Okra Okra, (hibiscus esculentes), is a native African plant that is now known in the United States in Southern cuisine. It became a staple to the African American slaves. The word okra came from the Twai Language in West Africa of nkruma; and from the Buntu Language in South and Central Africa of gumbo. The Okra is botanically a fruit, bearing many small white seeds inside. The fruit ranges in size up to a few inches long. It has tapered body, with slight ridges running around the pod. On the stem end, it looks like a little cap. The skin is a deep green, (though there are several red tinted varieties), and covered in a slight fuzz. The seeds inside are small are pearly white. They ar
Tilefish Tilefish (family Malacanthidae) found in many different waters stretching from Nova Scotia to Florida. They are very plentiful in Florida, and sometimes known as blamquillo. It is multicolored with distinctive yellow spots. It can be referred to as “the clown of the sea” because of the spectrum of colors the skin produces. Its flesh is low fat, and very firm. It is similar to lobster and monkfish is taste and texture. It is snow white, and flakes very large. It has a diet of crab. The tilefish does not live in schools, but gathers in clusters along reefs and rock structures. They are predominately a line caught fish. Cooking tilefish is best done with high dry heat. The f