Cooking up the catch

[TOXIC]

Well, you covered PCB's and Mercury.  Add to that prescription drugs and hormones from women's birth control through water treatment plants.  Overflows from those same waste treatment plants.  Agricultural, industrial and residential chemical runoff.  Around here there's also chicken houses dumping litter into some major rivers.  Coal Ash from power plant operations (heavy metals).  The list goes on and on.  Then you read about what get's fed to the "Farm" raised fish and that's totally disgusting.  There's a lot of concern about our fish supply to me.  I'm 61 as well and would like to make it to 62.  I do enjoy a good fish fry though.  I really do.  

[Mobasser]

23 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

Well, you covered PCB's and Mercury.  Add to that prescription drugs and hormones from women's birth control through water treatment plants.  Overflows from those same waste treatment plants.  Agricultural, industrial and residential chemical runoff.  Around here there's also chicken houses dumping litter into some major rivers.  Coal Ash from power plant operations (heavy metals).  The list goes on and on.  Then you read about what get's fed to the "Farm" raised fish and that's totally disgusting.  There's a lot of concern about our fish supply to me.  I'm 61 as well and would like to make it to 62.  I do enjoy a good fish fry though.  I really do.  

Me too Toxic

[Heartland]

I enjoy fish in almost all manners of preparation.  One of my favorite methods is either Peruvian or Spanish style ceviche.   ceviche de pescado

[Mr. Aquarium]

I live on the ocean in MA. Catch my own lobsters, shellfish and fresh saltwater fish. Black Sea Bass fried in a tropical panko bread crumbs is amazing. Black Sea Bass is a nice  sweet flavored white fish. Its a bottom fish so it eats lobsters crabs and shellfish, so its really tasty.   I LOOOOVVEEEE GRILLED FISH!!! I enjoy the taste of fish. A lot of people HATE bluefish, they are an oily fish. but I eat it with salt butter and lemon juice on the grill. People put mayo on it to get rid of the oily taste. I HATE MAYO on fish, unless its fried fish with tahtah (tarter, in Boston accent)  sauce.

oooooo fried scallops are sooooooooooo d**n good. I LOOOVEEEE SCALLOPS!!!  Scallops are a sweet flavorful shellfish. 
Raw seafood like raw oysters scallops, quahogs! love them! 

 

I dont eat freshwater fish because of the contaminants. why bother when you have the ocean at your door step.

The freshwater around has a lot of heavy metals. The local ponds and lakes were used for old mills and factories. 

[the reel ess]

3 hours ago, TOXIC said:

Well, you covered PCB's and Mercury.  Add to that prescription drugs and hormones from women's birth control through water treatment plants.  Overflows from those same waste treatment plants.  Agricultural, industrial and residential chemical runoff.  Around here there's also chicken houses dumping litter into some major rivers.  Coal Ash from power plant operations (heavy metals).  The list goes on and on.  Then you read about what get's fed to the "Farm" raised fish and that's totally disgusting.  There's a lot of concern about our fish supply to me.  I'm 61 as well and would like to make it to 62.  I do enjoy a good fish fry though.  I really do.  

Indeed. Stay away from farm raised fish, especially if it's raised outside of the US. At best, it doesn't have any health benefits. ie: low Omega fatty acids because it hasn't been fed an aquatic diet. At worst, you're really just eating fish waste and antibiotics. Yum! 

1 hour ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

I dont eat freshwater fish because of the contaminants. why bother when you have the ocean at your door step.

The freshwater around has a lot of heavy metals. The local ponds and lakes were used for old mills and factories. 

Where do you think that freshwater flows to?

[Mr. Aquarium]

51 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

 

Where do you think that freshwater flows to?

hahah, true but the ocean is a big place. much rather a fresh  fish  from the ocean then a fish from a mud puddle

[the reel ess]

2 minutes ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

hahah, true but the ocean is a big place. much rather a fresh  fish  from the ocean then a fish from a mud puddle

I can't argue that. As for shellfish and the inshore species, they're really swimming in the same backwash.

[Sam]

Mo, sorry to tell you that I don't keep any freshwater fish. I throw them all back.

 

Growing up in south Louisiana we cooked the saltwater fish we caught and to this day I prefer saltwater species.

 

So why don't I eat the local fish? Pollution. Virginia Game and Inland fisheries says the Kepone that leaked into the Historic James River at Hopewell (Follow the Dead Fish to Hopewell) is now under the bottom mud and it is safe to eat "X-Number" of catfish a week. Now doesn't that just make you feel good about eating freshwater fish out of the Historic James?

 

And we see the algae and bottom slop on other local rivers and lakes where the farmers' chemicals spill into the rivers and lakes.

 

Now I will eat pond raised freshwater fish but they don't have any taste. I have to really season them and hope for the best.

 

To each their own. For you guys who love freshwater swimmers go and enjoy the bounty. As for me, it is saltwater or pond grown fish.

 

P.S. My Cajun grandmother made one fantastic Redfish Courtbullion (Creole Dish as it has tomatoes in it). I have tried to duplicate what she did as I remember it but my version is never as good as I remember hers to be. Look it up on Google and give it a try with your bass, etc.

[Heartland]

For fried fish I like to pan fry them in clarified butter with a pinch of garlic and onion powder, hit them with a pinch of salt and pepper. 

 

[Catt]

2 hours ago, Sam said:

P.S. My Cajun grandmother made one fantastic Redfish Courtbullion

 

C'est si bon  ?

[Log Catcher]

14 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

C'est si bon  ?

This is a family friendly forum. What kind of language is that?

[MN Fisher]

29 minutes ago, Log Catcher said:

This is a family friendly forum. What kind of language is that?

French - means "It's so good".

 

Also the title of an Eartha Kitt song.

[Boomstick]

Here's some recipes I make a lot that are easy and delicious:

 

Cajun Catfish:

Coat each filet generously with cajun seasoning and optionally spray with canola oil (helps keep it from teargassing you but otherwise not necessary). Cook in a seasoned iron skillet on medium high for a minute on each side, then two more minutes on medium on each side. Also makes great soft taco meat!

 

The secret is the cajun seasoning. I have been getting mine from Heartbreaking Dawn's which is the best I found, but but it's not currently available on their website. The second best option is to make your own. Use this recipe but add 1 tsp of white pepper, replace oregano with marjoram and instead of 2 tsp salt, use 1/2 tsp of red Hawaiian sea salt. I usually double the cayenne as well and often use de arbol powder in its place. This would be rather hot on a less fatty fish like cod, but the fattier catfish tames the heat nicely.

 

Lemon pepper salmon:

Generously coat a salmon fillet in lemon pepper and sprinkle on a little garlic salt. Grill on high and cook the non skin side on the grill first so the fat starts to drip down, then cook the skin side so it crisps up the skin. You can either remove the skin, but it's actually quite tasty if you manage to blacken up the skin right.

 

Fried cod/haddock/bass/pollock/perch:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup of corn meal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

One cup of beer (you can use 2/3 if you like your batter a little thicker)

Fry in canola oil until golden brown.

 

Fried catfish:

Same as above but use 2/3 cup of beer, 1 cup of corn meal and 1/4 cup of flour.

 

[Arcs&sparks]

 

1. Catch the little ones in the mountain stream

2. Remove guts

3. Butter the cast Iron

4. Add pepper (and/or a few light seasonings)

5. Cook whole

6. When cooked properly,  score the skin around the neck and gently pull on the head up away from the body,  the spine and ribs will slide right out leaving you will all of the meat and the smooth tasty skin.  You are left with an almost cartoonish fish head and skeleton.  Discard and enjoy ?

 

With bigger ones up to 18”, including salmon and rainbows we just remove the head and tail to make em fit,  but  same thing,  the spine and ribs will pull right out when it’s perfectly cooked.  No filleting for this guy. 

[Spankey]

My belly is really growling early this morning after reading this post. 

 

Great post. 

[the reel ess]

I read a news story yesterday that said Israeli scientists claim to have grown a sirloin steak in a lab. Sustainable, contaminant-free fish might be right around the corner.

[new2BC4bass]

Growing up we ate any fish we caught that was big enough.  Bass, Bluegill, Crappie, Perch, Bullhead, Carp, Suckers (from cold water only), etc.  It didn't matter.  Nothing fancy.  Dipped in egg and ground up Saltines and fried in a cast iron pan.  We were a one bread winner family with 3 growing boys that could eat a 2 bread winner family out of house and home.....as the saying use to go.

 

Now the only time I keep fish is when fishing with a brother-in-law in Florida.  We always have a fish fry with friends and family before heading home.  Again nothing fancy.  Dip in egg, flour, egg again and ground up Saltines.  Deep fry 3 minutes.  Don't remember what kind of oil my sister-in-law uses.  Homemade tartar sauce for those that like tartar sauce.  Some pretty good eating. 

[new2BC4bass]

On 12/18/2018 at 10:47 PM, Arcs&sparks said:

 

1. Catch the little ones in the mountain stream

2. Remove guts

3. Butter the cast Iron

4. Add pepper (and/or a few light seasonings)

5. Cook whole

6. When cooked properly,  score the skin around the neck and gently pull on the head up away from the body,  the spine and ribs will slide right out leaving you will all of the meat and the smooth tasty skin.  You are left with an almost cartoonish fish head and skeleton.  Discard and enjoy ?

 

With bigger ones up to 18”, including salmon and rainbows we just remove the head and tail to make em fit,  but  same thing,  the spine and ribs will pull right out when it’s perfectly cooked.  No filleting for this guy. 

We did this with some little natives we caught while testing rails in Canada.  About 50 years ago.  Don't remember which kind of trout (Brook, maybe), but remember them being very tasty.