Nichole Pichon. Fort Myers, Fla. 2014. By Paul Goldfinger
Seafood from a truck? You bet in Fort Myers, Florida Paul Goldfinger photo. 2014
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor, Blogfinger.net.
Nichole is from a family of fishermen who have worked the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, in southwest Florida, for many years. Her great uncle, the original Capt. Johnny, started a business in 1950 selling the catch-of-the-day at the side of the road on MacGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers. It’s the same location where they are doing business today.
John Lindquist’s parents came to Florida in the 1930’s, and John and his brothers became commercial fishermen, working the Punta Rassa region. Many of the commercial fish back then such as flounder and redfish are now designated game fish, so the markets in the Fort Myers area don’t carry them any longer.
Every morning, the local fishermen drop off the day’s catch at Capt. Johnny’s where we buy our fish from Nichole and her family. The catch usually consists of black or red grouper, snapper, Gulf shrimp (medium, large and jumbo) and local lobster (which is mostly tail and small claws). They also have clams, oysters and crabs . The only outliers are the scallops which come from Massachusetts. The seafood is always fresh and delicious.
A cook on the premises makes take-out food that includes some superb gumbo, fried shrimp, shrimp cocktail, and “the best key lime pie.” Captiva and Pine Islands, nearby, used to be home to key lime plantations, so they ought to know how to make key lime pies.
MARY CAREWE. From Carousel. Album: “The Very Best of Rodgers and Hammerstein.”