Spanish Main residents caught 70 pounds of fish for annual fish fry

Longboat Key
Neighbors

Every year Spanish Main Yacht Club residents worry there might not be enough fish to feed the many guests at everyone's favorite event, the Fish Fry.

But not with these expert fishermen up to the task. The fishermen of Spanish Main were up at dawn all of March to get the best fish for this coveted event. Spanish Main hosted its 19th annual Fish Fry at 5:30 p.m. on March 28 at its clubhouse and pool.

Fisherman Rich Knudson said the event was started casually 19 years ago. They invited people over for dinner one night after fishing. The fresh fish and camaraderie attracted more residents every year. Soon, the Fish Fry became the most anticipated event at Spanish Main.

One of the founders of the event, Lou Salemi, passed down his restaurant’s secret fried fish recipe to the fishermen with a special homemade sauce. The fishermen also fried the fish for the guests outside with the view of Spanish Main’s bayfront pool. Guests brought dishes to complement the fish as well.

The fishermen caught about 70 pounds of fish, which is about 200 fish. Once they got back from fishing each day, they immediately cleaned and filleted the fish to be ready for the event.

Resident Greg Fiore said the fishermen live for this event and are dedicated to making the event a special and fun one.

author

Petra Rivera

Petra Rivera is the Longboat community reporter. She holds a bachelor’s degree of journalism with an emphasis on reporting and writing from the University of Missouri. Previously, she was a food and drink writer for Vox magazine as well as a reporter for the Columbia Missourian.