The Fish House is a Key Largo institution. Located at Mile Marker 102, it is a large restaurant, dark inside with tchotchkes everywhere. Everything from palm tree Christmas lights to pictures of fish cover the walls.
I started the meal with a giant ice tea. It must have been at least 24 ounces. The food is the real star of the show here. Fish options on the menu come with a choice of “today’s catch”, usually mahi-mahi, or yellowtail or grouper for an additional $3. I had the Matacumbe Catch with yellowtail. This preparation is baked and topped with fresh tomatoes, shallots, basil, lemon, capers and olive oil. I had this with black beans and rice.
Food comes quickly here. The yellowtail is sweet and tender, the capers add a brininess while the tomatoes and shallots round out the yumminess. The black beans are spicy and well prepared. The Matacumbe is a house specialty and with good reason.
We also had a grouper sandwich prepared Jamaican jerk style, served with French 
fries. The grouper was delicious, and a pleasure to have before the Jan. 1 grouper ban went into effect. The jerk preparation was full of flavor. The fries are crispy and look to be hand cut.
The Fish House is a terrific place for a lunch stop on the way to Key West, or if you are spending the day at Pennekamp.
