Is finally here!

Well, you may not have been waiting for it, but I’ve been thinking about it for a year. What would a Miami Bowl contain if I wanted to capture all the tasty, spicy, fresh and colorful flavors of Miami?

First of all, it obviously needs black beans and rice. Then, a fried egg on top (for color and protein), surrounded by tomato salsa, sliced avocado, chopped onion, pickled jalapeños and garnished with plantain chips and a croquetta (preferably ham).

Not only does this Miami Bowl taste delicious, it looks beautiful as well. It is the perfect hangover food, breakfast, lunch or even dinner dish. As they say in the Sound of Music, “let’s start at the very beginning.”

First the rice should be white rice, preferably Mahatma, cooked with a little salt and olive oil.

The black beans could be homemade, if you have the energy, but my husband turned me on to El Ebro Black Beans and I never looked back. I do jazz them up a bit by heating them with a bay leaf, but it’s not necessary.

The egg? A luxury these days but I do splurge and get organic. You can tell just by looking at the yolk, they are so much healthier than non-organic.

The salsa? Sure you could use jarred, but why would you? You want every ingredient to shine in this Miami Bowl so please make your own salsa. It only takes five minutes and tastes infinitely better than jarred. You may even have the ingredients on hand. All you need is a tomato (cherry tomatoes work too), an onion (preferably white but any kind will do), a jalapeño (or pickled in a jar), cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste. If you don’t like the heat, skip the jalapeño.

Chop up the tomato, onion, cilantro and jalapeño (if using) finely. Add salt to taste and squeeze in the juice of one fresh lime. Toss together and voila! Salsa in less time than it would take you to go to the grocery store.

For the avocado, try to use Florida avocados. These are also called Alligator Pear and a Skinny avocados, because they have less fat content (more water) than California varieties.

A long, golden Plantain chip makes a beautiful presentation and gilds the lily in this dish.

And, what dish could be called Miami without featuring a croquetta? The one I used was Goya from the freezer (not good!) so I researched Best Croquettas in Miami, because you’re probably not going to make your own (although I have!).

My favorite croquettes in Miami have been from Cala Miller (in the old Allen’s Drugstore space) and Tinta Y Cafe. My sister Kelley’s favorite is El Brazo Fuerte Bakery and my stepdaughter Emma loves Pinecrest Bakery’s croquettas. We even served them at her Engagement Party.

According to Infatuation, the best croquettas in Miami are Lakeland Bakery and Islas Canarias. Burger Beast offers Bored Cuban (by the airport) and Cafe Chantilly (on 8th Street) as his top two Miami croquettas. Eater says Doce Provisions and mentions Cafe La Trova as well, but while I love Cafe La Trova’s croquettas, I’m really talking about a Bakery or counter type place where you can pick up some hammy treats. Sergios is also a safe bet.

I added some hot sauce to the top of my Miami Bowl because I like it hot! Any hot sauce will do, but there are a lot of Florida hot sauces available these days. At the Publix in Key Largo, they even have a Local Product end cap with all different types of sauces, etc… all made in Florida. Buy local!

Without further ado, my Miami Bowl recipe. And instead of a bowl, I put it in a large martini glass to add a little style to the presentation, because Miami is stylish.

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