;What are the three magic words when it comes to sourcing food? Local, local, local. And what are Florida waters full of this time of year? Snapper, snapper, snapper. There are 17 types of snapper harvested in Florida, according to FL-Seafood.com, a website published by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
;;Mangrove, vermillion, lane, silk, mutton, queen, cubera, blackfin, mahogany, dog and schoolmaster are some of the varieties, but you're most likely to find red snapper and yellowtail snapper in markets and restaurants. A few years back, I had a feast of mangrove snapper at the now-closed Adair's that I've since wanted to re- ;create, as it has an even sweeter meat than the rest. I missed a haul at Lombardi's Seafood (1152 Harmon Ave.; 407-628-3474) by a matter of days and had to settle for regular red ($6.98 a pound for the whole fish, or $12.98 filleted), which is no booby prize and actually takes top billing.
;;A recipe on the website (www.fl-seafood.com) caught my eye, and my experience cooking and eating "Florida Pan-Grilled Red Snapper with Avocado-Strawberry Salsa" satisfied my expectations. The salsa, laced with a jalapeño and tarted up by lime juice and cilantro, made a new taste out of strawberries and flavored the mild, meaty fish oh-so-fine; whipped up in a food processor, it took mere minutes to make. I'll be back to that site, loaded to the gills (sorry) as it is with information and recipes.
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