I’m a sushi newbie, so when I heard that Captiva House restaurant has a new sushi menu, I thought it might be the perfect time to dip my toes in some sake and get them wet in the sushi world.
My husband and I decided to make it a date night, since he’s a sushi-lover, so we left the baby at home with a sitter and made the date night drive to Captiva. I love the drive this time of evening — there’s hardly anyone driving onto the Islands (they’re all stuck in traffic on the way home from a day at the beach), and depending on the time of year, you’ll catch a memorizing sunset over the causeway (just don’t peek too long, or pull the car over and watch the sunset safely from the side of the road).
We didn’t make reservations for Captiva House, but reservations are recommended during peak season if you want to get a table in a timely manner. I’ve never had a problem getting a table except for holidays or extreme spring break season, or when bringing a large group (five or more) to enjoy the delights of Captiva House!
I eased my way into sushi by trying a non-seafood item — the California rolls — which I absolutely adored. This cucumber, avocado, kani, sesame seed and masago item is the perfect sushi starter for a vegan or veggie-lover (and for maybe the less brave food tester). Mathew, of course, dove right in with Fire Sanibel Island Roll, which he describes as a mix of spice, cheese and crawfish taste with an awesome eel sauce (ermmm…eel did he say?!)
For my second option (because who can just have one?!), we shared the rainbow in the beach specialty sushi roll, which literally did look like a rainbow of raw fish and veggies, and I have to admit is was really good. The fresh salmon, white fish and tuna mixed with the cucumber, kani and avocado made a fresh and juicy blend that I actually really loved. Mathew also ordered the spicy tuna rolls (can you tell there’s a theme for him? — spicy!) and let me try a few, because once I tried one, I couldn’t quite stop myself. I loved the crunch that this had on the outside — it was almost like a fish-flavored steak with spicy crust!
After a few bites of raw fish from my second and third dishes, I hardly thought of the “raw fish” aspect, and really started concentrating on the flavor explosions happening. It was a real, “rare,” treat, and I think I’ll be back to try sushi again —but maybe not the eel.
Check out the new sushi menu from Captiva House here!
