15 Sunny Florida Recipes From Key Lime Pie to Smoked Fish Dip

Bring a taste of Florida home with creamy smoked fish dip, crisp sushi hand rolls, sticky chicken wings, and a boozy frozen drink.

Smoked fish dip
Credit: Greg DuPree

“Somehow, this one spot on earth feels like home to me,” wrote author and native Floridian Zora Neale Hurston in a letter to historian Jean Parker Waterbury. For so many Floridians, that sense of home is shared around the table.

Florida’s cuisine has been shaped by fishing communities, immigrant kitchens, and recipes passed from one generation to the next, with Indigenous, Black, Cuban, Haitian, Jamaican, Greek, and Minorcan communities all contributing to the state’s culinary identity. This collection offers a small taste of that range, alongside recipes from chefs cooking across Florida today.

There’s creamy smoked fish dip from the Gulf Coast, food photographer Romulo Yanes’ mother’s sofrito-rich Cuban black beans, and crisp sushi hand rolls from Orlando chef Sean “Sonny” Nguyen. Make chewy, savory pad see ew from Royal Palm Beach’s Peppermint, or put out sticky chicken wings and a round of frozen Bushwackers. For dessert, a tangy Key lime pie or fluffy coconut cake brings a little sunshine to the table.

01 of 15

Grilled Grouper

Credit: Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Give grouper fillets subtle smoky, savory flavor with lemon, butter, and scallion-stuffed packets on the grill — a quintessential Florida experience. Find more than a dozen species of fresh local grouper from the Atlantic and on the Gulf at Florida fish markets.

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02 of 15

Crab Salad with Serrano and Kewpie Mayonnaise

Credit: Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Karin Olsen

Florida stone crab can make this salad from Justin Chapple extra special. It’s crunchy, spicy, bright, and ready in 10 minutes.

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03 of 15

Temaki

Credit: Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

Chef Sean “Sonny” Nguyen of Edoboy in Orlando, Florida, fills crisp nori with warm seasoned sushi rice and a choice of spicy tuna, salmon, or crab salad for these taco-shaped temaki. Make each hand roll just before eating to preserve the seaweed’s crunch.

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04 of 15

Cuban-Style Black Beans

Credit: Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

Food photographer Romulo Yanes re-created his late mother’s Cuban-style black beans for his partner’s birthday, drawing on childhood memories and the meals they cooked together when she visited from Florida. The beans start in a pressure cooker with onion, green pepper, and bay leaf before a slowly cooked garlic, onion, and pepper sofrito enriches the cooking liquid. Tender and gently seasoned, they were a staple alongside her rice, sweet plantains, yuca, and ropa vieja.

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05 of 15

Smoked Fish Dip

Credit: Greg DuPree

Smoked fish dip is a Florida favorite, with a long history at the family-run Ted Peters Famous Smoked Fish in St. Petersburg, where Ellen Peters developed the restaurant’s signature version. This recipe skips the onions, celery, and sweet relish in favor of lemon juice, Dijon mustard, horseradish, Old Bay, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Mayonnaise and whipped cream cheese give the dip its creamy texture; choose Duke’s for a distinctly Southern touch.

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06 of 15

Cubano Sandwiches

Credit: Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne

Cuban sandwiches are local specialties in Miami and Tampa, rivals for the best Cubano. For this version, marinate roast pork in Cuban mojo to layer with ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on a griddled roll.

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07 of 15

Calamari with Pickled Peppers and Almond Romesco

Credit: Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

At The Osprey in Orlando, Florida, chef Michael Cooper pairs golden fried calamari with smooth almond romesco and tangy pickled sweet peppers. A spiced buttermilk dip and seasoned cornstarch-flour coating give the squid a light, craggy crust. The sauce blends roasted piquillo peppers, tomato, toasted almonds, sherry vinegar, and olive oil, while the pickled pepper rings add crunch and acidity.

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08 of 15

Pickled Snack Peppers

Credit: Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

These quick-pickled peppers bring a bright, crunchy contrast to chef Michael Cooper’s fried calamari at The Osprey in Orlando, Florida. Thinly sliced sweet mini peppers soak in a hot brine of white wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and water, which softens them slightly while preserving their color and crunch.

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09 of 15

Almond and Strawberry Tart

Credit: Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Plant City, Florida, is the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, and there are more than two dozen u-pick strawberry farms throughout the Sunshine State. Use fresh, juicy strawberries to top this pastry from The River Cafe when you’ve collect 2 pints.

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10 of 15

Bushwacker

Credit: Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Lucy Simon

Developed on St. Thomas in 1975, the Bushwacker found an enthusiastic following in Pensacola, Florida, after bartender Linda Taylor Murphy brought her appreciation for the drink home to the Sandshaker Lounge. This creamy frozen cocktail blends aged rum, coffee liqueur, cream of coconut, whole milk, and crème de cacao for a boozy drink reminiscent of a chocolate milkshake. Finish with crumbled dark chocolate and a maraschino cherry, or add a float of overproof rum for extra punch.

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11 of 15

Pad See Ew

Credit: Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Gabe Greco

A favorite at Peppermint in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, Grace Gosinanont’s pad see ew combines chewy wide rice noodles, skirt steak, Chinese broccoli, and eggs in a savory sauce with caramelized sweetness. Marinating the beef in soy sauce, cornstarch, and baking soda helps keep it tender and silky before searing.

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12 of 15

Tangy Key Lime Pie

Credit: Quentin Bacon

Inspired by a recipe in the 1946 Florida Keys Cooking pamphlet from Patricia’s Notebook newsletter, this Key lime pie gets its airy, mousselike filling from folded-in beaten egg whites. A graham cracker crust adds buttery crunch beneath the tangy custard. Allow time for an overnight chill before serving with sweetened whipped cream and lime zest.

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13 of 15

Miami Vice

Credit: Caitlin Bensel / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Thought to have been invented and popularized at Miami beach bars and nightclubs (and named after the hit ‘80s TV show), the Miami Vice is a combination of the Piña Colada and Strawberry Daiquiri. This one adds frozen strawberries soaked in orange bitters for a very tropical rum cocktail.

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14 of 15

Lampe’s Chicken Wings with Sweet-and-Spicy Pantry Sauce

Credit: Reed Davis

Barbecue champion, teacher, and cookbook author Ray Lampe brings his expertise to these sweet, sticky chicken wings, drawing on his experience running a roadside barbecue stand in Lakeland, Florida. Slashing the inside of the wing joints helps them cook through and lets the seasonings penetrate. The accompanying barbecue sauce relies on pantry staples, including ketchup, mustard, and soy sauce.

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15 of 15

Old-Fashioned Coconut Cake with 7-Minute Frosting

Credit: Karen Mordechai

Coconut cake became fashionable at women’s gatherings in the 1920s and was later served to President Harry Truman during a Florida visit in the 1950s. This version features light layers made with cake flour and coconut milk, covered in fluffy seven-minute frosting and shredded coconut.

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* This article was originally published here