Romantic Dining:
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Ocean Club
Turks and Caicos

Ask resort management what the most popular activity at Ocean Club is and you'll get a refreshingly candid answer: doing nothing at all. And why not? Folks don't come to the remote Turks and Caicos islands, located east of the Bahamas, to enjoy duty-free shopping, glitzy nightlife, or days of sightseeing tours. They come for the beach, the sun, and the clear-as-white-rum waters that surround these quiet islands.

Expansive public areas, richly landscaped grounds, and a sprawling beachfront keep the property uncrowded and quiet. Many visitors dine in their suites several nights a week and start their mornings with a walk in their robe and slippers to the beachfront grill for a cup of coffee or a croissant to carry back to their screened patio.

For dinner, the Gecko Grill offers both indoor and al fresco dining with an international menu featuring soups and salads, brick oven pizzas, pasta, and grilled items such as Provo grouper and Caribbean lobster.


Grouper Macadamia

Pineapple-Tomato Salsa:

2 cups pineapple, cored and diced small
10 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup scallion, thin sliced
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1-2 jalapeno peppers, fine chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper

Fish:

2 pounds fresh grouper filet, cut into 4 ounce portions
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and puréed
1 lime, juiced
1/2 cup macadamia nuts, toasted and rough chopped
1 cup pineapple-tomato salsa

Garnish:

4 lemon wedges
4 lime wedges
8 sprigs fresh cilantro

Prepare the salsa. Combine all of the ingredients listed into a bowl. Mix until all is blended. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate for later use.

Prepare the fish. Grease a baking pan with butter. Place grouper onto pan and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and bake at 350°F for five to 10 minutes (until fish is almost cooked). Remove from oven and spread avocado-lime purée on top of fish. Sprinkle macadamia nuts over avocado puree. Place back into oven until fish is cooked and macadamia nuts are hot. Place a dollop of the pineapple-tomato salsa on the center of a plate. Arrange two pieces of grouper on either side of the salsa. Garnish with lemon and lime wedges. Top with two sprigs of the fresh cilantro.

Yields: four servings.