The Sunshine State offers an international culinary tour.

Florida is known as the Sunshine State, and it’s filled with beautiful people of every nationality, beautiful weather and an easy southern comfort. Because of the different nations represented in Florida, it’s also known for its delectable dishes.

If you have a soiree to pull together and want to do something wonderfully tasty with the menu, then drawing from the best Florida recipes is a definite to-do. Here are some delightfully wonderful options to get you started.

Spicy Cuban Mojo Chicken with Mango-Avocado Salsa

 

Ingredients

1 teaspoon cumin seed

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 fresh red Chile pepper, chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 teaspoons orange juice

5 teaspoons lemon juice

2 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon lime zest

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon sweet soy sauce

1/4 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/2 cup diced mango

1/2 avocado

chopped fresh cilantro to taste

chopped fresh parsley to taste

Directions

Toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Place the cumin seeds, garlic, Chile pepper, salt, olive oil, orange juice, and lemon juice into the bowl of a blender; grind to a coarse paste. Toss the chicken with the marinade, then place into the refrigerator, and allow to marinate for about 2 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until browned. Place into the oven, and cook until the juices run clear, about 8 minutes. When the chicken is done, remove, cover with foil, and allow to rest for 3 to 5 minutes.

While the chicken is in the oven, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, lime zest, honey, and soy sauce in a skillet over medium-high heat. Simmer until the orange juice has reduced to 1/3 of original volume and is beginning to get thick and syrupy. Once thick, remove from heat, and whisk in the butter pieces one at a time until melted; set aside.

To serve, place chicken on the plate and sprinkle with mango and avocado. Drizzle with the sauce, and garnish with cilantro and parsley.

Florida Fajitas

This marinade gives great flavor to skirt steak. The fajitas are fun and festive to prepare and serve.

Ingredients

4 cups Florida grapefruit juice

1/2 cup vinegar or lime juice

1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup fresh chopped rosemary (1/3 cup dried)

1 large head garlic, mashed

1/3 cup chopped oregano

1/4 cup ground cumin (continued below)

2 tablespoons cayenne

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

1 jar mustard (8-ounce)

1 onion, minced

1 to 2 cups dry wine as desired

3 pounds skirt steaks

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a large shallow dish and marinate the meat in the refrigerator for at least one day. Barbecue over hot coals until the meat has reached medium doneness, using the marinade to baste the meat while grilling. Slice the meat thin across the grain and serve with black beans, flour tortillas and Grapefruit Salsa. Serves 8 to 10.

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Florida Spritzer

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Florida Grapefruit Juice

1/4 cup sugar

2 inches stick cinnamon

Ice cubes

2 12-ounce cans ginger ale, chilled

Directions

For syrup, in a saucepan combine grapefruit juice, sugar, and cinnamon. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Discard cinnamon and cool syrup. Cover and chill syrup. To serve, fill four 8-ounce glasses with ice. Add about 1/3 cup grapefruit syrup to each glass. Fill glasses with ginger ale. Stir gently. If desired, garnish with Florida grapefruit peel curls, edible flowers, and fresh mint sprigs. Serves 4

Caribbean-Grilled Chicken with Citrus

The spicy orange marinade gives grilled chicken an irresistible tangy flavor.

Ingredients

1 14-ounce can chicken broth

3/4 cup frozen Florida orange juice concentrate, thawed

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Jamaican jerk seasoning

2 teaspoons finely shredded Florida Orange Peel

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 skinless, boneless medium chicken breast halves

4 teaspoons cornstarch

3 cups hot cooked rice

2 Florida red grapefruit, peeled, sliced, and seeded

2 Florida oranges, peeled, sliced, and seeded

1/4 cup sliced green onions

Green onion brushes (optional)

Directions

In a nonmetallic bowl, stir together chicken broth, orange juice concentrate, vinegar, jerk seasoning, orange peel, and garlic. Cover and chill half of the mixture for sauce.

Rinse chicken; pat dry. In a plastic bag set in a shallow dish, combine chicken and remaining orange mixture. Close bag and chill for 2 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally to distribute marinade.

Drain off marinade and reserve. Place chicken on grill rack of an uncovered grill. Brush with some of the reserved marinade. Grill directly over medium coals 12 to 15 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, turning once. Discard marinade.

Meanwhile, for sauce, in a medium saucepan combine the remaining chilled orange mixture with cornstarch. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

To serve, spoon rice on each of 6 dinner plates. Arrange grapefruit and orange slices on top of rice on each plate. Place one piece of chicken on top of grapefruit and orange slices. Spoon fruit sauce over chicken and fruit. Sprinkle with green onions. If desired, garnish with green onion brushes. Serves 6

These are merely a taste of the best Florida recipes. The great thing about searching out recipes from the Sunshine State is depending on the region or city, different tastes will abound. In the South Florida area alone, recipes celebrate neighborhoods rich in Haitian, Jamaican, Cuban, Dominican, Bahamian or Oriental heritage. Move a bit north to Jacksonville and there you will find menu options rich in the Southern Georgia flavor. No matter which region you draw from, Florida definitely offers wonderful recipe options.