Capt Bob's Cruising Recipes

[Bob E Sherman]

It wasn’t too long ago that manatees were raised for food; hence Cowpens Anchorage near Islamorada, Florida. As slow and as stupid as they are; they are hard to catch. Manatees only eat sea grass and it’s hard to put sea grass on a hook. Running over them with a boat is not practical either. Contrary to what the Save the Manatee Foundation claims; very few are killed by boats. In Broward County only one per year has been killed by a boat over the past 30 years. That’s usually in Port Everglades by a freighter. When a 600’ freighter with 72” wheels hits a manatee you have instant Manatee Puree. How they even found the remains is a mystery to me.

One of my favorites is Manatee Stew

Ingredients:

One medium manatee
1 bottle of oregano
1 bottle of MSG
3 lg. Bermuda onions
3 garlic cloves
1 case and 1 six pack of Bud
1 bottle of Tabasco sauce
1 cup of salt
3 cups of chopped seaweed
4 lbs. potatoes
5 tomatoes diced


Cut manatee into 1 inch cubes, skin potatoes and onions and cut into quarters, combine all ingredients into large pot, add case of Bud and cook for 6 hours, stir every half hour while drinking the six pack of Bud, makes 48 servings. (Best served outside as manatees give you gas)