Fish Recipes

TROUT EGGS BENEDICT

Published on by a12gaugegirl

When someone suggested we use the rainbow trout from our latest fishing trip for a breakfast meal, I was less than thrilled.  I am not a fan of fish for breakfast.  I know, I know, there is lox and cream cheese bagels, which is okay in my book, but I still prefer them more for brunch or later.  I just have a problem with fish for breakfast.  But I pushed aside my perceived notion that fish was for dinner, put on my fish thinking cap, and am proud to share this recipe for Trout Eggs Benedict with a Dill Béarnaise.

Trout Eggs Benedict Final Dish
“The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions of happiness.” ~ John Buchan

Why the Benedict?

I find eggs benedict to be one of the most diverse meals a person can make.  Trying to impress your friends but not really much of a chef? Make eggs benedict!  Everyone will be in awe of your homemade béarnaise sauce, but you will be amazed at how easy and quick you can throw it together. 

Wanting a lazy weekend morning with comfort food? Make eggs benedict! The rich and savory flavors of the benedict classify it as textbook comfort food, but it is so easy to make that it is also textbook lazy morning food.

Looking for the perfect breakfast for dinner meal? (I think you know the answer now) Make eggs benedict!  You can dress up eggs benedict to cover any meal of the day.  Switch up the vegetables or protein and the entire dish changes.  I even have a different twist on the benedict on the blog already: Deer Steak Eggs Benedict with Tarragon Béarnaise Sauce.

A traditional eggs benedict, first concocted in New York City, is composed of a toasted English muffin topped with ham or Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and a hollandaise sauce.  The dish can spread in every direction from there.  The ham can be switched out for steak, fish, or even chicken.  The muffin can be switched to sourdough, white bread, wheat bread, rye bread, or whatever kind of bread base your heart desires.  The sauce can be whipped up into a béarnaise or béchamel even.  You can add different herbs and spices, even play with the heat level.  The possibilities are endless. 

Trout Eggs Benedict Recipe

For my lazy Saturday morning, but still keeping things a classic, eggs benedict, I decided to use trout for the protein base.  I have seen eggs benedict made with smoked salmon before, and I have even tasted it with Wahoo fish in Hawaii (which is amazing if you get the chance), but I have not seen or had a trout eggs benedict.  I can tell you after eating this meal that trout eggs benedict should become a thing in your daily life.  The trout is light and flaky, adding the perfect texture and flavor to the dish.

Trout Eggs Benedict Filet
This particular rainbow trout had some of the reddest meat I have experienced. Most rainbow has a light pink color, but this almost resembled salmon meat.

For this recipe, I start the trout first, since it takes about fifteen minutes to cook.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, or you can turn your outdoor grill on high heat.  Season the trout with salt and pepper.  I leave the trout on the bone for this and remove the meat once it is finished cooking, which is a little easier than trying to remove the filets from the bone first, but do whatever is easiest for you.  When thinking about how much fish per egg benedict to make, I usually do half a filet per serving.  Using a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around the fish, add a tablespoon of butter on top of the fish and tent the foil around the fish creating a small packet.  Make sure to seal all the edges so you won’t lose any moisture during cooking.  Cook the packets for about 15 minutes.  When finished, the fish should flake easily off the bone.   

Trout Eggs Benedict Asparagus
Since the fish is cooking at such a high temperature it is the perfect opportunity to multi-task. Add the asparagus to the same cooking sheet and complete two cooking tasks at once!

For this trout eggs benedict, I like to add asparagus.  It is a great opportunity to heat up the asparagus while the trout pouches are cooking.  You will want to trim the asparagus before cooking.  About the bottom third of the vegetable is very tough and has a woody texture.  Trim this part off.  Drizzle the asparagus with a little olive oil and season with a bit of salt and pepper.  Place them on a baking sheet and in the oven for about fifteen minutes.  The fish is already at 400 degrees, and this temperature will also work for the asparagus. They should still be crunchy and firm when ready.

For the béarnaise sauce, melt two sticks of unsalted butter, or one cup, and let it cool just slightly.  You want it warm so it will emulsify the eggs in the sauce, but you don’t want it so hot that it actually scrambles the eggs.  Add three eggs yolks and the white wine vinegar to a blender.  To the blender on a medium speed, and once the yolks are broken up a bit, slowly drizzle the warm butter into the running blender.  Allow the butter and yolks to continue mixing and working together in the blender until the sauce starts to thicken, about one minute.  Once the sauce is thick, add in a tablespoon of fresh dill and a teaspoon of smoked paprika.  Season with salt and pepper.  Blend the sauce for a minute more, and then leave covered so the béarnaise will stay warm while you make the rest of the trout eggs benedict.

PoachedEggsDownload

Things are getting close for finishing up this trout eggs benedict!  After cooking the fish and preparing the béarnaise, it is time to poach the eggs.  There are lots of different techniques for poaching eggs, but I find this to be the easiest one for me.  (I learned it watching a Ree Drummond cooking show. Click here to see how she pulls together a quick and easy eggs benedict.) Bring a large pot of water, about six cups, to a gentle boil.  I have my egg cracked and ready to go in a small bowl for the next step.  Use a large wooden spoon to create a whirlpool with the boiling water.  Once the water is moving at a fairly decent speed in the pot, careful lay the broken egg into the water.  You can add several eggs to cook at one time, I usually can get in about three before the water stops spinning.  Allow eggs to cook in the boiling water for about two and a half minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon.

Trout Eggs Benedict Toast
I like to use different bread types on my eggs benedict. You can change the entire flavor profile my switching up just one ingredient.
Trout Eggs Benedict Pouches
The trout should be light and flaky once finished cooking in the pouches.

It is time to assemble the trout eggs benedict!  Butter a lightly toasted piece of sour dough bread.  Lay a few pieces of asparagus on the bread, add a serving of the trout, and finally balance a poached egg on top of the stack.  Drizzle everything with a healthy serving of the dill béarnaise sauce, garnish with a little dill, and dig in! 

Trout Eggs Benedict Final Plate
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TROUT EGGS BENEDICT

Category: Entree

4 people

TROUT EGGS BENEDICT

Delicious Trout Eggs Benedict in a Savory Dill Béarnaise Sauce. Filled with a punch of flavor from the asparagus and béarnaise sauce served over a lightly toasted slice of sour dough bread.

Ingredients

    For Trout Eggs Benedict
  • 2 Trout Fish – Skinned and Still on Bone
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
  • 1 Bunch Asparagus
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 4 Eggs
  • 4 Slices Sourdough Bread
    For Béarnaise Sauce:
  • 1 Cup Melted Butter
  • 1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill, Minced
  • 1 Teaspoon Sweet Paprika

Instructions

    For Trout:
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
  2. Salt and pepper the two trout, which are skinned but still on the bone.
  3. Place a few thin slices of butter on the trout, about a tablespoon per trout.
  4. Wrap each trout in a foil packet, taking care to seal all corners so the steam cannot escape during cooking.
  5. Place the trout packets on a baking sheet.
  6. To the baking sheet, also add the asparagus. Rub the asparagus with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  7. Place entire baking sheet in oven. Asparagus and trout packets bake for about fifteen minutes.
  8. Asparagus should be tender to the bite and still a bit crunchy.
    For the Béarnaise Sauce:
  1. Melt the two sticks of butter and let cool slightly. You don’t want the butter bubbling hot, but you want it to still be warm.
  2. Place the egg yolks in a blender and pulse a few times to break them up.
  3. With the blender running, add the white wine vinegar and mix for a few seconds.
  4. With the blender running, slowly stream in the warm butter. Once all the butter is added, continue to blend for a minute.
  5. Add the fresh dill, paprika, and salt and pepper. Blend for another minute. Keep the sauce warm with the lid on the blender.
    For Poached Eggs:
  1. In a large pot, bring to a light boil about three cups of water.
  2. Once the pot is gently boiling, use a large spoon to create a whirlpool in the water. With the water spinning, drop the cracked eggs, one at a time, into the pot.
  3. Allow the eggs to cook for two to two and half minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon
    To Assemble:
  1. Brush the sour dough bread slices lightly with olive oil or butter and toast on a griddle until golden brown.
  2. Place a few asparagus spears on the toasted bread.
  3. Pile on a serving of cooked trout.
  4. Gently rest the poached egg to the stack.
  5. Cover generously with dill and paprika béarnaise sauce.
  6. Enjoy!
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Chipotle Pike Stew

Published on by a12gaugegirl

 

Chipotle Pike Stew Final Dish
“Fishing is much more than fish. It is the great occasion to when we may return to the fine simplicity of our forefathers.” ~ Herbert Hoover

Playing with the heat in dishes is one of my favorite ways to take an old recipe and create something new.  This Chipotle Pike Stew recipe was the perfect specimen to see what a little spice could do to a basic fish soup recipe.  I think the results were delicious.

Pike is one of my absolute favorite eating fish.  It can be a turn off to many people because the outside of the fish is very slimy.  I hate to even bring that up when talking about a recipe using pike, but I think it’s important to put it out there and say: “Hey, pike is gross to handle but it’s what’s on the inside that counts!”  I really enjoy the texture of the meat for pike.  It is very robust and holds up well in sauces or when grilled.  The flavor is also amazing.  It reminds me a bit more of chicken than fish, but it really has a unique flavor that is hard to pinpoint without just giving it a try. 

Handling is also very important to ensure your pike I always tasty.  Pike are a cold-water fish and bacteria will quickly go to work if your fish get warmed up.  So, in the summer, do what we do and take a cooler full of ice and throw your pike on ice right after they are caught.  To deal with the ick factor of doing this, we keep a cooler marked “fish only”.

Back to the food.  Changing the heat in a dish can be accomplished a number of ways, such as through adding red pepper flakes, hot peppers such as jalapenos or habaneros, cracked black pepper, hot sauce such a Tapatio or Cholula, or with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  Which route you decide to go depends entirely on the other ingredients in the dish. For this chipotle pike stew, I thought I would use chipotles in adobo because the peppers not only add heat to the dish but also mingle really well with the tomatoes.

Start the Chipotle Pike Stew Base

To a heavy bottomed pot, add a couple swirls of olive oil.  Heat over medium and drop in four diced stalks of celery, one medium diced onion, and three cloves of minced garlic.  Let the mixture sweat for about ten minutes, or until the onions are translucent and soft.  Take care to keep the heat at an appropriate level where the garlic will not start to brown.  Browned garlic adds a very bitter taste to dishes and it happens very quickly.Chipotle Pike Stew Base

While the onions and garlic are cooking, add three to four chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and a whole jar of oyster sauce to a blender.  Blend well.  If you are a super spicy person, you can add more peppers.  I found three to be quite hot in this dish.  If you aren’t such a big fan of spicy, you might consider only adding one or two peppers.

Meanwhile, returning to the onions and garlic, deglaze the pot with ½ cup white wine.  Stir everything so you break up all the good flavor pieces that have developed but might be sticking to the bottom of your pan. Let the wine cook for a few minutes and then add a 28oz can of roasted stewed tomatoes.  I used stewed tomatoes because I wanted to have the chunks in my soup, but you could also use diced or crushed to create a different texture.Chipotle Pike Stew Tomatoes

Chipotle Pike Stew FinishedHeat the soup for five minutes and then add in the oyster sauce pepper mixture, two teaspoons dried oregano, and one teaspoon of dried thyme.  Stir and let the chipotle soup base simmer for five more minutes.    

Cut the pike filets into bite sized pieces, and take this opportunity to make sure everything is bone free.  Add the pike to the chipotle soup base, cover with a lid, and simmer for five minutes.  The pike should be flaky and white when it is ready.

Chipotle Pike Stew Fish
You need to remove the “Y” bones from the pike before dicing into bite size pieces.

Ladle up some nice big servings into bowls, serve with a slice of fresh lime to squeeze over the soup, and a piece of crusty bread to sop up the bottom of your bowl! 

Chipotle Pike Stew in PotI am a huge fan of tomato based soups, especially with seafood, and so the idea of using pike in a tomato based broth with the heat of chipotles makes my mouth water just talking about it.  This soup is very rich in sweet flavors that the pike really soaks up.  I hope you enjoy this meal of chipotle pike stew as much as I do!  If you are looking for other pike recipes, consider this one from my website for Pike Skewers.

Happy Fishing!

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Chipotle Pike Stew

Category: Fish Recipes

6

Chipotle Pike Stew

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pike fish, diced into bite size pieces
  • 4 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 28 oz can roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 12 oz bottle oyster sauce
  • 3 chipotles peppers in adobo sauce
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1 lime
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Add three chipotle peppers and the bottle of oyster sauce to a blender. Blend until peppers are broken down into a paste. Set aside.
  2. To a large, heavy bottomed pot, add the olive oil and heat over medium high. Add the celery, onions, and garlic. Cook for ten minutes. Watch to not let garlic brown.
  3. Deglaze the pot with the white wine. Allow to simmer for five minutes.
  4. Add the can of roasted tomatoes, the oregano and thyme, and chipotle mixture to the pot.
  5. Allow to cook for 10 minutes.
  6. Add the pike and cook for five minutes with the lid on. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  7. Serve with lime wedges.
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Basil, Fennel and Rosemary Grilled Trout Recipe

Published on by a12gaugegirl

Grilled Trout with Rosemary, Basil, and Fennel Anchovy Butter
“Things fishermen know about trout aren’t facts, but articles of faith.” ~ John Gierach

I tried my hand at rainbow trout fly fishing this past weekend.  I would not call it a success in the sense that I did not catch an actual fish, but I would not call it a failure for a handful of other reasons.  Besides the fly fishing, I also got to dine on this Basil, Fennel, and Rosemary Grilled Trout.

First, no one actually showed me how to cast.  Our little group of four piled out of the car in the late afternoon, everyone who had waders (which did not include me) pulled them on, tied on their flies, and took off in different directions.

Someone had tied a fly on my rod, but I can’t tell you if it was a dry or wet fly.  I can’t even actually tell you the difference of a dry or wet fly.  Two of the group headed downstream and one headed upstream.  I stayed by the car.  Turns out wading the stream in Chaco sandals is not easy.

I spent about an hour flipping my pole back and forth, in what I decided was a ten-to-two motion, which by the way is the only fly fishing term I actually know.  I don’t know that term from an experienced point of view, but rather I know it from hearing it in movies.  Basically all my fly fishing knowledge stems from reading A River Runs Through It and watching a few movies.

After an hour or so of whipping my fly around in the air and trying to not create giant knots, a member of our group stopped by to share some advice.  They showed me a quick roll cast and explained I should try to gently land the fly in to the stream and then let my fly follow the weaving current downstream a bit before pulling my line back up and starting again.

I practiced my roll cast for another hour before deciding I was fly fished out for the afternoon.  But as I said before, the day was not a complete failure for me.  I never popped my fly off my line.  I didn’t fall in the mud.  While I got stuck under a few rocks, I never had to take the walk of shame to pull my fly out of a tree top.   I had a magnificent time just spending some time with my feet in the cool stream and mountain air filling my lungs.  And the rest of my group did catch fish, so I got to experience this delicious basil, fennel, and rosemary grilled rainbow trout recipe!

The Anchovy Butter

I think what really makes this dish is the anchovy butter.  It seemed odd to add fish to fish, but in the end the dish would not have worked without the anchovies.  I used the anchovy filets packed in oil that come in the little tins.

Grilled Trout with Anchovy ButterGrilled Trout with Rosemary, Fennel and Basil HerbsSet out a stick of unsalted butter to soften to room temperature.  You want to make sure to use unsalted butter because the anchovies are very, very salty.  Using a fork, mash up the butter a bit, add in three anchovy filets, and continue breaking up the fish into the butter with the fork.

Once you have broken the filets up and evenly mixed them into the butter, place the mixture in the fridge to harden back up a bit.  And there you have it: Fancy Anchovy Butter.  I think this butter would be amazing on salmon or even steak. In fact, as I am typing this I am realizing I need to make a steak with this butter right now!

The Herbs

One of my favorite reasons for working with fish is you can dress up a dish with the simple addition of just herbs.  Many meals are drenched in sauces or gravies, require lots of seasonings or additional fats, or have many ingredients.  Don’t get me wrong, I love all those dishes too!  But sometimes it is refreshing to create a very simple meal with very few ingredients and have something that begins and ends with simple flavors.  Something where you can actually taste the delicate deliciousness of the meat.  This basil, fennel and rosemary grilled trout recipe is very much one of those dishes.

Grilled Trout with Rosemary, Fennel, and Basil HerbsFor this meal, I used fresh basil, fennel tops, and rosemary.  I did not mince the herbs, and instead created a foil packet for grilling the fish.  Cut a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap the entire fish.  Lay down a few pieces of the fennel tops and a couple sprigs of rosemary.  Rip the basil leaves up a bit, this helps release their flavor, and place them on top of the other greens.

To the herb pile, add the fish.  I left my fish whole but with the skin removed.  I also stuffed a few more twigs of rosemary inside the fish.  Slather on a generous spoonful of the anchovy butter to the top of the fish.

Cooking the Grilled Rainbow Trout

Wrap the foil around the fish bundle, creating a little packet. Make sure that the foil is sealed really well and there aren’t gaps for steam to escape.  I find folding the foil rather than crumpling it helps to create really good seals.

Put the packets directly on the preheated grill and allow to cook for fifteen minutes.  The packets will puff up, which is a great indicator that the fish is done cooking.Grilled Trout with Rosemary, Fennel, Basil and Anchovy Butter

Once finished grilling, rip open those packets, take in a deep breath and enjoy all those beautiful aromas put off by the grilled fennel, rosemary, and basil, and plate your fish up to enjoy a delicately simple, but flavorful, dinner.

It is amazing how much flavor the herbs add to the fish through just steaming in the foil packets.  The anchovies also create a great salty addition to the fish.  As I said in the beginning, I found adding fish to fish kind of an odd concept, but this dish has changed my mind. I will be adding anchovies to many more dishes.  I hope you enjoy this basil, fennel and rosemary grilled trout recipe as much as I do.  Enjoy!

Looking for other trout recipes? Check out a few other trout treats, such as grilled orange and herb or foil packet trout.

Happy Fishing!

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Basil, Fennel and Rosemary Grilled Trout Recipe

Category: Fish Recipes

Basil, Fennel and Rosemary Grilled Trout Recipe

"Things fishermen know about trout aren't facts, but articles of faith." ~ John Gierach

Ingredients

  • 4 rainbow trout, skinned but still on bones
  • 4 to 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • Handful fresh basil leaves, slightly torn
  • 4 to 5 leafy ends of fennel bulb
  • One stick softened butter, unsalted
  • 3 to 4 anchovy filets

Instructions

  1. Preheat outdoor grill to high heat.
  2. Take stick of softened butter and, using a fork, mash the anchovy filets with the butter. Continuing working until filets are evenly mixed into butter. Set aside.
  3. On a large piece of foil, place the sprigs of fresh herbs. Tear the basil leaves slightly, as this helps to release the flavors of the leaf.
  4. I created one large packet to cook all of my trout at one time. You could also individual wrap the trout in their own packets, using two sprigs of fresh herbs per packet.
  5. Slather the fish with generous portions of the butter.
  6. Carefully fold the packet closed, taking care to ensure there are no holes for the steam to escape from.
  7. Place packet directly on grill and cook for 15 minutes. The packet should puff up and you can hear the butter boiling when the fish is done.
  8. Enjoy!!!!
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Ciopinno and Tarragon Pesto Kokanee Salmon Recipe

Published on by a12gaugegirl

Ciopinno Kokanee Salmon and Tarragon Pesto Final Plate
“My life is what a salmon must feel like. They are always swimming upstream, against the current.” ~ Laura Schlessinger

I’m still wrapping my brain around the idea of jigging for fish.  I can’t seem to quite get the technique down, and for some reason not being able to properly execute the simple idea of rhythmically bobbing a weighted lure up and down is breaking down everything I thought I knew about fishing.  However, I am not having a difficult time with is wrapping my brain around is the idea of this Ciopinno Kokanee Salmon Recipe. 

Living in the mountainous western part of the United States, most of the fishing consists of stream or flatwater trout.  And most of the techniques revolve around fly fishing (also a new “adventure” I have decided to unsuccessfully embark on recently), lure fishing, or using bait such as worms or grasshoppers.  I have trolled and bottom fished many of the lakes around my home, and I have bait fished the streams.  I have not jigged anything.

Floating in the large pod of fishing boats this past weekend on a beautiful Colorado lake watching everyone pull up Kokanee salmon after Kokanee salmon made me want to jig so bad it almost hurt a little.  We had spent the morning slowly trolling around the outside edge of the cluster of fishermen jigging off their boats.  Trolling was slow, and while we caught a few fish, it was definitely not the way to catch a limit for the day.  We headed to the local bait shop and started interviewing the store clerks for tips and tricks to pulling in the Kokanee, and everyone offered up the same advice: you have to jig for them right now.

I left the store with a heavy, bright pink spoon, a small flashing light that attached to my line, a can of white shoe peg corn, and the “secret” depth to jig at.  I raced back out to the Kokanee fishing crowd, rigged my pole up, dropped it down to 85 feet, and then started “jigging.”  Nothing happened. 

The boat next to me couldn’t move the net fast enough between people to grab up their fish.  I should have offered them my net, because it was just sitting and waiting on my boat.  Attempts were made to copy the motion of the poles from the boats around me, but nothing seemed to work.  I adjusted the depth up for awhile, and then down for awhile more, but still nothing.  As the wind started to pick up, floating in place became impossible and everyone started to pack up. 

It was an unsuccessful day of jigging, but as often happens with unsuccessful days of fishing the desire to overcome only grows.  So, while I cannot offer up any advice for how to jig for Kokanee salmon, I can share this super delicious Ciopinno Kokanee Salmon Recipe!  And maybe next time I will have a more productive fishing story to share.

The Recipe

Ciopinno Kokanee Salmon and Tarragon Pesto Ingredients
Ciopinno base ingredients including fennel, onion, shallot, and garlic.

Traditionally compiled from the “catch of the day,” Ciopinno is an Italian-American style dish filled with fresh seafood such as shrimp, craps, mussels, and ocean fish.  The base for the stew broth is a combination of tomatoes and white wine.  I decided to take the sweet tomato base of Ciopinno stew and create a stew for the Kokanee salmon we caught.

Kokanee salmon are a landlocked version of an ocean sockeye salmon.  Their meat is very hearty and oily, and is a lively shade of bright red.  The flaky but firm texture of the salmon makes it a great fish for this stew.

One of my favorite things about Ciopinno is it often contains fresh fennel.  I love the licorice flavored bite that fennel adds to dishes.  For this stew, I decided to enhance the licorice flavor even more by topping the fish with a tarragon pesto. 

The Cioppino Base

To start the dish, I slow cooked the stew base.  To a large ceramic pot, I added a tablespoon of olive oil and then sautéed over medium high heat one diced medium sized onion, a minced shallot, four cloves of minced garlic, and a bulb of fennel, which I diced into bite size pieces.  I let everything cook until the onions were softened and translucent, or about ten minutes. 

One of the things I enjoy most about cooking are all the flavors that fill the kitchen.  And one of my favorite smells in the world is onions slow cooking in olive oil.  I don’t know why, but it gets me every time.  I am already excited for a dish when it starts with a big pot, some oil, and diced onions.  Add to that the bittersweet hints of fennel and things are really starting to look good in the kitchen!

Ciopinno Kokanee Salmon and Tarragon Peston Wine DeglazeAnyway, after ten minutes, deglaze the pot with a cup of white wine.  I like to use a dry white wine, such as chardonnay.  You can play with the flavors a little in your base by switching up the wine you use.  You could even create a more robust flavor by adding a red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon.  If you aren’t a wine person, you could also deglaze the pot with a cup of chicken stock.

Ciopinno Kokanee Salmon and Tarragon Pesto Stew BaseLet the wine cook off for a few minutes and then add the roasted stewed tomatoes, two cups of seafood broth, a bay leaf, and two teaspoons of allspice.  Simmer everything for at least thirty minutes.  The base should reduce down so it is a bit thicker than soup.

The Tarragon Pesto

Pesto is a very quick and easy sauce that can enhance even the simplest dishes.  My favorite thing about working with pesto is how it can be adjusted to fit a variety of flavor profiles.  Looking for more recipes with a pesto twist? Check out my recipe for elk tenderloin in a sticky tomato sauce with basil pesto.  For the Ciopinno Kokanee Salmon Recipe, I decided to move from a traditional basil pesto to a tarragon pesto.  Tarragon has a similar essence to fennel, except it tastes a bit more minty. 

Ciopinno Kokanee Salmon and Tarragon Pesto Ingredients
Ingredients for tarragon pesto

To make the pesto, add a large handful of fresh parsley, a large handful of fresh tarragon, two cloves of garlic, and a ½ cup of cashews to a food processor.  Pulse everything a few times to break up the garlic and cashews. 

Add a few glugs of red wine vinegar, about two tablespoons worth, and a quarter cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice.  I also zested the lemon before juicing it and added about a tablespoon of the zest to the food processor.  Once again, give everything a few pulses to mix it up.

Ciopinno Kokanee Salmon and Tarragon Pesto MixingFinally, with the food processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil.  It should take around a1/3 cup, but I just keep an eye on it and wait until it reaches the consistency I desire.  Sometimes I add a little extra oil if it is something I want to kind of drizzle the pesto on, and other times, like for this recipe, I quit adding oil right as the pesto starts to develop a creamier more spreadable texture.  Season with salt to taste.

Grilling the Fish and Putting it all Together

I contemplated a lot on how to cook the fish for this dish.  I wanted to keep this kokanee salmon recipe simple without creating too big a mess in the kitchen, but I also really wanted the fish to have a very specific texture.  The thought of just adding to kokanee salmon to pot as the ciopinno sauce reduced crossed my mind, but I was afraid the fish might develop a bit of a mushy, broken down texture.  Instead, the decision was made to grill the fish. 

Ciopinno Kokanee Salmon and Tarragon Pesto FiletsI created tin foil packets to lay the fish, added a little splash of oil, seasoned the filets with salt and pepper and threw them on the grill for about seven minutes.  One nice little trick to cooking the fish perfectly is you can tell when it is done by the foil packet. It will puff up and the fish is finished at the same time.  Fancy little trick there!

Cioppino Kokanee Salmon and Tarragon Pesto Fish Packets
Be sure the packets are tightly sealed so the steam does not escape while grilling

So, to plate up this meal, get a shallow bowl and ladle in a hearty scoop of the savory and slight sweet ciopinno base.  Lay on a grilled kokanee filet, and top with a healthy spoonful of the tarragon pesto.  I like to get a fork full with all the components on each bite!  You don’t want to miss how beautifully the flaky but meaty salmon pairs with the ciopinno sauce and pesto.  Each bite is very flavorful with sweet hints of tomato, hidden tastes of licorice, and a lemony, minty finish. I hope you like this Cioppino Kokanee Salmon Recipe as much as I do. Enjoy!

Happy Fishing!

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Ciopinno and Tarragon Pesto Kokanee Salmon Recipe

Category: Fish Recipes

4

Ciopinno and Tarragon Pesto Kokanee Salmon Recipe

Ingredients

  • Four filets kokanee salmon, deboned and skin on
    For the Ciopinno Base
  • One fennel bulb, diced
  • One medium onion, diced
  • One medium shallot, minced
  • Four cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • One cup white wine
  • 28 ounces can stewed tomatoes
  • 2 cups seafood broth
  • One bay leaf
  • One to two teaspoons of all spice (taste and add more if needed)
    For the Tarragon Pesto
  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Handful fresh parsley
  • Handful fresh tarragon
  • Lemon, juiced and zested
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

    For the Ciopinno Base
  1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, drop in the diced fennel, onions, shallot, and garlic. Cook for ten minutes, watching that the garlic doesn't start to brown. Onions should become soft and translucent.
  2. Deglaze the pot with a cup of white wine, your choice. Let simmer for two to three minutes.
  3. Add the two cups of seafood broth, the stewed tomatoes, a bay leaf, and the all spice. Let simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes.
    For the Tarragon Pesto
  1. To a food processor, add two cloves of garlic and pulse a few times to chop up.
  2. Add in the half cup of cashews and pulse a few times.
  3. Add the parsley and fresh tarragon. Pulse.
  4. Squeeze in a quarter cup of lemon juice, add the zest, and the red wine vinegar.
  5. Let the food processor run and slowly stream in the 1/3 cup of olive oil. The pesto should be a creamy texture. Add more oil by the tablespoon if desired consistency is not reached at first.
  6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
    For the Fish
  1. Season the filet kokanee salmon with salt and pepper.
  2. Drizzle a little olive oil over the filets and seal tightly in aluminum foil packets.
  3. Place the packets directly on the grill over high heat and let cook for about seven minutes. The packets should puff up when finished.
  4. Carefully remove the fish filets from the skin.
    To Plate
  1. Add a large scoop of ciopinno stew base to a shallow bowl. Lay a piece of grilled fish on top of the stew base. Top with a heaping scoop of the pesto tarragon.
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Salmon Recipe: Pecan Butter Crusted Salmon

Published on by a12gaugegirl

“Salmon. Salmon, salmon, salmon, salmon. I eat so much salmon at these weddings, twice a year I get this urge to swim upstream.” ~David Nicholls

Two years ago, my sister and brother-in-law relocated their family to Olympia, Washington.  There were several reasons for the move, but I am pretty sure a main motivator for my sister was salmon fishing.  She is a fishing fanatic, and the bigger the potential size of the fish, the longer we sit in the boat.  She is one of those people that will wait for hours for a bite, whether there is action happening on the other end of the line or not.  I can’t count how many times I have been out with her, starting at the first peak of light over the horizon and staying until late into the day, and nothing has been happening.  I give up.  I will reach the point where I won’t even bait my pole anymore and start reading because it has been hours and hours with no action.  And just when I think, “Finally! She is defeated and we are leaving!”  there will be that inevitable tug, which most of the time I think she imagined it, and we have to start all over again.  That “tug” is like the refresh button.  The hours we have sat there are irrelevant because “Now! Now, we are getting somewhere and things are starting to happen!”

Since her move to the Pacific Northwest, my sister has landed exactly zero salmon.  This is not from a lack of trying, trust me on that one.  She has spent hours on the Puget Sound, pole in the water, patiently waiting for a bite.  She has tried hundreds of locations, stopped at dozens of fishing shops and talked with people about how they go about salmon fishing in the area, experimented with multiple bait and lure set-ups.  She has tried early morning, mid-day lunch time, evening, even night time fishing.  She has done it all, and had zero success.  Until this weekend!!!

This weekend, her family landed their very first king salmon, and the excitement was palpable.  I am pretty sure she called me half a dozen times to remind me that, yes indeed, she had caught a king salmon in the Puget Sound.  It wasn’t a huge fish, in fact it was only a few inches over the legal limit-size, but it was a fish! And she had caught it! And I think she wanted me to hum the Rocky theme song or something for her over the phone to acknowledge her accomplishment, but I draw the line there!

Anyway, in honor of my sister’s first official king salmon caught in the Pacific Northwest, I am going to share a recipe for pecan crusted salmon.

Salmon is one of my favorite eating fish. It has a very meaty, and filling texture but is also flaky.  Salmon is an oily fish, which adds to the mild but buttery flavor of the meat.  A very diverse fish, salmon is great in sushi, grilled, baked, and smoked.

For this recipe, I left the skin on the salmon since I was grilling it.  If that bothers you, the skin is easy to remove and you can bake this instead of grilling it.  I wouldn’t recommend trying to grill it without the skin though, as I am pretty sure the entire thing will just fall apart and you’ll lose all your fishy goodness to the coals.

Preheat your grill, whether charcoal or gas, to a medium heat.  It might also be useful to lightly oil the grate, which will help prevent sticking.

While the grill is preheating, prepare the salmon filet by dousing it in Worcestershire sauce, about a tablespoon will cover a pound of fish.  Massage the sauce into the fish a bit, and then season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

When thinking about how much fish to prepare, I like to estimate a half pound, or eight ounces, per person.  At our house, some people can eat a lot of salmon, and others not so much.  The eight ounces per person usually balances out just right and everyone is satisfied by the meal’s end.

For the salmon topping, preheat the oven broiler to high.  Place a cup of pecans in an oven-friendly dish and let broil for five minutes.  Keep an eye on pecans, as sometimes they will cook a little quicker than you intended and you end up with burnt pecans.  I usually check mine after two minutes and see how things are looking.  You will know they are ready when you open the oven door and are essentially overwhelmed by the nutty aromas filling the oven.  It smells amazing!  Let the pecans cool.

In a food processor, add the cooled pecans, a quarter cup of unsalted butter, two teaspoons of Italian seasoning, and a teaspoon of smoked paprika. Grind it all up until a buttery paste is formed. This recipe makes a decent amount of the topping, it will easily coat a pound and a half of salmon.  If you like a bit thinner topping, you could stretch it to do two pounds. Top the salmon, coating evenly, with the pecan topping.

Image of Pecan Crust on Salmon for Pecan Butter Crusted Salmon RecipeWell, all that is left to do is grill the salmon!  Place the salmon filet skin-side down directly over the heat.  Close the grill lid and allow to cook for seven minutes.  I do a check at seven minutes to make sure the salmon is cooking properly, that my grill isn’t on fire, that my fish hasn’t fallen into the coals, you know, all the bad things that could happen. I check at seven minutes just to make sure they haven’t happened.  Anyway, depending on the thickness of the salmon, it takes about 12 minutes per inch of salmon to cook.  The piece I used for this meal was about an inch and a half thick, so it took about 18 minutes to fully cook. You can tell the salmon is ready because it will flake easily off the skin with a fork, and it should also start to release some of the meat’s fats, which kind of look like mayonnaise (yeah, sorry, that sounds gross but it really is the best description).

Now all that is left to do is dig in!  The pecan and butter topping pair perfectly with the oily, salmon.  The Italian seasoning adds a twist that is somewhat unexpected, as it almost clashes with the pecans and fish flavor, but then somehow at the same time compliments the flavors.  This is a very simple, fast, and delicious recipe that really lets the salmon shine!  Hope you enjoy it!

Happy Hunting!

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Pecan Butter Crusted Salmon

Category: Fish Recipes

4

Pecan Butter Crusted Salmon

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds cleaned salmon, skin-on
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1/4 unsalted butter
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Salt and Pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the grill to medium heat.
  2. Preheat the oven broiler to high.
  3. Place the pecans in an oven-proof dish and cook for five minutes, watching carefully to not over cook. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
  4. Prep the salmon by massaging in the Worcestershire sauce and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
  5. In a food processor, blend thoroughly the cooled pecans, butter, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Spread the mixture evenly over the salmon.
  6. Place the salmon skin-side down on the grill. Cover grill and allow to cook for 12 minutes per inch thickness of salmon.
  7. Enjoy!
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Manila Clam Pasta on the Grill!

Published on by lynzmarshall@yahoo.com

DeerAgainstOceanWebsize“Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean.” ~ Christopher Reeve

One thing learning how to hunt and fish has given me is a real sense of pride in providing for myself. I know I still buy a large majority of my groceries from the super market, and I am not trying to say I go out and cut all my own wood to heat my home. I am not suddenly “living off the grid.” But I do know I am developing into someone who appreciates knowing where my food is coming from. This year, I opted to grow a larger garden, and have learned how to process and can much of what I harvest. I rarely buy beef from the super market because I have my own supply of elk, deer and pronghorn. It is very satisfying!

When I visited my sister in Washington this past month, I was excited to see what new things I could catch, prepare, and make a fantastic meal from. My sister lives along a bay in the Puget Sound. She essentially has the ocean at her backdoor and access to an abundance of amazing seafood, such as oysters, crabs, salmon, mussels, and clams. We spent a morning while the tide was out digging for creatures in the mud flats. Our catch was plentiful. We prepared Kumamoto oyster shooters one night and a manila clam pasta another. Seafood, in my opinion, is always a treat, but nothing can compare to fresh caught seafood.

Manila clams are actually an imposter to the Washington ocean ecosystem. They are native to Japan and were accidentally introduced to the salty seas of the Washington coast line in oyster shipments. They can be found all along the Pacific coast line of the United States, and are actually a welcome addition to the waters because they are delicious! The clams are identified by their oval shaped shells with heavy ridge lines running the horizontal length of the shell.

ClamsSauceinPanThe worst part about eating clams is the sand! Nothing, and I mean nothing, is worse than biting into the tender meat of a clam and feeling that sand grind between the surfaces of your teeth. I can’t count the bowls of clam chowder I have had ruined by sand. So awful! On that note, you can see why it is very important to properly clean the clams. Clams are siphon eaters. Through their little bi-valve systems, they filter in sand and separate out tiny micro-organisms. To clean out this sand, place the clams in a bucket and cover it with salt water. You can use freshwater, but the clams can only be in freshwater for a certain amount of time before they die, usually no more than a couple of hours. Let the clams sit in the bucket for at least an hour. I let mine hang out overnight. During this time, the clams will continue to filter feed, but since there is not any sand in the bucket, they will only filter in water and will push out the sand still hanging out in their system. This works great! After you have let the clams filter for a while, be sure to scrub off the outside shells too.

ClamsonGrillYou also want the clams to be alive before you cook them. Dead clams can make you sick. So, after cleaning the clams, look for open shells. If you tap the clam gently against a hard surface it should close. Any shells that do not close should be discarded.

Preheat the barbecue with a large mound of coals. You want the grill hot and the heat in the center.

In a large aluminum pan, pour in a cup of white wine, half a cup of extra virgin olive oil (go for the good stuff!), five cloves of minced garlic, and a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.  Add the cleaned clams to the pan and cover with aluminum foil. Let the pan cook on the grill for ten minutes.

While the clams are roasting away, start a pot of water for the linguine. You could actually use whatever type of pasta you fancy: spaghetti, angel hair, fettuccini.  I went with linguini because it is a bit thicker than spaghetti and that seemed like a good idea with an oil based pasta sauce. Cook the pasta until it is al dente, which just means that the pasta is still firm when you bite into it, and not overly mushy.

After ten minutes, pull the foil from the clams and give everything a quick stir. Return the foil cover and allow the clams to cook an additional ten minutes. By this time, the clams should mostly be ready. Pull out all the clams that have opened. If there are any remaining closed clams, allow them to continue cooking a few more minutes. If they still do not open, discard them. They are bad clams! Reserve all the liquid from the pan, as this will be your pasta sauce.

Place the pasta into a large bowl and top it with the clams. Pour the juices from the aluminum pan over the pasta and clams. Sprinkle chopped basil leaves over the entire dish. Finally, squeeze the juice of half a lemon and you are ready to eat!

ClamsinBowl

I have to say it: this dish was so amazing! I was really, really impressed with how delicious it was. Manila clams are very sweet in flavor and have a wonderful texture. But for me, the best part was the broth that was created from steaming the clams over the grill. The salty seawater from the clams mingled with the dry white wine and the olive oil creating a beautiful sauce. The best way I can describe it is it tastes like the ocean. It is fantastic!

ClamsFinalDish

Happy Hunting!

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Manila Clam Pasta on the Grill!

Category: Fish Recipes, Fishing

4-5 servings

Manila Clam Pasta on the Grill!

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 dozen manila clams
  • 1 pound linguini pasta
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 1/2 a lemon

Instructions

  1. Preheat outdoor grill to high heat.
  2. In a disposable aluminum pan, add white wine, olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Stir until wine and olive oil have combined.
  3. Drop in clams. If there are any clams that do not close when lightly tapped, discard them.
  4. Cover pan with foil and grill for ten minutes.
  5. While clams are grilling, start a large pot of water boiling. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
  6. Uncover clams and stir. Return foil cover and cook additional ten minutes.
  7. Uncover clams and pull out all clams that have opened. Any clams still closed should be covered and cooked an additional few minutes. If at this point, the clams have still not opened discard these clams.
  8. Reserve the cooking liquid from the clams.
  9. Place linguini in a large bowl and top with clams. Pour all the reserved liquid from the aluminum pan. Give the pasta and clams a light toss.
  10. Sprinkle over chopped basil and squeeze lemon juice over the top.
  11. Enjoy!
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Kumamoto Oyster Shots!

Published on by lynzmarshall@yahoo.com

KumamotoOyster

“The life of man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster.” ~ David Hume

I just finished what is quickly becoming a yearly trip to Washington state. Last year, I visited the San Juan Islands and fished Haro Straight, located along the western border of San Juan Island. This time, I stayed with my sister who just purchased a house along the shorelines of south Puget Sound. And like my last excursion to the Pacific Northwest, the fishing did not disappoint.

Being from the desert, Washington is like visiting a foreign country. There are monstrous trees towering over salty blue water. The weather can only be described as refreshing, and it is a much appreciated break from the arid 100 degree days of the southeastern Utah desert. Heading outdoors is an unfamiliar experience: all the animals and plants are basically strangers.

While at my sister’s, we caught salt water fish, a far cry from the lake trout I am accustomed to. The first fish pulled onto the boat was a dogfish. The dogfish is definitely an inappropriately named creature, as it is actually a shark. This “fish” definitely has the teeth of a shark, so it is not a hard animal to identify. But like I said, pulling that onto the boat was a very different experience from reeling in a rainbow trout.

As with visiting any foreign place, not only were the animals and plants different, but the food was also a completely different experience. I don’t often get to experience seafood, much less fresh seafood. Sure, I have had my share of shrimp, most of which are farm raised. Our super market also carries a variety of fish, such as salmon, tilapia, and cod. As with the salmon, most of these are farm raised and have been frozen for a significant amount of time. I still partake if a sale is happening, but not often. And those frozen, farm-raised fish can not compare to the fresh, catch of the day fish I experienced while visiting Washington.

One of the more unique dishes I tried was the Kumamoto oyster. The Kumamoto oyster originated in Japan, but somehow my sister has them growing right in bay in her backyard. When the tide was low, we ventured out into the muddy bottoms and dug clams and oysters. Kumamotos, known for their surprising sweet flavor and beautifully sculpted shells, are one of the most popular oysters for eating. I have tried oysters in restaurants before, and I was very hesitant to give them another chance. I would best describe them as, well, for lack of a better word, snot. I was not a fan of the taste, texture, or even sight of the oysters from my past dining experiences.

As I am the first to admit I am not a fan of oysters, I will also be the first to admit that I have misjudged the Kumamoto based on my prior experiences. I have stereotyped all oysters to be disgusting and that was not fair of me. Kumamoto oysters are simply fantastic.

Before shucking the oysters, allow them to sit covered in salt water. You can do fresh water, but you should not soak the oyster for more than 20 minutes since the fresh water will kill them. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, as you are going to be eating the oyster so why do you care if it dies, right? In order to preserve the flavor of the oyster and to keep them from drying out, you don’t want them to be dead before consuming them. So, back to cleaning the oysters! Cover them with salt water and allow to soak. I let mine soak for a couple of hours. During this time, the oysters will filter water through their bivalve system. This filtration process is how the oyster eats. He pulls in lots of sand and filters out microorganisms for dining on. This process is also why oysters and clams are very sandy. Nothing is worse than biting down on a gritty, sandy oyster!  By placing the oyster in a bucket of water, the creature will filter like it normally does but without the ocean bottom to take in, it will eventually filter all of the sand out. It works amazing and is a step worth taking when preparing clams and oysters.

KumamotoOysterSauceSince this was my first time preparing fresh caught oysters, I had to learn how to shuck them properly. It isn’t too difficult, but practice definitely makes it easier, so does a shucking knife. Having only shucked two oysters at this point in time, I think this link provides a better tutorial on how to get your oyster on the half shell for eating: How to Shuck an Oyster!

While the Kumamoto is a fantastic tasting oyster, this slightly spicy sauce was what took the culinary experience from fantastic to phenomenal! In a small bowl, mix together a tablespoon of each of the following ingredients: sriracha, lime juice, minced garlic, minced shallot, rice wine vinegar, and soy sauce. This will dress a dozen or so oysters, but you can make as much or as little of the sauce as you need, just follow the simple rule of equal proportions for each ingredient.

KumamotoOysterFinalPlate

Drizzle the sauce over the oysters on their half shell, add a few thin slices of green onion, and slurp that baby down! The combination of the slightly spicy vinegar sauce and the sweet piece of oyster is perfection. They texture of the kumamoto is tender, but not chewy. The sauce creates this beautiful balance of spicy and sweet, but there is also a salty element created by the ocean water in the oyster. It is one delicious bite. And I followed it with just a few more!

Happy Hunting! (And Oyster Harvesting)

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Foil Wrapped Trout Packs!

Published on by lynzmarshall@yahoo.com

FoilPacketsSunset “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” ~ Julia Child

I am a planner. I like to know what lies ahead and how I am going to get there. I employ this attitude in almost everything I do in life. Stepping outside the plan is difficult for me, especially if I am not prepared for stepping outside the plan (somehow that doesn’t even make sense, but if you are planner then you know what I am talking about!).

Camping is a planner’s dream, or nightmare depending on how you look at it. I make lots of lists, trying to think of the unexpected popping up and how I will be prepared to tackle it. I try to cover everything I would could possibly need. Everything is broken down into lists, which have sub-lists, and then the lists are checked through, usually twice. For cooking, there is the master list of each meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snacks. Then each meal is broken into two sub-lists: ingredients and tools. And then there is another list entirely for stocked items that I try to take everywhere. Things like cutting boards, knives that actually cut things (as opposed to most camping knives that tend to just tear things! I hate that!), extra bowls for mixing and such, spatulas, aluminum foil and Ziploc bags. The list is an ever evolving task that is added to each time a new hunting or camping trip happens.

With all that said, this past camping trip presented an unexpected. I never plan on catching fish. I consider myself a bad luck fisherman actually. Everyone around me can be reeling them in, and I will sit idly watching happy faces pull in beautiful fish. I would say it makes me sad, or jealous, or angry, or something, but I actually am used to it by now. So, you can imagine my surprise when this past weekend I limited out on rainbow trout two days in a row.

Since I never plan on catching fish, I never plan on cooking fish while at camp. This time was different. As I was cleaning the trout, I had this overwhelming urge to have fresh lake caught fish that night. I didn’t know how it was going to happen, or if I had anything to prepare the fish with, but I knew it needed to happen. I needed to ditch the planned dinner and make a fish dinner.

Since supplies were limited, I decided to try and cook this fish in foil packets in the actual fire pit. I have done other meals this way before, usually ones filled with meat, potatoes, vegetables, and a gravy base. It is a quick way to make a fantastic tasting meal. It requires little preparation, little clean-up, and amazing results. I had never done fish this way before though.

Besides having no set way to cook this fish, I also had no recipe. So, this impromptu meal was going to have to be a “clean out the cupboard” type effort. I searched through bins for whatever spices and ingredients I could find. This recipe is what I came up with, and I have to say it was superb. I felt like I was eating at a five-star restaurant.

To start, you have to build a fire. This is usually a given at a campsite, but I thought I better mention it. If you aren’t much a fire chef, which I can’t say that I am one, you can also heat up some coals and just place the packets on top of the coals. I used my charcoal chimney for my dutch oven to heat up about ten coals and cooked over those. It worked great.

FoilPacketsFish For this recipe, I left the fish on the bones. It makes for each fish cleaning, cooking, and the meat literally flakes off the bones once it is finished cooking.

To start, cut two pieces of aluminum foil about twice the size of fish. There needs to be enough foil to fold over the entire fish and other ingredients and then wrap the edges closed. The fish should be centered in the piece of foil with at least an inch of room around it. You want to use two pieces of foil to create a really good barrier between the heat of the fire and the fish. I have single layered the aluminum foil before and things tend to burn rather than steam.

Salt and pepper the fish. If you have some lemon pepper, which is a common seasoning used for fish, that would be great. You could also do my go-to favorite, Montreal Steak Seasoning. I put that on everything because I appreciate the balance of salt and pepper it has. Once the fish is seasoned, add thin slices of onion. Since this is an impromptu menu item, you might not have onions. You could also do minced garlic. Even dried onions or garlic would work, which is something many people leave stocked in their camping supplies. I tend to always take onions with me when camping because they can be added to many different dishes.

On top of the onion, places thin pats of butter. My slices were cut about a 1/16 of an inch thick. You could cut the pats thicker and just not place as many on top of the fish too. I ended up with about five mirco-thinly sliced pieces per fish. It was a good amount of butter. Oh, just a quick note. The butter I had was unsalted. If you used salted butter remember to not add more salt to packet or you could end up with a very salty dish.

Gently pour a good drizzle of Worcestershire sauce over the fish. It is okay if it just pools up below the fish. Once sealed, the packet will steam everything and the sauce will infiltrate the fish beautifully!

My fish packet helper!
My fish packet helper!

To create the packet, fold the foil over the top of the fish. Gently start rolling the edges of the foil towards the fish, taking care not to puncture or rip the foil. The foil has to be completely sealed or the juices will run out and things won’t cook right. If you tear a whole, grab another piece of foil and add another layer to the packet. The best way to think about making packets is to just try and keep things pretty. The prettier the packet, the better things seem to hold together.

FoilPacketsFishCoals

FoilPacketsFishCooked

Cook the fish about five to seven minutes per side. This will ensure the fish is flaky and pink, the onions are soft and sweet, and the butter and Worcestershire have melted into a delicate sauce. When I was cooking, the packets actually puffed up when they were finished, which was also a good indicator that things were done. However, if there are any leaks in the packets, this won’t happen so I would keep an eye on the timer.

FoilPacketsPotatoes

For a quick side dish, I cooked up some cheesy dutch oven potatoes. Cube the potatoes into bite size pieces, season with salt and pepper (or as I did, because like I said I am crazy, you can add Montreal Steak Seasoning. I have a problem.), and cover with cheese. You could also throw in some onion if you have left-overs from the fish packets. Cook over coals, about ten to twelve on the bottom and eight to ten on the top, for twenty to thirty minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.

Happy Hunting!

FoilPacketsFinalPlate

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Foil Wrapped Trout Packs!

Category: Fish Recipes

Foil Wrapped Trout Packs!

Ingredients

  • 4 full trout, skinned and on the bone
  • 1 onion, cut into thin slices
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 stick butter
  • 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. Light your campfire or charcoal coals.
  2. For each fish, cut two pieces of aluminum foil. Foil should be twice the size of the fish.
  3. Place fish in center of foil.
  4. Salt and pepper each fish.
  5. Place slices of onion along the fish.
  6. Cut butter into thin slices and lay atop the onion.
  7. Pour a tablespoon of Worcestershire over fish. Repeat with other three fish.
  8. Cook packets over the fire or coals and cook for five to seven minutes per side, flipping half way through the cook time, until fish are flakey and red. Onions should be soft and sweet. Enjoy!
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Smoked Salmon Dip: Perfect for Any Occasion!

Published on by lynzmarshall@yahoo.com

SmokedSalmonDipLandscape
“My life is what a salmon must feel like. They are always going upstream, against the current.” ~ Laura Schlessinger

I am guilty, just as everyone else, of forgetting the simple things in life. We all get so wrapped up in work, and kids, and chores, and well, just life. Things get crazy, and we forget to appreciate the little things. We also complicate everything by making things more difficult than they have to be. It’s a wicked cycle, and difficult to kick. I fall in to this deadly spiral even with writing this blog. I will start thinking about recipes to try or tips to research, and I get so wrapped up in the idea that everything has to be complex and difficult that I forget to include the simple things! The simple things are just as important as the big things. So, in honor of the simple life, I am sharing my favorite throw together in a pinch smoked salmon dip.

Last fall, my family ventured to the San Juan Islands in Washington. The trip was amazing, and resulted in a plentiful harvest of Dungeness crabs and pink, or humpback, salmon. We also even caught a king salmon. It was a trip I will always remember. The weather there is starkly different from the deserts of Utah, with the mornings usually hosting a blanket of light fog resting over the calm, Pacific waters and the afternoons filled with a light, salty breeze and beautiful sunshine. The temperature is perfect for t-shirts and jeans with a light jacket, and sitting out all day is easy.

SmokedSalmonDipWhalebyRock SmokedSalmonDipFish

The animals, of course, are drastically different from my home turf. The sounds of the San Juan Islands are home to several pods of orcas, harbor seals, minke whales, and Dall’s porpoises. The islands themselves house Columbia black tail deer, red fox, bald eagles, and over 23 species of butterflies. Needless to say, it is an amazing place and I recommend visiting whenever you get the chance. While we were there, I posted a quick blog about how to travel to the islands and find lodging. You can find that information here: A Desert Girl Heads to the Pacific Northwest.

SmokedSalmonDipPole We were fortunate to have a freezer in our lodging accommodations, and we certainly utilized it. We were able to clean and store our humpback salmon catch in order to transport it back to Utah. I have made a lot of different recipes with the salmon we caught, and I also made a batch of smoked salmon. Smoked salmon is one of my favorite ways to prepare salmon. The salmon takes on this sweet but smoky flavor and it also stores well. I like to flake it over salads for a quick lunch, stir it in with some asparagus or leeks for a fine omelet, add it to dips such as this one, and of course just pull a chunk out and eat it plain. It is so good!

Okay, so on to this simple recipe. This works easiest with a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you could use a hand mixer or stir it by hand. Those two methods just take a bit more time, but are completely doable. Before you start, set out an eight ounce block of cream cheese and allow it to come to room temperature, about fifteen minutes or so. Using cold cream cheese will result in chunks in the dip, which aren’t so great. Room temperature cream cheese will create a smooth, well mixed dip. So, into the food processor drop the entire block of cream cheese. Scoop in half a cup of sour cream. Pulse the machine once or twice to mix together the cheese and sour cream. Add a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and run the food processor until the mixture is creamy and smooth.

How much smoked salmon you add is entirely your choice. I like my dip to be full of bigger chunks of salmon, so I add in between six and seven ounces of salmon and I pulse it very minimally. If six ounces of fish is too intense for your liking, go with only four ounces of salmon and run the food processor until the salmon is broken down. I wait until after I have my salmon added to add in the dill, salt, and pepper. All of these should be based on tasting. Some smoked salmons are more salty than others, so be sure to taste as you add these ingredients in order to get a good balance of the dill with the sweet and salty flavors. I am a pretty big dill fan, so I tend to add at least a tablespoon of fresh minced dill, sometimes a little more. If you like a little kick in your dip, add a teaspoon or two of fresh prepared horseradish. You could also do a couple drops of Tabasco sauce.

SmokedSalmonDip

Once the ingredients are all mixed together, spoon the dip into a bowl and surround it with crackers, vegetables, and breads. For vegetables, I will pretty much dip anything in smoked salmon. I have done the traditional basics of carrots, celery, and cucumber slices. I have also gotten a little fancier and included radishes, endives, cauliflower, bell peppers, and slices of hot peppers like jalapenos. This dip would also make a great sandwich spread. Maybe a couple slices of whole grain bread with smoked salmon spread and cucumber slices? Mmmm…sounds good to me!

Happy Hunting!

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Smoked Salmon Dip: Perfect for Any Occasion!

Category: Fish Recipes

Smoked Salmon Dip: Perfect for Any Occasion!

Ingredients

  • Four to Six Ounces Smoked Salmon
  • Eight Ounces Cream Cheese
  • 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
  • 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill, Minced
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
    Optional Ingredients:
  • 1 Teaspoon Fresh Prepared Horseradish
  • Tabasco Sauce

Instructions

  1. Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature, about fifteen minutes.
  2. In a food processor, pulse together the cream cheese and sour cream.
  3. Add in the lemon juice, and combine until smooth and creamy.
  4. Drop in chunks of smoked salmon and pulse until desired texture.
  5. Add dill, salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Horseradish or tabasco can be added for a bit of heat.
  7. Serve with vegetables such as carrots, celery, cucumbers, endives, radishes, peppers. Also serve with crackers or breads, such as bagel chips.
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Fish Cakes from Striped Bass!!!

Published on by lynzmarshall@yahoo.com

FishCake“I only make movies to finance my fishing.” ~ Lee Marvin

Growing up, fish was never my favorite food. I think it was because most of my experience with fish revolved around either the fish stick or frozen cod. Sometimes after a summer camping trip with my parents, my mom would bake the trout we caught. I don’t remember eating much of the trout, and instead see myself using my fork to push flakes of fish around the plate until my mom said I could leave the table. My how times have changed.

Since I really started fishing, I have learned I love fish! I love all kinds of fish too: salmon, trout, large and small mouth bass, walleye, striped bass, yellow fin tuna…the list could go on and on. I even find myself ordering fish at restaurants, which is something I used to consider as a waste of a good meal. What has caused this change of heart? Preparing my fresh catches at home. The more I experiment, the more I am becoming a fish addict.

I have blogged about striped bass in the past. The striped bass, which are abundant in Lake Powell, I usually prepare as fish tacos. The sweet and flaky meat of the bass makes for great tacos. So, after a successful weekend fishing trip to Lake Powell that resulted in a dozen beautiful striped bass, I was craving those fish tacos and I was determined to have them.

Once I started cooking, I realized I was limiting myself. Here on my counter lay more fillets than I can eat in one sitting. Why not spice things up a bit and try something new? So, I did: fish cakes.

Fish cakes are basically what you are imagining: little crunchy pancake-sized patties of fish. You know, just like a crab cake, but with fish. So, yeah, a fish cake!

I had not planned on making something other than the fish tacos for dinner, so I made these cakes with supplies from my cupboard and fridge. The recipe is a bit improvised, but I think that is a very convenient thing about something like fish cakes. You can make them to suit your personal tastes all while emptying out leftovers from the fridge. Perfect!

So, let’s get started on this quick and easy fish cake before I start drooling talking on my keyboard about them.

First, throw a sweet potato in the microwave, and don’t forget to pierce it with a fork! I let my potato go for about five minutes, or until it was soft to the touch. I know a sweet potato sounds weird for a fish cake, but it will bring a little substance to the cake so it doesn’t completely fall apart when you go to fry them up.

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While the potato is cooking, remove the fish from the skin and cut it into chunks. I used about four fillets, which were all pretty decent sized and came from fish that weighed around 3 to 4 pounds. Place a few chunks of fish at a time into a steam basket. I don’t actually own a steam basket, so filled a large pot with about two inches of water and placed a metal colander inside it. I dropped several chunks of fish in the colander and placed a lid over the top. This worked great! And the fish were thoroughly steamed in about five minutes. You can tell the fish is ready because it will turn this beautiful pearl white color and the pieces will start to look flaky

IMG_2539So, now that the fish and sweet potatoes are cooked, it is time to start building the cakes. Flake the fish into a large bowl. Add the flesh of the sweet potato in there as well. Now, this is where things can get fancy to your own liking. I diced up some red bell pepper because I love the sweetness of the pepper and the pop of color that it adds. I also dropped in minced ginger, which adds a surprising little kick to each bite, and diced celery and green onions. You could get real creative here and add all different kinds of stuff, like bacon, corn, peas, jalapeno, carrots, and the list goes on!

With all the flavors layered in the bowl, it is time to add some glue to help hold it all together. I added a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, because I love the tang and slight sweetness of Dijon, but you could also add plain yellow mustard or a spicy mustard. Also, add a tablespoon of mayonnaise or miracle whip. You could even do plain Green yogurt, if that is what you have on hand, as all you are looking for is some type of binding agent. Now, you can mix this all together with a spoon, but I found it easier to just get my hands in there are really incorporate everything together.

It is now time to batter and fry! I set up a battering station, just to help keep things organized. So, in a shallow dish add about a half cup of flour. This will help the egg to bind to the cakes. In the next shallow dish, whip an egg with a splash of water. Finally, in the last dish add a cup of panko crumbs. Panko crumbs are an Asian version of bread crumbs. They are crunchier than traditional Italian style bread crumbs and are a great alternative if you are wanting some extra crunch. In a deep sided pan, add about an inch of oil. You want an oil that can handle a higher temperature so it won’t burn the oil but where you will get a good fry on your cakes. I used canola oil, because it was all I had at home at the time, but the more common oil choice would be vegetable.

Form your fish cakes to a disc about the size of your palm. They will be delicate, so you have to handle them gentle while battering. Dust the cake in flour, dip it in the egg mixture, and finally coat the cake with the panko. Drop the cake immediately in the oil and allow to fry for three to four minutes per side. You can fit about four cakes, depending on the size of your pan, but you don’t want to overcrowd the pan or you oil temperature will drop too much and the cakes won’t get quite as crunchy and golden brown.IMG_2547

For my cakes, I created a tarragon dipping sauce to serve along side. The mixed a tablespoon of fresh minced tarragon, a half cup of Greek yogurt, a half cup of mayonnaise, and a squeeze of lemon juice. The tarragon flavor pairs wonderfully with light, fresh striped bass. These cakes are crunchy, satisfying, and just a bit sweet! So good and easy to whip up any night of the week and a great way to prepare fresh caught fish!

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Fish Cakes from Striped Bass!!!

Category: Fish Recipes

Fish Cakes from Striped Bass!!!

Ingredients

    For Cakes:
  • Four Striped Bass Fish Filets (About a pound and a half to two pounds)
  • Medium sized Sweet Potato
  • Two Scallions, diced
  • One Red Bell Pepper, diced
  • Two inch piece Ginger, grated
  • Two Stalks Celery, diced
  • One Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
  • One Tablespoon Mayonnaise
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
    For Batter:
  • One Cup Flour
  • One Egg
  • One Cup Panko
  • Vegetable or Canola Oil
    For Sauce:
  • One Tablespoon Minced Tarragon
  • Half Cup Mayonnaise
  • Half Cup Greek Yogurt
  • Teaspoon Lemon Juice

Instructions

  1. Microwave Sweet Potato on High for about five minutes, be sure to pierce the potatoes with a fork.
  2. Place fish filets in steam basket and cook until fish is white and flaky, about five minutes.
  3. Flake fish into medium size bowl. Add mashed sweet potato, diced red bell pepper, celery, ginger, and scallion. Mix in mayonnaise and Dijon mustard. Incorporate all ingredients together.
  4. Create battering and frying station by placing flour, egg, and panko bread crumbs in shallow dishes.
  5. Press fish cakes into palm sized discs. Dip cake in flour, egg, and panko. Drop into pre-heated deep sided pan with oil. Cook for four to five minutes per side, until golden brown and crusty!
  6. For sauce, mix all ingredients together. Serve on top of cake!
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