It’s starting to feel like Spring for most of us. I know y’all up North are suffering this last nor’easter … and I’m SO sorry! We are waiting for you at LuLu’s with open arms and lots of sunshine!!
I welcome the change of season for lots of reasons – longer days, warmer temps, and … drumroll please….. Blue Crab season is upon us – which means ….
Jumbo. Lump. Crabmeat. It is Sunday — so can I get a Hallelujah?!?!
Jumbo lump is one of the greatest pleasures and finest delicacies in the world. The Blue Crab is found solely along the coast of Nova Scotia and the Gulf of Mexico. My grandfather, the original Captain Buffett was from Nova Scotia and in a true epic journey he finally settled in Biloxi, MS (another story for another blog post), home to some of the tastiest crab meat I’ve ever found. As a foodie, I have been spoiled by the abundance and availability of jumbo lump. It’s one of my favorite sea foods. The love of the sweet and tender blue crab meat runs deep in my family genes.
As I wrote in Gumbo Love, my mother was famous for her West Indies salad – which is basically a jumbo lump crabmeat salad. It was and still is my sister’s favorite dish. So when LaLa would come home to visit there was always a big bowl of it in the refrigerator. Every time Peets would go see my brother play a concert, she took a big huge bowl of it to the band and the crew. There was a buzz on the backstage walkie talkies… “The West Indies Salad is here.” They of course already loved my mother and treated her like a queen, but her West Indies Salad took her status to a whole other level as a genius goddess extraordinaire. Yes. West Indies Salad is THAT good!
And so as life and seasons continue to roll on and forward, I am grateful for the arrival of these seasonal foods, that awaken not only our taste buds but also awaken other senses and sweet memories of family heritage and fun times past.
Isn’t good food just wonderful!?!
What foods bring up sweet family memories for you? I’d love to hear your stories!
