Crackers, mullet just seem to go together

We met Skink. We actually, truly met the living breathing Skink, straight from the pages of a Carl Hiaasen novel.

He is a true-blooded native, nature-loving, highly educated, gray-bearded wild man ... also known as a Florida Cracker.

OK, hold off on the indignant e-mail. The term Florida Cracker was coined during the Colonial era back in the mid-1700s. Simply put, it's a Florida native who knew how to live off the mosquito-infested, hot, sweaty, 'gator-ridden swamp that was once most of Florida.

Back to Skink.

We received an invitation to attend the 11th annual Terra Ceia annual Mullet Smoke-Off from an Orlando cyber friend, who we met through a Nashville blogger buddy (you figure it out). With only a 45-minute drive to just south of the Sunshine Skyway, we found ourselves immersed in what seemed like a little island that time forgot. Beautiful old Cracker-style homes dot the pristine shoreline. With a few more twisting roads and a couple of rounds of "I think we're lost," we hit Cracker gold.

About 80 people - who, strangely, all looked alike - were cheering and jeering the Mullet Toss. Men, women and children took their turns throwing dead mullet into a toilet bowl as billows of smoke puffed into the air. We wandered in and out of campsite after campsite, where serious competitors were managing their mullet-smoking contraptions, the largest named Big Bertha, about the size of a small car.

As we turned the last corner, we heard a deep bellowing voice declaring the values of a good fresh ceviche. We knew we had found our friend, Robert King ... aka Skink.

Robert's camp was everything it should have been: old Jeep Cherokee with the roof and doors ripped off, topped with two kayaks, homemade barrel smoker with a pulley attachment, and one modest tent. Robert was gently folding avocado into his bay scallop and catfish ceviche, basically a Latin American citrus-marinated seafood dish.

"Ha! Ha! You made it!" he announced as he quickly sat up to shake Greg's hand. The hours to follow were filled with stories and eating. We talked about the disappearance of native Florida plant life and ate some of the freshest most delicious ceviche, no less than three types of smoked mullet, mullet roe (don't knock it till you try it), scallops, and more.

Robert did not take the grand prize for his smoked mullet, but no matter, there's always next year.

Smoking mullet is a delicate task and a true Floridian rite of passage. The sweet meat becomes smoky and buttery. After you master this basic recipe, step it up and create dry rubs to make it your own and possibly an award-winning smoked mullet.

Visit the Sherpas at www.cooksncompany.com and www.culinarysherpas.com.

SMOKED MULLET

2 tablespoons sea salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 mullet, with head, spine, fins and ribs removed (have your fish vendor do this for you if you aren't that adventurous)

Combine the salt, garlic, coriander, and cayenne in a bowl. (You can also use your favorite spice blend.) Lay the mullet out flat with the flesh side facing up. Coat the meat of the fish well with the spice blend and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before cooking.

Prepare your smoker with your favorite wood - mild is best - Robert King used a mix of red bay and citrus.

When the temperature reaches 130-135 degrees, it's time to add the mullet. Place them in the smoker, skin side down and smoke for 60 to 90 minutes. Smoking time will vary depending on thickness of the fish, type of smoker, and about a dozen other variables.

During the smoking, moisture will pool in places on the fish. Take a basting brush and slather that moisture evenly across the meat as a flavorful basting liquid. The fish is done when the edges flake a bit when touched.

Serves 4