But in temperament, this Philadelphia native represents the modern Keys: He’s an entrepreneur. “I’ve always considered the Keys the last frontier,” he says. “You can come down here with an idea and work hard and you can make some money.”
McCarthy’s scheme was to put oil from the limes that grow in the Keys into skin products. From there he went on to food. Eight years later, he runs a thriving mail-order business that has made him the King of the Key Limes.
Citrus aurantifolia, sometimes called a true lime, is a species that’s indigenous to Malaysia and grows in a belt around the tropics, especially in Mexico and the West Indies. The term Key lime is said to have originated in the 1910s, when growers in the Keys briefly replaced the decimated pineapple groves with limes before they, too, were wiped out by a hurricane. Today, there are few commercial groves in the Keys, but a preponderance of homes have trees in the yard. McCarthy estimates that two thirds of the limes he uses come from the islands. “Limes grown here have better flavor,” he says, “because of the coral in the ground. It has a high limestone content.”
Key limes are smaller than supermarket limes (which are Persian limes, grown mostly in Florida and Mexico), and are more seedy and acidic. “There are old-timers down here who drink it to flush out their systems,” McCarthy said. “It’s a great detox—cleans out your kidneys and liver.”
Every spring McCarthy hosts a Key lime pie bake-off, with contestants from across the islands and judges from nearby hotels and businesses. He’s seen the filling mixed with blackberries, cream cheese, even tequila, and topped with pecans, meringue, or whipped cream. He prefers the classic recipe, with egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk (or whole milk) in a graham cracker crust, but his only hard-and-fast rule is, “It cannot be green. Never green. Never.”
Why not?
“Because when Key limes are ripe they’re yellow. If you see a piece of Key lime pie somewhere and it’s green, don’t eat it. It’s made with either green gelatin or impostor limes.”
It was midafternoon by the time the stone-crab boat made it back to shore. Hewlett carried the bucket into the kitchen of Keys Fisheries, the dockside restaurant where his wife works. The claws must be boiled (for eight minutes) and iced immediately, or, again, the meat will stick to the shell. The cooked specimens are then shipped off to Joe’s Stone Crab, in Miami, where they are served cold.
Minutes later, a tray of warm stone-crab claws arrives at the table, along with dishes of butter and mustard sauce. The meat has the grain of an Atlantic blue crab and a light sweetness. Warm, it doesn’t benefit from the traditional creamy mustard. Instead, just a dunk in the butter, and the lump of claw that once fought so valiantly disappears on the tongue in a mist of appreciation for this land of, well, train makers, treasure trovers, and time-honored tranquillity.
EDITORS’ NOTE: Stone-crab claws are available seasonally (October 15–May 15) from Joe’s Stone Crab Restaurant (800-780-2722; joesstonecrab.com). They’re the real deal; many of the stone-crab claws sold today are imported from Chile and Ecuador, and are a different genus entirely.
Keys to the Kingdom
Beyond the shell shacks and pink flamingo motels, the Keys offer a number of places to escape and even enjoy a drink that doesn’t come bedecked with a paper umbrella.
Where to Stay
Go ahead, splurge:
The pearl of the Keys is Little Palm Island, one of the most luxurious spots in the Southeast. This five-acre exclusive resort just north of Key West contains 28 thatch-roofed oceanfront bungalows. At night, tables are set up on the beach, where chef Adam Votaw displays a deft touch while mixing Caribbean, Asian, and French flavors. Visitors can reserve a table and take the boat over just for a meal. (MM 28.5, Oceanside, Little Torch Key; 800-343-8567; littlepalmisland.com; bungalows from $495 starting June 1)
Sweet retreat:
The charming Kona Kai, on Key Largo, has one- and two-bedroom suites with tile floors, kitchens, and brightly colored paintings. Children are not allowed, so guests can truly escape their daily routine. A tennis court, an art gallery, free kayaks, and ripe fruit on trees make hiding away a rich diversion. (MM 98, Bayside, Key Largo; 800-365-7829; konakairesort.com; suites from $172)
Strike a pose:
At The Moorings Village, in Islamorada, expect a bit of an attitude but also one of the few stretches of white beach in the Keys, dotted with coconut palms, hammocks, and Adirondack chairs. (MM 81.5, Oceanside, Islamorada; 305-664-4708; cottages with kitchenette from $185 or $375 for a full-house one bedroom)
Artistic license:
More of a bargain, Seascape Resort, in Marathon, is run by the delightful Sara and Bill Stiles, local artists whose five-acre oceanfront property includes nine pastel-hued guest rooms (with hand-painted headboards), a dock, a swimming pool, assorted boats, and a patio for breakfast and cocktails. (MM 50, Oceanside, Marathon; 800-332-7327; seascaperesort.us; from $150)
Where to Eat
Deuce coupe:
Depending on where you’re staying, eating well in the Upper and Middle Keys might require some driving. Two of the best restaurants are side by side on the same property and owned by the same person, French jet-setter turned not-always-welcome Keys entrepreneur Hubert Baudoin. The flashier of the two is Pierre’s, a faux-Victorian house on the bay (the beach sand is imported from the Bahamas). The ambitious menu can be overwhelming, but the mix of Asian, Indian, and South Florida flavors (lotus-root-crusted yellowtail; lobster tempura) is welcome after a surfeit of conch fritters. At the less sophisticated Beach Café at Morada Bay, dishes such as blue-crab pizza are served tapas-style in a noisy bar or outside at tables overlooking the water. (MM 81.6, Bayside, Islamorada; Pierre’s: 305-664-3225; Morada Bay: 305-664-0604)
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