Where can you find the best fish tacos in Southwest Florida? I’m one of the judges on the quest to find them and my first stop in the competition was at Nauti Parrot Dock Bar in Fort Myers Beach where I tried THREE of their tacos each with a different seafood protein.
Fish Taco #1: Nauti Parrot Dock Bar’s Seared Tuna Taco
First up was Nauti Parrot Dock Bar’s Seared Tuna Taco which is an A-grade yellowfin tuna with soy sesame slaw, house-made pickled ginger and wasabi aioli served in a deep-fried to golden perfection flour tortilla. Exterior of the tuna was perfectly seared leaving the inside tender. This fish taco bursts with flavors with the pickled ginger and wasabi aioli standing out the most. For those who enjoy a lot of textures and a little kick of heat in their meals, these tacos blend crunch with smoothness.
Fish Taco #2: Nauti Parrot Dock Bar’s Braised Veracruz Octopus Taco
Second course was a Braised Veracruz Octopus Taco which consisted of red wine braised Gulf octopus, chipotle potato hash, pickled Vercruz onions and smoked paprika aioli. Nauti Parrot Dock Bar deserves a creativity star for this because I would have never imagined the combination of octopus and potatoes in a flour tortilla. I’m a fan of calamari and don’t mind munching on tentacles and typical of octopus, it was a little chewy but flavorful with a distinguished smoky heat.
Fish Taco #3: Nauti Parrot Dock Bar’s Szechuan Crab Mushroom Taco
The restaurant took one of their popular vegetarian dishes, the mushroom taco, and added blue crab meat to create this seafood taco. Portobello mushrooms are marinated, pan fried with locally-caught blue crab meat and served in a flour tortilla with arugula. The mushrooms and arugula are very distinct, especially the peppery flavor of arugula.
Nauti Parrot Dock Bar, Fort Myers Beach, Fla.
Nauti Parrot Dock Bar is located on Hurricane Bay and offers indoor and outdoor dining. Docks allow boaters to tie up and come in and enjoy lunch or dinner.
19001 San Carlos Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931
Tel:(239) 314-5667
www.nautiparrotdockbar.com
What Is Southwest Florida’s Fish Taco Frenzy Competition?
The Fish Taco Frenzy Competition is being held during the month of June coordinated by Coastal Locals and the Southwest Florida Chapter of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association. Although we’re already rocking and rolling in June, it’s not too late for Southwest Florida restaurants to participate. In fact, it’s free for FRLA members to participate and only $36 for non-FRLA members.
Fish tacos are evaluated on taste, texture, presentation and originality.
In addition to bragging rights, first, second and third-place winners will receive plaques and the public will be invited to celebrate at the first-place winner’s eatery. Follow the fun online at the Coastal Locals’ Facebook page.
Let’s Get Social!
I won’t be participating in all the judging but I’ll be visiting many of the eateries. Follow my fishy adventure on social media and come back to this post and I’ll be posting links to my mini-reviews.
- Twitter.com/jenniferhuber
- Instagram.com/jenniferhuber
- Facebook.com/solotravelgirl
- Again, follow the fun on the Coastal Local’s Facebook page.
Hashtags to follow:
#FishTacoCompetition
#CoastalLocals
#FRLANews
#FRLASWFL
They make some mean fish tacos at CFS Fitness Vacations, too… Of course that’s a whole package deal, but you can always stop in and request something.