Flying near the old net camp in the water off Cortez a brown pelican suddenly folds its wings and does a deep dive plunging out of the sky straight down into the bay.
Hitting the water beak first this kamikaze dive surely is doomed to end badly. But no! The pelican reappears, breaking the surface with the tail of a fish sticking out of its beak. Gotcha.
Two seagulls hover hopefully – maybe the pelican will drop the fish. Not a chance. Lunch. Pelican style.
Sitting under umbrellas watching the lunch drama are tables full of people at Star Fish Company’s dockside restaurant in Cortez. People too are waiting for fish – only they want theirs freshly caught by Florida commercial fishermen and cooked to order. No need to dive into the water. The boats that caught lunch are moored right next door.
Fishing boat at Star Fish Company, Cortez. Egret waiting for free lunch. Photo by Lucy Beebe Tobias
Star Fish Company does little to advertize either their dockside restaurant or their fish seafood market located in the same building. Ask directions and the answers are vague. Just turn down any Cortez street and keep going until you reach the water then follow the road. No matter. You’ll find it eventually.
For those who truly have to know an address ahead of time it is 12306 46th Avenue West, Cortez.
Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 8p.m., Sunday and Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Star Fish Company was founded in the 1920s for the wholesale fish business. In the 1960s the retail market was added. In 1996 Karen Bell bought Star and thought a dockside restaurant would work. She was right.
Once Star is found be prepared to search for a parking place and then get ready to stand in line. This cash only eatery is always in demand, even more so in the busy season from November to April.
Ah yes, in Cortez, whether you are a pelican or a person, it is all about the seafood.
The village of Cortez revolves around seafood
Cortex is a small sliver of a place west of Bradenton. It lies where land meets the Intracoastal Waterway. For generations fishermen have harvested mullet close to shore while offshore boats bring back catches of grouper, pompano, tuna, stone crabs, shrimp.
Skiffs were built. Nets were woven by hand. Fathers passed their boats on to sons. But in 1994 a protest movement by sports fishermen about the by catch caught in nets resulted in a ban on entangling nets like gill nets. Many fishermen, some who had fished for generations, had to move into new occupations. Mullet is still being caught, after all it is on the menu, only now cast nets and seine nets are used.
Star Fish Company along with A.P. Bell Fish Company (Bell has no web site but a Facebook page) have popular restaurants and fish markets next to a working fish house that wholesales fish, including selling mullet roe in season to discerning Japanese palettes.
Speaking of roe – a new company, Anna Maria Fish Company, in Cortex is the first to produce bottarga-the sun-cured golden roe of grey striped mullet.
Cortex was shaped by water. You can experience that heritage at the delightful Florida Maritime Museum located in the old 1912 three-room schoolhouse at 4415 119th Street West Cortez. Altogether there are three historic buildings on the four-acre side. Admission is free. Donations accepted. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Live music plus seafood and nauticals too
The Florida Maritime Museum in Cortez is housed in an old schoolhouse. Photo by Lucy Beebe Tobias
Should you be in Cortez the second Saturday of the month then keep an ear tuned for live music.
From 2 -5 p.m. locals come and jam on the front porch of the old school. Bring and instrument and join them. Admission is free
On Wednesday, March 18 at 3 p.m. is a talk at FMM about preservation and preparation of food at sea – how they did it in the 18th and 19th century from standard daily fare to desserts and officer’s mess.
Wherever there is seafood served it seems nautical art will be nearby. Star Fish Company, for example, has a number of signs. One recurring theme – you are on Cortez time. In other words, chill, turn off the cell phone, have that beer.
No place can outdo the Sea Hagg for nauticals, antiques and curiosities. Located at 12304 Cortez Road West, the Sea Hagg is literally stuffed to the gills with everything from salvaged treasures to original art and beyond, way beyond. The Sea Hagg is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cortez is off the beaten path, runs on its own time zone and the fresh seafood is delicious. What are you waiting for?
UPCOMING
The Sarasota Garden Club hosts “Gardens in Paradise” a tour of private gardens on Saturday March 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (fees for this tour, see their web site)
Address: 1131 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota, Fl. 34236
In addition shop at the Gardener’s Marketplace boutique on the grounds for all things gardening. I’ll be there at a booth along with other garden authors. This is your first chance to see my new book “Florida Gardens Gone Wild(er)” and it is stunning – updated, five new chapters and 23 color photographs inside.
Come say hello and add this book to your library. Buy one for a gardening friend!
Can’t come that day? Visit my web site www.LucyTobias.com and buy the book online.
MORE TO EXPLORE
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