Southwestern Style Striped Bass

So I’m just back from vacation in beautiful San Diego, California where I FINALLY had a chance to actually wade into the Pacific!
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to sample any of the seafood and I was OH so tempted, sitting just off the veranda of the Yard House restaurant and spying Sea Bass on the menu…
Still, it’s San Diego and being based in New England, I just couldn’t get enough authentic Mexican cuisine. Also, spending most of my time near the mouth of the Merrimack river, I’m something of a seafood snob (not too proud to admit it) and I really prefer fish just recently flipping about(like, within hours of arriving on my plate). I will return since I never did get around to trying a fresh fish taco.
(Honestly? The idea of a fish taco gave me pause. Not to worry…the spirit of adventure will out!)
But now I’ve returned, and just in time for the Striper Insurgency and, WOW, are they hitting!
One of my favorite things is to go out and catch the fish that I then prepare & serve later in the day & stripers are such a joy in so many ways. The action is ramping (and you can get a sense by visiting the forum at Surfcasters.com) so there are delicacies awaiting in my home waters.
While I await some other prizes (it really has been a wonderful few weeks for your truly), including a top notch Abel fly reel at a dynamite discount price and a stunning G Loomis Crosscurrent fly rod and thinking about all the scrumptious guacamole & salsa dishes I’ve recently enjoyed, I decided to scrounge up some recipes to tie the whole range of experiences together.

Self-caught Stripers Just Taste BETTER! SERIOUSLY, there is nothing quite like preparing fish you’ve brought in yourself… I’ve been doing it since I was a little boy, fishing in the landlocked deep south. Bringing home your catch, then preparing a gift from the Great Spirit & enjoying it, perhaps with your partners from the days outting? There’s little to compare, in my experience.

This one looks really good! Avocado Bass from CDKitchen.com Ingredients: 1 small Ripe Avocado — Coarsely Chopped 1/4 cup Milk 1 tablespoon Lime Juice 1 clove Garlic — minced 1 dash Hot Sauce 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce 1 teaspoon Lemon Rind — grated 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard 16 ounces Bass Fillets 1/3 cup Fine Dry Bread Crumbs Vegetable Cooking Spray

Directions: (serves 4) Combine the first 5 ingredients in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Set mixture aside. Combine lemon juice and next 3 ingredients in a shallow dish; dip fillets in lemon juice mixture, and dredge in bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450 F for 7 minutes; turn fillets over, and bake an additional 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Transfer fillets to a serving platter, and top with avocado sauce. Seems to me my black olive, maize & cilantro salsa should go well with this, too. A Margarita on the side (crushed ice, some good reposado…mmm, mmm, MMM! Perfect on these sweltering eves.)

Tasty, Tasty, Tasty! I cannot wait to get my hands on this rod & try it out! Stripers on fly tackle are the BOMB & this is one FINE piece of gear! Makes the fish that much tastier.

I can’t wait to try this recipe! If it weren’t for family obligations, I’d hit the water with my spinning gear tomorrow & give it a try!
This coming week for sure. If any of y’all try it before me or have a suggestion, please share your comments with us. Otherwise, I’ll be back post haste to tell you how it was.

Sizzling Scallop Saute’

Ahhh!!! Fresh scallops, one of our favorites!
For most of my life I had very limited gustatory experience with scallops, occasionally having one slipped in with my fried clams (the mollusk of choice during my formative years) or a bit of scallop pie, here & there.
Fortunately, my palate matured and I came to appreciate this wonderful shellfish, especially when they’re prepared properly!
This means ditching all that breading & deep-fat frying(though I now enjoy them in that manner, too) for a much easier, healthier and simpler method that is certain to tickle your taste buds…
Having recently become acquainted with Chef Gordon Ramsay, I’ve really elevated my appreciation for the scallop. I’ve discovered a whole new range of flavors and the versatility of this ocean treasure.
The key, of course, is to cook your scallops properly and I’d like to share an oh-so easy method that I learned from Chef Ramsay for doing just that.
Warning! The Following Are UNcensored Gordon Ramsay!
Not at his inimitable “best” BUT there may be a word here or there
   Part1

Here’s a recap (GR moves FAST!)

HOT, heavy pan!

season the scallops on one side.

olive oil in the HOT pan.

1st scallop @12 o’clock, following scallops at 1, 2, 3…(this means the scallops will all be evenly cooked when you come around.)

when they’re all in, gently roll the pan…(to spread the oil to cook the outer side of the scallops.)

Then season the top(unseasoned) sides of the scallops.

   Part2

Recap;

With a big spoon, start carefully, quickly flipping the scallops.

Roll the lemon, cut & just a few drops of lemon juice on each scallop.

Then remove them and drain.

One Last Pointer(from the Chef himself)…

Fortunately, we were able to find a censored version of Chef Ramsay at his fiery best(and the “full metal” version IS available) but you get the point…use a non stick saute’ pan for cooking your scallops!
We keep a great array of Calphalon nonstick saute pans, skillets, etc. and have been putting them to great use over the last couple of months and really enjoying the results!
We’ll post up some of our favorite scallop recipes, shortly (honest! No more long absences) but wanted to pass along these tips on cooking delicious scallops.
Enjoy!

Back Into the Frying Pan; Part 1…

So sorry for the absence! So many things going on through the Winter but we’re finally back in our digs for the foreseeable future. Yayyyyyy!!!!
It seems there are some significant changes coming to our shores some for worse, some for better.
Of course, the news of BP’s unconscionable destruction of sea life in the Gulf is grim & I would expect a sizable drop in availability & rise in price of shrimp.
On the positive side is the Cape Wind farm approval and the obvious benefits such facilities provide.
Beyond the advent of and investment in sustainable & nonpolluting energy sources, projects like this can actually improve conditions for certain bivalve species, thus providing extended environs for those creatures & those further up the food chain (including Homo Sapiens).

Now, I try not to be political on this blog, and I’ve never before strayed into those waters here, but the devastation that’s hitting our waters has got to stop!
Politicians on both sides of the aisle are doing what they can to rescue the profits of scum like BP and Transocean at the expense of OUR future and the future of our young ones (though 2 of the most egregious apologists are Red Wing Friends of Big Business).

Even before the BP catastrophe (which might have been averted had the U.S. Minerals Management Service been doing their job instead of giving polluters awards & the green light to “Drill, Baby, Drill”) the Gulf of Mexico “Dead Zone“, caused by flushing agribusiness products & wastes down the Mississippi River, was larger than the state of New Jersey!

Never mind the future of seafood lovers, everyones’ future is at stake & it’s time you made your voices heard.
Call your state representative, call your Congress people & your Senators. Heck, call OTHER state legislators & then get out there & support legislators that support cleaning up our lands & our waters. WE deserve it and our future generations deserve better from US.

Fall: THE Best Season For Broiling & Baking Seafood!

Fall, for me, is the perfect time to get back into broiling & baking seafood dishes.
I know, I know…you’re thinking,
“LOU! What about that powerful fish smell afterwards”???
I’ll close this post with a couple of tips that you’ll love, because they’re going to let you love your favorite seafood dishes year round without that lingering aroma!
So let’s say you wanted to bake sommmmmme sayyyyy….
Crab Crusted Grouper ~I love this fish & I love this recipe!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese flavored bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons chopped yellow bell pepper
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 (6 ounce) can crabmeat, drained and flaked
2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
4 (6 ounce) fillets grouper

Directions
1)Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2)In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, red pepper, yellow pepper, green onions, jalapeno, butter, crabmeat, and mozzarella cheese. Arrange grouper fillets in a single layer in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Spread the crumb topping evenly over the fish.
3)Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish is easily flaked with a fork. If you have thin fillets, you may broil for 10 minutes instead of baking.

My mouth is watering just thinking about baking this one up & digging in, again! Grouper has such a wonderful, firm texture with a large flake & a mild flavor which is touched off nicely with the crab, cheese & jalapenos in this recipe. You can substitute in other cheeses also. This recipe works well with monterey jack cheese, for instance & you can even substitute in some nice snapper or mahi-mahi fillets if you want.

Now, a couple of other things.
Buying Fresh Grouper
Fresh steaks, fillets and loins should have:
~ A translucent look.
~ Flesh that is firm and not separating.
~ A mild odor, similar to the ocean.
~ No discoloration.
~ Packaging that keeps them from being bent in an unnatural position.
About That Smell:
Notice the point above, about fresh fillets having a mild smell? That’s important from a health factor, a flavor factor & from the after-aroma factor!
Fresh fish will linger less than something from the 3 Stooges fish wagon(a reference for my male readers, ladies. Forgive me).
Here’s two tips in one for ridding yourselves of that “ghost of fish feasts past” that can linger so maddeningly:
Light a series of vanilla-scented room candles for your kitchen and also as some olfactory and lighting ambience & then set a small jar of white vinegar(open, of course) on an appropriate counter in your cooking area. Overnight that fish smell should disappear, leaving only the memories of that shell & fin fish feast from the previous night!

What’s Summer Without A Lobster Feast? Fire Up The Stock Pots!

Depending on how many folk you intend to invite(and feel free to invite me via comments ;) ), choose your utensils wisely.
 I’m a big fan of Calphalon cookware, myself, and I like a couple of big, deep 12qt Calphalon Commercial Anodized stock pots, brought to a roiling boil over an open flame, along with a Calphalon nonstick or stainless steel steamer setup for sides of steamed mussels and/or clams.

Step 1: Choosing Your Lobster
How good lobster tastes depends more on picking the right lobster than on how it’s prepared.
Choose a lobster that “looks alive,” that’s active and moving around the tank. If you can get them from the boat, even better(one of our advantages, perched here at the edge of the North Atlantic).
If you can, give the body of the lobster a squeeze to determine how hard the shell is. You’re looking for a hard, heavy shell. A soft shell means that the lobster is in or near it’s “molting”; shedding it’s shell as it grows and the meat actually shrinks and is far less sweet and tasty.
The ideal sized lobster is about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds. Because bigger lobsters are older, they tend to be a bit tougher. A 1-2 pound lobster is an appropriate size for one person, so buy as many lobsters as you have guests at your table.
And please, please, please ~cook your lobsters as quickly as you can after getting them. Also, never cook and serve an already dead lobster!

Next: Boil Water
Fill those anodized stock pots 2/3 full with water; make sure you have enough water to fully submerge the lobsters.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of salt to your water to mimic ocean water. I’ve always preferred to use seawater but, again, I do have an advantage, having it in my backyard (and occassionally in the front yard, as well). I’ll even throw some native kelp into the pots. My quests swear it makes a difference!
You can also try adding a cup of white wine or some lemon juice to your water to add extra flavor.
Bring water to a rolling boil.

Step 3: Take A Lobster Swimming
When the water is boiling rapidly, it’s time to add the lobstahs(that’s how we say it, heeya).
Don’t worry about removing the elastic bands from the lobster claws, they’ll make no difference to flavor & they won’t melt. Grab the lobster about mid-body, by hand or with tongs and plunge it head first into the boiling water.

Boiled To Perfection, They Never Made A Sound

I’m not going to get into any silliness about lobster “audibles”, I’ll just tell you that in thousands of lobster boilings over which I’ve presided, the primary sound was a resounding “YUM“!
Place lid tightly back on your pot and return water to a boil.
The rule of thumb is that the first pound of lobster takes 10 minutes to cook, and each additional 1/4 pound should cook for about 2 minutes. A pound & a 1/4 lobster would take about 12 minutes to cook, while a 2 pound lobster should take 18 minutes.
The lobsters will turn bright red and the tails will be curled when properly done.
Note: If you weren’t lucky enough to get a very hard shell, reduce your cooking time by about 3 minutes for softer shells.
Overcooked lobsters are tough and not nearly as tasty so keep a good eye on your cooking time.
Lift the lobsters out with tongs and drain in a colander.
To be certain your lobster is done, lie it on its back and try uncurling the tail. If it snaps back right away, it’s not done. You want the tail simply to roll back into shape with ease. If the tail remains uncurled and simply “hangs,” you’ve overcooked it.

Epilogue ~ Bring On The Steamers!
It wouldn’t be fair to leave you with “only” a plate full of luscious lobster and since I mentioned steamed clams, here’s a quick once over.

First ~ Get The Right Clams!
I know you know by now that the end product is so very often determined by the quality of the ingredients. Steamed clams are easy to make but don’t buy dead clams! They’re usually shut tight, but if they’re open a bit when you get them, give ‘em a little tap and they should try snapping shut. That’s good; means they’re alive. No motion? Don’t try cooking & eating it. Seriously! This goes for mussels, too. Do what you can to pick your own but, if you can’t, make sure your server/clerk understands that you want live clams.

Next ~Cleaning Your Bivalves
Some folk recommend this elaborate process of brine-soaking, then scrubbing, then soaking again, and you can if you want, but I’ll admit I’ve rarely done much more than a good rinsing in clean, cold water. Early on I went through all the machinations and I can’t see where it makes that much difference.

Finally ~ The Steaming ~ Get a pot large enough for the amount of clams you have and put 1/inch or so water in the bottom (remember, you’re steaming these mollusks, not boiling them), crank up the heat and pop[ on the cover. When the water starts to boil, pop in your steaming insert or basket full of clams and re-cover the pot.
Personally, I have a nice Calphalon One 5qt saucier w/steamer which I love for this, but back in the day, a small stock pot with a wire basket worked well, too.
Give them 5-10 minutes, covered and watch for the shells to open. That means they're ready.
Please note: This time, if a clam doesn't open, DON'T eat it!

Properly Steamed Clams ~ Ready for Brine & Butter

Mix some of the brine with water & pour it into cups for dipping, along with plenty of drawn butter and you’re good to go.

Next time, perhaps I’ll post some of my favorite dipping sauces for steamed mollusks and boiled lobster bits.
Of course, there’s quite a bit one can do with those leftovers, also(think lobster butter, for instance). Let me think on it. In the meantime, I’m hungry.

Quick And Tasty Grilled Salmon

You’re going to love this one I recently found & tried!
Ingredients
·1/2 cup real maple syrup
·1/2 cup soy sauce
·1 teaspon garlic-shallot puree or 1 clove chopped garlic

In a large casserole dish, pour the marinade over the salmon and turn after 15 minutes and marinate another 15 minutes.
Preheat grill to high. Spray with cooking spray. Grill a few minutes on each side. Brush with marinade while grilling. Look for the opaque juices running from the fish. It’s a good indication that the fish is done.

Here’s Jason Hill’s video, which inspired my post.

Now, if you need a Quality Charcoal or Gas grill you can find such over at the GuruOfBBQ.com. Another little trick is to add some of your flavorite wood chips, which you can also find over there.
I’m going to try out some soaked cedar, shortly, as a friend of mine recommends it highly.
Until next time…

Bluefish Fanatics; Man Your Frying Pans!

The bluefish aren’t here, near the mouth of the Merrimack, yet but they’ll be buzzing the currents here very soon now and giving us some extreme joy, in the catching, preparation and then feasting on this fun, fun, fun fin-fish!
A very oily fish, the bluefish isn’t to everybody’s taste and this flavor can be lessened if the fish is cleaned and gutted immediately after being caught and the fish put on ice. Later, you can use an acidic juice(think lemon or, one I particularly like, lime to lighten the fish taste up somewhat, depending on your or your guests’ palates.
If you’re planning on bringing home the blues yourself(and again, sitting where we sit that’s really the only “honorable” option) and you’ve never fished for them before, a few words of advice.
Quality tackle, off course either a high quality surf rod or good, solid boat rod; don’t go cheap or you’ll be picking up pieces of rod after tangling with these muscular fish. You get alot of bang for the buck when fishing for blues, which is what makes it so fun. Use steel leaders, too, and mind your fingers ~if you’ve ever looked into the mouth of a blue fish you’ll understand the notes of caution.
Striped bass plugs, spoons & spinners make great bluefish lures, as does live bait. Don’t worry about out-running a blue, either, at least not by hand-cranking. They’re fast!
Once you’ve boated your keep of thrashin’ blues(and counted fingers & toes ~again, please be careful to end with as many as you started) it’s time for the next part(well, let’s say we start after you’ve gotten them cleaned). Here’s a quick and easy favorite…

Fried Bluefish with Almonds & Butter

Ingredients
· 8 filets of bluefish
· ½ cup almonds, chopped
· 6 tablespoons butter
· 2 lemons, juice only
· Flour
· Seasonings to taste

---

Cooking Instructions
1) Dredge bluefish filets in flour and season.
2) Put the butter in frying pan.
3) When foaming, place filets in the butter and cook on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
4) Add the almonds and lemon juice.
5) Let cook for about 3 minutes.
6) Remove bluefish from frying pan and place on platter.
7) Pour the butter and almonds over your fresh, hot fillets(my mouth is watering just thinking about it)
8)The almonds become crisp and impart their flavor to the butter.

Just as with your gear for catching this delicious fin fish, quality cooking gear makes a difference in your experience. I really love calphalon cookware for my culinary endeavours and in this recipe I find a nonstick fry pan to be invaluable! The ease with which the bluefish releases from my nonstick pan makes a difference in the cooking and the presentation.
For sides, I recommend some sauteed green beans with garlic and if you increase the almonds in the recipe you can add them to the beans for a really nice carry-over of flavor. add some lightly fried potatoes(just a touch of salt, pepper & lemon) and you’ll have one heck of a tasty bluefish feast! Again, I can’t recommend the Calphalon line of nonstick cookware set enough if you’re going be cooking seafood and/or any tender fish.
What’s that? “Beverage” you ask? I like something light, a Rolling Rock or Corona for non-driving adults and perhaps a light mix of Cranberry & soda for the young ‘uns & designated drivers…just a touch of lime with that please….
Mmmmmm…my mouth’s watering! Best go sharpen the hooks on my bass plugs & check my reels.

You May Not Believe This BUT….

we went out for this three hour tour, loaded up up with the best bass tackle box full of lures, and the weather turned bad on us…
It was absolutely unbelievable, like something out of The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen..
Trust this isn’t a “bad fish” tale
3 months back we loaded up on the best bass lures to be had and headed out to sea.
That we haven’t returned to blog ’til now is more the fault of some partying friends than the reality that Best Bass Lures offers an incredible selection of topwater striped bass lures…

Striper Steaks on the Merrimack

…and here’s a tasty-reading recipe from GRILLED-STRIPED-BASS-WITH-SUMMER-VEGETABLES-AND-COUSCOUS-VINAIGRETTE from epicurious.

Ingredients
1 eggplant, halved lengthwise
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 lb wax beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups corn kernels (about 3 ears)
1 pint pear or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup uncooked couscous
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
4 striped bass (or red snapper) fillets (6 oz each), skin on

Preparation
For vegetables and couscous: Preheat oven to 400°F. Rub cut sides of eggplant with 1 tbsp oil and sprinkle with cumin. Season with salt and pepper and place in baking pan, cut sides down; bake for 30 minutes or until eggplant is browned and cooked through. Remove and let sit until cool enough to handle. Spoon out flesh onto cutting board and roughly chop; transfer to a medium-sized bowl. While eggplant is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and set up an ice bath by combining 5 cups ice cubes and 7 cups cold water in a large bowl. Blanch green beans in boiling water until bright green, about 3 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and cool in the ice bath at least 1 minute (until cool in center). Repeat with wax beans. Cook corn for 15 seconds, then cool 1 minute in ice bath. Drain and blot dry all vegetables. Add tomatoes and toss together gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook couscous according to package instructions; mix with eggplant and stir in 2 tbsp oil, red wine vinegar, and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For fish: Preheat grill or broiler. Brush fish on both sides with remaining oil. Season skin side with salt and pepper. Starting with skin side down, grill or broil fish 4 minutes. Season flesh side with salt and pepper; turn and grill or broil about 4 minutes longer or until cooked through.

To serve: Spoon equal amounts of vegetables and couscous onto 4 plates and top with grilled fish. Serve hot.
****************

Now, you may be wondering,
“How does he expect me to get those striper steaks?”
Depending on where you live you may be lucky enough to catch your own. Some of us happen to live almost directly at the mouth of the Merrimack River so those oh-so feisty stripers nearly jump into our laps!
If you happen to live in an area where old Mr. Striped Bass is indigenous, I suggest you round up some of the best bass lures and tackle you can find and hit the water!
(We also recommend best-bass-lures.com for quality information on Striped Bass fisheries and all manner of things bass, be it Striped bass, Largemouth bass or Smallmouth bass…
We’d dare call those folk bassing fools. We mean that in the best sense, of course, and if you need quality bass tackle for your striper fishing expedition, those are the folk to visit.

But if you live away from any of the good Striper fishing grounds; what then? You may be able to find some fresh striper steaks that can be overnighted to you at one the North Shore fresh fish markets.

Catching stripers yourself adds a bit to the gustatory experience but try grilling a fresh, Striped bass steak or 2 for that taste of New England seasidesummer no matter where you are!

Be back soon,
Lou

Give a Man a Fish, He Eats For A Day. Teach a Man To Fish…

…he still needs a fishing rod, fishing reel, some lures and tackle!
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good day out on the water, even if I don’t catch anything! And the Striper Fishing is really heating up near the mouth of the Merrimack.
But the calls for calamari are keeping everyone busy at our favorite Newburyport seafood restaurant and even the fishermen off the boats stop in for these tender morsels!
Now, if you want to catch, clean and prepare your own, we’ll give you a little help.

Catching Squid

After watching that method, I recommend you head over to RodReelandLure.com and gear up, then try something along these lines;

Cleaning Your Catch

For what it’s worth, my favorite method is to get someone else to clean them. I use the old Tom Sawyer “it takes a special person” method…

Fried calamari, a popular appetizer at our favorite Newburyport restaurant. Here’s a tasty recipe for you, once you’ve finished your cleaning.
This version of fried squid uses a simple but flavorful beer batter. If you do not have a deep-fryer, simply use a deep, heavy skillet. Serve with condiment bowls of spaghetti sauce for dipping.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
2-1/2 pounds squid
1-1/2 cups rye flour
1 Tablespoon peanut oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cans or bottles of beer (12 ounces each)
5 egg whites, beaten until stiff but not dry
4 cups vegetable oil
2 bunches curly parsley
Preparation:
To clean squid, remove purplish skin and separate head and tentacles from the body. Separate tentacles from the head and discard the head. Remove and discard the transparent quill from the body. Wash out the interior of the squid body. Dry on paper towels. Cut squid body into 1/2-inch-wide rings; leave tentacles uncut.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 1 tablespoon peanut oil, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. Whisk in beer a little at a time. Carefully fold in the egg whites.

Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F. Dip the squid rings and tentacles into the batter and fry in the deep fat for 2-1/2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm.

Dry the parsley very well and plunge into the deep fat for 20 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Arrange the squid in a ring on a large platter and top with the parsley. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings
And here’s fun vid to show you how simple the cooking is…

But you know, I’d rather wander into my Newburyport Seafood Restaurant, watch the boats drift & cruise the Merrimack river and order my calamari up while I’m waiting for the Celtics or Red Sox to continue their winning ways.