Javier is a 70 year-old fisherman, telegraph operator, and the purveyor of tonight's dinner. Zac and I met him today while we were buying fish at the local fish stand down the street from our apartment. Earlier this morning, we had watched Javier in his orange rowboat pulling in fish. As soon as we saw him dock, we joined the rapidly growing line outside his door.
While we were waiting our turn, Zac asked Javier if he would mind taking a picture with us. He wagged his finger at us, turned around, told Zac, in English, "come on, boy" and took us straight behind the hut to his boat. Javier already knew exactly how he wanted his picture taken and it wasn't with us.
He wasn't too impressed when he found out that Zac isn't a mariner, the son of a mariner, or a cook. But he still told us how best to prepare his favorite fish, sable, otherwise known as "dragon of the sea" and/or the scariest, toothiest fish on the table.
I have no idea how to cook fish when it doesn't come in easily-identified fillets of salmon or halibut, but armed with Javier's sparse directions, some veggies from the market up the road, and a husband willing to try anything, I cooked up Javier's catch.
The "dragon of the sea" made a fitting meal for our last night in Montevideo - and our morning conversation with a 70 year-old fisherman who asked us to, "Remember. Remember," made it one we'll never forget.
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