a website (click HERE), as well as a sister location in St Maarten; well worth a look. Love the guy with the lobsters!

Big Thumbs up!