Cooking at Your Rental: Local Seafood and Easy Gulf Coast Dinners

Gulf shrimp, grouper and stone crab season. How to eat like a local without leaving the pool.

Some of the best meals of a Gulf Coast vacation happen at home: fresh seafood on the grill, the pool glowing and nowhere to drive afterward.

Local fish markets sell Gulf shrimp, grouper, snapper and other catches that change with the season. Stone crab claws are a special treat during the season, which runs from mid October to the beginning of May. They are sold already cooked, so serve them chilled with mustard sauce.

Keep it simple: shrimp tacos with a squeeze of lime, blackened grouper with a salad from the farmers market, or a seafood boil with corn and potatoes for a crowd. Finish with key lime pie from a local bakery.

Every BigTree kitchen is fully stocked with cookware, seasonings and a grill, so all you need is the groceries.

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