Fish House Key Lime Pie Recipe

Q This is my first time requesting a recipe from a restaurant. I do a lot of baking and have made several versions of Key lime pie. They’ve all been really very good, but the Key lime pie we had at Luff’s Fish House in Boca Raton is the best I’ve ever had. Is there any chance they are willing to share the recipe? I would love to have it to make for a couple of my Key lime pie connoisseur friends. — Morgan Yudell, Boca Raton

A. When I receive requests for classic recipes coupled with, “best I’ve ever had, ” it always spurs interest. What sets the recipe apart from scores of others? Is it the ingredients, perhaps the technique?

In the case of the #35 Key lime pie at Luff’s Fish House (390 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton, 561-609-2660, luffsfishhouse.com), it’s all of the above. Even the pie’s name comes with a twist. Thirty-five is the number of recipe variations pastry chef Stephanie Steliga prepared and tasted with owner Arturo Gismondi before striking the perfect balance.

Tangy Key Lime Pie

It all starts with a springform pan versus a pie plate to accommodate height. For the crust, Steliga prefers brown sugar instead of granulated for the caramelized flavor it imparts and crisp texture. Unlike traditional Key lime pie, Luff’s recipe layers two fillings, each adding smoothness, richness and a hint of tang from sour cream and cream cheese that offsets sweetness. An impressive crown of fluffy, marshmallow-like meringue finishes the majestic dessert.

Gismondi is no stranger to the restaurant business. The opening of Luff’s in 2017 added to his collection of successful Boca eateries that includes Trattoria Romana, La Nouvelle Maison and Biergarten Boca Raton. He hired Steliga as pastry chef at La Nouvelle Maison in 2015. This followed her nine-year run as pastry chef at Café L’Europe in Palm Beach. Although Steliga’s primary role is creating desserts for La Nouvelle Maison, she also prepares special items, such as the #35 Key lime pie, for all of the restaurants.

Morgan, your sentiments mimic many other diners. It’s not unusual for Luff’s to serve over 200 pies a month. There are several steps to creating this sweet masterpiece, but don’t let that stop you. The tasks become less daunting for home cooks when made over the course of a few days. The crust can be prepared in advance. Or prepare the crust and first layer one day and finish with the second layer and meringue the next.

Key Lime Pie (the Best)

Once assembled, the pie freezes well with or without the meringue topping. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving or finishing with meringue layer. This recipe is sure to impress your “Key lime pie connoisseur friends.”

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a large bowl mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar until thoroughly combined. Transfer mixture to a 9-inch springform pan. Spread evenly starting on the bottom and work your way up the sides. Bake until golden brown, about 10-14 minutes. Set aside to cool. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F.

2. Spread Key lime sour cream filling over pie crust. Bake until tiny bubbles appear on the surface and filling is just set, about 12-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Key Lime Pies In The Florida Keys, Ranked By My Husband

3. Spread Key lime cream cheese filling over sour cream layer. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours until firm or overnight.

Nutrition information per 1 serving (based on 16 servings): 493 calories, 38% calories from fat, 21g fat, 12g saturated fat, 60mg cholesterol, 72g carbohydrates, 61g total sugar, 24g added sugar, 8g protein, 235g sodium, 1g fiber

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine milk and sour cream on low speed until smooth and free of any lumps. Add Key lime and lemon juices and mix until combined and slightly thickened.

The 10 Best Key Lime Pies In Florida

Nutrition information per 1 tablespoon: 35 calories, 28% calories from fat, 1g fat, 1g saturated fat, 4mg cholesterol, 6g carbohydrates, 6g total sugar, 0g added sugar, 1g protein, 15mg sodium, 0g fiber

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on low speed, mix cream cheese until smooth and free of any lumps. Add milk, scraping down sides of bowl, mixing until smooth. Add keyK lime juice until combined

Nutrition information per 1 tablespoon: 46 calories, 63% calories from fat, 3g fat, 2g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 4g carbohydrates, 3g total sugar, 0g added sugar, 1g protein, 32mg sodium, 0g fiber

Kelly's Rich And Creamy Key Lime Pie Recipe

1. Using a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine 2/3 cup sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook to 240 degrees F.

2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium low speed, whip egg whites, cream of tartar and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar until frothy. Slowly add hot sugar mixture pouring down the side of the mixer bowl. Increase speed to medium high and whip until glossy peaks form and meringue cools slightly.

Nutrition information per 1 tablespoon: 18 calories, 0% calories from fat, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 4g carbohydrates, 4g total sugar, 4g added sugar, 0g protein, 5mg sodium, 0g fibeFish House Key Lime Pie Contributing writers John and Sandra Nowlan take a trip to the Florida Keys and dive into the cuisine and adventure.

Best Florida Key Lime Pie Recipe

We finally found one in Key Largo, one of the fascinating communities along the Florida Keys, the long, thin string of semi-tropical islands stretching 110 miles from the Florida mainland to Key West.

, with its busy interior of hundreds of colorful lights, fish nets and mounted fish trophies sits at the side of US 1, the Overseas Highway, next to a dumpy souvenir stand selling four T-Shirts for $10. But there’s nothing dumpy about the food at

. For his popular “Triple D” show, Guy Fieri was treated to a creamy smoked fish dip made with local Amber Jack. Smoked with buttonwood, the fish appetizer was served in a lettuce leaf bowl with crispy crackers. Of course we had to try it, and it was superb! Our main course was Hogfish Matecumbe, baked with fresh tomatoes, shallots, fresh basil, capers, olive oil and lemon juice. It was one of the best fish dishes we’ve ever enjoyed.

The Perfect Key Lime Pie

Our visit to The Upper and Middle Keys lasted only three days but we feasted on fish at several remarkable restaurants. At Marker 88 (88 miles north of Key West), we were seated at a table directly on a Gulf of Mexico beach to dine on cracked conch with wasabi aioli, crispy onion encrusted mahi mahi plus yellowtail snapper finished with key lime butter.

Our most unusual restaurant was the Hungry Tarpon, adjacent to Robbie’s of Islamorada, where guests can hand feed huge tarpon, often a yard or more in length, that lurk around the pier. Tarpon are boney and unappetizing to eat but jump out of the water for food and can clamp their sandpaper-like teeth around a hand holding a small fish (YouTube has several videos but we missed filming the fish that grabbed John’s hand).

The Hungry Tarpon restaurant has a few tables close to the pier and an open-air bar covered with dollar bills stapled into the woodwork and flapping down like small flags. We each ate a delicious ahi tuna taco, one grilled, one blackened. To wash it down we enjoyed an Islamorada Citrus Ale and finished with Bartender Tim’s signature drink, the Trailer Trash Bloody Mary. Made with cucumber vodka, blue cheese, a pickle, garlic olives, green beans, a crisp strip of bacon, celery, a beef stick straw and a jumbo shrimp, it was a totally unique cocktail!

Joe's Key Lime Pie

The Florida Keys offer much more than incredibly good seafood. Even though our time was limited (and we didn’t even get as far south as Key West) two unusual attractions were highlights for us. First was the African Queen, the actual boat used in the famous 1951 movie starring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Constructed in England with riveted sheet iron, the tramp steamer (originally called Livingston) was used to haul cargo in the Congo for several decades before becoming a key fixture in the movie. Refurbished and moved to Key Largo in 1982, it now takessix passengers on a cruise down the Key Largo canal and out into the open Atlantic. Captain Robert is a wizened geezer (not unlike Humphrey Bogart’s Oscar-winning character) and makes for an entertaining 90-minute ride in an historic vessel.

Our other fascinating stop in the Keys was at the world’s first sea turtle rehabilitation hospital in Marathon. When we visited, 48 injured and recovering turtles, ranging in age from two weeks to 60 years, were under the care of the staff. Some were cut by boat propellers, others caught in ocean debris. The goal is to return as many as possible to the sea but 12 of the reptiles are non-releasable because of serious problems. The 90-minute guided tour is an excellent introduction to these amazing animals.

Accommodations are available on many of the major islands in the Keys (there are about 1700 islands in total) connected by 42 bridges. Because of limited building space, most of the

Key Lime Pie Recipe