Anna Maria Island Rental – Lemonfish, the perfect place to rediscover cooking

When I have time I love to cook; I l adore shopping at the farmers’ market and getting fresh organic produce, local seafood and grass-fed beef.

 I am obsessed with poring through cookbooks and recipe websites and finding exciting new things to create. The problem is I don’t have time - between working full-time, raising a three-year old, doing laundry and trying to prevent my husband from buying any more guitars! I barely have enough time to run to my neighborhood supermarket.

This is part of why I love taking a week off and vacationing in Anna Maria. I actually get the time to indulge in my culinary interests.

Don’t get me wrong, one of my favorite parts of going on vacation is experiencing a place through its cuisine. And Anna Maria Island has at least a dozen really exceptional restaurants: you could easily spend a week there and not have to prepare a single meal for yourself!

This sounds wonderfully indulgent, but it’s not always that practical. Just think about it – I would have to get a three-year old out of the house, into a restaurant, and through a meal without getting bored or rambunctious three times a day! Not much of a vacation.

The last time we went to Anna Maria we stayed in Lemonfish, and I promptly fell madly in love with its gorgeous, spacious kitchen. On our first night I had a great time chopping and peeling fresh organic produce from the Bridge Street Market and sauteeing fresh, sustainable fish from the Island Fresh Market while still chatting with my husband and daughter who were nestled into the soft, overstuffed furniture in front of the cozy fireplace.  

Lemonfish's spacious kitchen

The next morning, I let them sleep in while I made pancakes and bacon and served them with compote made from all fresh local fruits. We had a wonderful leisurely meal at the table just off the kitchen, lingering long after the food was gone. It was definitely not our usual breakfast – harried, hurried, often scarfed down in the car.

One of the other awesome things about staying at Lemonfish is its private fishing dock. Thanks to my combination of acute seasickness and fear of all sea creatures, we don’t own a boat. But my husband was delighted when the charter boat I hired pulled right up to the dock to pick him up for an afternoon of fishing. My daughter and I got to stay on dry land (well, we did splash around for a while in the heated pool) whilst he had an adventure on the high seas. When he returned home, he had sunburn – but he also had some fish he had caught himself! 

Lemonfish's private fishing dock

Luckily the boat captain helped him clean his catch, because I can eat a fish, but not if it looks at me first.

I loved staying at Lemonfish and making beautiful meals for my family prepared with only the freshest and most sustainable local ingredients I could find. Anna Maria Island truly has a bounty of amazing food to work with. While I certainly gave myself a few nights off to dine at some of my favorite sustainable Island eateries, I really rediscovered my love of cooking. In fact, I plan on returning to this Anna Maria rental over the holidays with not just my husband and daughter but our whole extended family.

Forget about Thanksgiving: this year we’re celebrating Fishgiving.