Caye Cooking with Kim

Friday was a blast! I went over to ask Chedd and Kdell at Reef Adventures if they had a group going out snorkeling at 9.  They said to come back then and they would create a group. I was somewhat disappointed as they called in another guide.  I love going out with Kdell cuz he always brings a little food for the sharks which guarantees LOTS of them, and he takes us in and down around cool coral trails. So, when it was a new guy named Russell, I was skeptical.

The two other couples – I am always with couples during these types of outings – were really cool.  The one couple was from Billings, Montana and the other Sacramento. When we got out to the reef, the man from Calif. asked for a life jacket. Turn out that he can’t swim. Ok, so that sucks for the rest of us as not we will have to go slow and basic; at least, that is my assumption.  Instead, Russell basically leaves this guy to his own devices. At one point, I heard his girlfriend yell, “Hey, can we get some help over here?” Russell acted as if he didn’t hear them and since the current was really strong yesterday, I told him, “Hey, I think they are struggling a bit over there.” He responded, “They are fine.” Weelll…okay then. Once they caught up, I offered my 5 minute snorkel lesson.  The 2 most common mistakes are flipping one’s feet instead of making bicycling movements and looking forward with your snorkel instead of straight down (otherwise you will forever be spitting out salt water).

After a couple of hours with sea turtles, sharks, stingrays and every color of fish imaginable, it was time to head back. Russell was not a talker, but when we docked he asked me what the rest of my day looked like. I said, “Heck to the yes, I do!”

So, after purchasing a couple of snack lunches at the deli – which in Belize means chicken, rice and beans – we headed out.  It was fantastic. We lined fished down the reef until we found some good bait, which Russell scored.  Then we went out to calmer waters to cast fish. When I got to hot fishing, I just jumped in and snorkeled.  This was the entire day – cast, reel and dive!  I wish I could tell you the name of all the fish we caught, but I am not yet that sea water savvy. I can tell you one is called a grunt fish, because when you pull them in that is exactly the sound they are making – weird. Also, I know we caught sea bass because I caught the biggest fish of the day, it was a beautiful bass.

Next came the cooking lesson. I am now a ceviche expert! Unfortunately, our ceviche was illegal as conch season is closed but we gave thanks to the gods of the sea as we did snag a couple so to make my dream of making my own ceviche could come true. On the other hand, Lobster season just opened so Russell dove in and snagged us a couple of those two. Unfortunately, my camera card is being fussy so pictures of the final feast will have to wait!

Also, in island cooking news, I made a “vat” of guacamole last night that was almost a piece of art. The avocados are about the size of a small child. So, I used 3 of them with fresh garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, onions and habaneros. I went a little crazy on the habaneros so the first taste was a…mucho caliente!  I had to jump in the pool because, and I am not kidding, my entire face felt like it had some type of battery acid on it. The answer was simple – add a couple mangos. I feed the entire hotel and staff.  The staff is not used to using avocados in such a way so they were impressed.