Hook, line and supper

A trip by boat around Marco Island proves fishing is a top sport and for those catching keepers, eating fresh catch is the reward for a good day on the water. Visitors without cooking facilities or people who just don't want to cook fish in their homes should consider the alternative — having their catch cooked by a local restaurant.

It's a service that grills like Captain Brien's Seafood & Raw Bar offer to give those who catch local fish a chance to enjoy them with friends and family without the bother and mess.

"Groups come in here all the time, sometimes 10 or more, and we fix their fish for them and serve it family style," owner Brien Spina said. "Some come in as often as twice a week with our big days being Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays."

Spina explained that the service is from captain to cook. He suggested that anglers chartering ask their captains to fillet the fish and bag it, then gather friends and bring the bag to the restaurant. For those fishing without a captain, he asks that they fillet the fish before bringing it to the restaurant.

"All my cooks have been with me for at least five years, so they know how to handle fish as it comes in," he said. One of his cooks, Raphael Martines, was busy skinning some fresh red snapper that Todd Wallis caught at the 11-mile wreck off Marco.

"We take the fish and bring it up to restaurant quality for our customers," Spina said, noting that it is checked for bones in the process. "Then we fix it the way they want it. The most common requests are blackened or fried — either regular or crunchy style." The restaurant will also grill or broil fish and customers can order it two different ways for the table.

Todd Wallis ordered his two pounds of red snapper prepared pan-seared and fried. Dinner comes with all the trimmings, including french fries, onion rings and coleslaw for $8.95 per person.

Wallis and his wife, Leslie, live on Isles of Capri and both fish. Todd Wallis caught the snapper while fishing on The Partnership with Capt. Butz Fleck, the father of a friend from Christopher Realty where Leslie Wallis is also employed. Both the Wallises fish and, as they waited for their dinner, Leslie talked about a hammerhead shark she once caught.

"It took me 30 minutes to reel him in," she said. "When I finally got him up to the boat I handed the pole off and said, 'My job is done.'" She also caught a blacktip shark once.

Currently, Spina said, the restaurant receives mangrove snapper, permit, redfish, grouper, Spanish mackerel, cobia and blacktip shark from anglers to prepare. Fish can be brought in anytime, whether the restaurant is full or not, and the staff will be ready to help.

"When I carry the fish out (other patrons) say, 'I want that one,' because the portions are so huge," Spina said. "I always tell them, 'He caught it, and he gets to eat it.'"

Other restaurants on Marco Island will cook up fresh catch. It is best to call and make arrangements in advance. For Captain Brien's Seafood & Raw Bar, call 389-6900.