Review: Salt Life Food Shack

No matter where you go in Jacksonville you're bound to see the phrase "Salt Life" someplace. Whether it be a decal on the back of a car, or on a t-shirt or hat, just look around and you'll see it. What is Salt Life? It's about living a passionate life of enjoying saltwater sports. The company was founded 6 year ago here in Jacksonville Beach and has grown to a massive line of products featured in all types of surf shops around the globe.

Earlier this year, the folks at Salt Life opened up a restaurant in Jacksonville Beach named the Salt Life Seafood Shack. With a menu that heavily features seafood, there's also delicious choices for those "land lovers" as well. I felt like taking advantage of the gorgeous weather we had this weekend and decided it was high time I pay a visit to the Shack.

The decor inside is all aqua tile with wood accents. There is a salt water tank in the middle of the room. It's quite nice and casual all at the same time. Since I was alone, I grabbed a seat at the bar. I was greeted by a friendly waitress, who suggested I try the Tuna Poke bowl, which has been previously recommended to me by many people. Sounds right up my alley, I'll take it!

The Tuna Poke Bowl ($14.99) is a house speciality, served in a generous portion, with beautiful chunks of raw tuna avocados. Served on a bed of sticky rice and sauteed spinach. The top is sprinkled with sesame seeds and scallions. The soy based sauce has a slight kick to it, and any one that's a fan of spicy tuna rolls, this is a dish for you. It's such a refreshing dish, so light and filling. Perfect after a day on the waves!

Other menu items include:

• Beer Can Chicken ($9.99): smoked chicken with a maple glaze and served with roasted corn.
• Beach Boil ($11.99): shrimp, crab legs, sausage, corn, and potatoes. Similar to a low-country boil.
• Ensenada Taco ($8.49): You choice of grilled Mahi or shrimp and chorizo, served with cabbage slaw and cilantro lime sauce.

They have specials featured every day of the week, so stop by next time you're at Jax Beach and "get Salty!"

Friday Night Fun

Picture this. It's a Friday night. You're single. You're at home. What does one do? Why cook mussels of course, who wouldn't do that? Well I finally visited a seafood shop in town that I had been eyeing for awhile but never took the plunge and went in. And I was rewarded with some of the freshest and best priced seafood I've ever seen around town. I quickly snatched up some mussels, already knowing what I'd make with them.

One of my favorite things to order in restaurants is mussels. There's something so special and delicious about those tasty bits cooked in a white wine and herb broth. I always knew that it's be so easy to make at home, so I wanted to give it a go.

Go through your mussels and remove the beard and scrub them really well to remove any dirt. Put them in a bowl of cold water with 1/3 cup of flour. Why flour? Because the mussels will absorb the flour and expel any dirt that still may be in them. Let them soak for 30 minutes, then rinse and drain.

Basically to make the broth, you take about 2 TBS of butter and 2 TBS of olive oil and cook until the butter is melted. Add a half cup of shallots (or very thinly sliced onions if you don't have shallots). Add in a half can of chopped tomatoes, a lot of chopped parsely, two cloves of chopped garlic, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a few sprigs of thyme. Oh yeah, and a cup of white wine. It's okay to have a swig or two for the chef ;)

Bring this broth to a boil.... and it will smell so amazing by this point. Add your cleaned mussels, and cover with a lid. Cook this over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until they are all opened. Discard any that did not open. Stir to make sure they don't burn on the bottom. Once finished cooking, pour the mussels and the broth into a big bowl and serve with a crusty piece of bread to soak up that delicious broth. Make sure you have a glass of wine or three for yourself as well!