5 Recipes that Use Seasonal Florida Foods

Seasonal eating comes with a wealth of benefits. When you eat a fruit or vegetable in its natural growth season, it’s more flavorful and nutritious than it would be at a different time of year. Fruits and vegetables thrive in their natural growth timeframe without any additives.

Eating seasonally also encourages a varied diet instead of sticking with the same group of fruits and vegetables all year. This practice provides environmental benefits, too: It relies less on artificial resources and more on natural resources to provide food. This eventually encourages long-term food planning and reduces food waste.

Here are some of our favorite ingredients that are in season right now in Florida and what we love about them.

Being an Italian market, we can’t say enough good things about tomatoes. They come in a variety of flavors and colors, and they’re full of antioxidants. We love that they’re versatile, too — you can use them in sauces, salads, soups and even drinks.

Try this recipe from Bon Appétit: Tomato Salad with Blue Cheese and Crispy Shallots

Florida is one of the best places in the U.S. to get fresh seafood. Also known as sunfish, pompano is most abundant in the Gulf of Mexico and other Sunshine State waters. Its flaky, snow-white meat makes pompano one of the best-tasting fish you can buy.

Try this recipe from Emeril Lagasse: Pompano en Papillote

Escarole is considered a “bitter green” from the chicory family, which also includes radicchio and endive. It makes a wonderful addition to soups since it is tender enough to cook quickly while not losing too much of its texture. Also, it’s just…really nice to look at in a soup.

Try this recipe from Bon Appétit: Low-Commitment Wedding Soup

Tilefish can be identified by their iridescent blue-green color on their back and plenty of gold and yellow spots.Like pompano, tilefish meat becomes firm, white and flaky when cooked. Since tilefish mostly eat crustaceans like lobster and crab, it’s no surprise that it tends to taste like them.

Try this recipe from Fresh from Florida: Fried Florida Golden Tilefish

Star fruit is both a sweet and sour fruit native to Southeast Asia (there, it’s known as carambola). You’ll know when it’s ripe when it’s mostly yellow with just a few hints of green.

With its grape-like texture, star fruit is delicious sliced on its own as asnack, but it also makes a wonderfuladdition to fruit salads and desserts. It’s also a plentiful source of vitamin C and fiber.

Try this recipe from the Food Network: Star Fruit Upside-Down Cake

Next time you’re looking for fresh seasonal Florida fish or produce, come to Doris Market to find everything you need.