Striped Bass Chowder

My Grandfather taught my dad this one and in turn my dad taught me. Now Leif is helping carry on the tradition and one day he will get it perfect!


This can be done with Cod or Blackfish as well but my favorite is Striper because of the unique flavor the Bass has.

For the stock

Cover ingredients below with salted water (1-2 tablespoons of sea salt) IN 6-8 qt stock pot
Should make about 3-4qts of stock.

1 8-12lb Striper rack, head and any orther parts like pectoral section with the scales and fins removed.(no guts) You don't have to use the head if you don't like the idea but you will have less stock

1 bag of soup greens (food town veg section)parsnips,celery carrot,dill parsely ect

1 Medium Yellow Onion

Cover with salted water boil(simmer) for 2 1/2 hours
when done strain off over cheese cloth in another pot.

Discard remains.

MAKE THE CHOWDER

6 strips of bacon (cut in 1/2 in peices)

3 lbs Striper filets cut in 1 in chunks

1 cup of white wine (any)

1 cup of heavy cream (MIX THE SOUR CREAM WITH THE CREAM)

1 pint of sour cream (this is the trick)

6 youkon gold potatoes 1/2 in chunks)

1 lg yellow onion (Diced not too small)

6 stalks of celery (1/2in peices)



In a large sauce pan or 8qt stock pot cook the bacon when crispy remove from pan put on paper towels. set aside.
Leave 2-3 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan or pot.
Cook the onions till translucent don't brown too much. (5minutes)
When onions are done add the cream wine sour cream potatoes and celery and fish stock.

Bring to a boil and simmer (15-20 minutes)

Add Striper chunks..Bring to a boil and shut off. You are done.

Serve with Bacon on top and chopped parsely. Salt Pepper. ENJOY!!

You can sub low fat sour cream and Milk, turkey bacon ect if you can't eat the fatty ingredients. I only have it once or twice a year so here's how I like it.

You can also use clam broth or chicken broth if you don't want to bother with the stock.

Also you can throw in a small bag of frozen corn if you like and sometimes I use carrots


Leif

Golden Touch Blackfish

Golden Touch Baked Blackfish 2 Ways


We were lucky enough to get quite a few Blackfish on the Golden Touch recently.
Here is a simple way to cook them.
Leif and I like it with paprika and butter. Judy likes it with oregano. We made both.
Make sure the fish is rinsed in salt water, dried and room temperature.

The important thing about cooking fish is that you do not over cook it. 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 will do the trick.






Ingredients

Blackfish Fillets
Non-Stick Spray
Olive Oil
Butter
Oregano
Paprika
Pepper
Salt
Lemon wedges
Sliced grape tomatoes

Instructions

Heat oven to 350
Spray oven proof dishes with non stick spray
Place fish in dishes

For Oreganata

Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon of Olive oil
Dot with Butter
Add Dried Oregano
Add pepper/salt
Squeeze lemon juice/one wedge
Top with sliced Cherry or grape tomatoes

For Paprika, just replace the oregano with the paprika and leave off the tomatoes if desired.

Place oven proof dishes in the oven on lover rack and cook for 10 minutes.

We served it with baked potatoes and arugula salad.

Here are some pictures.

Broiled Pollock

Broiled Pollock.


Pollock are one of the most tasty winter fish out there. Although "firmer and slightly darker than Cod" it has a little more flavor and is one of my favorites. You will be one of few that have cooked it yourself and surprised at the delicate yet memorable flavor.



2 lbs of Pollock Fillets (dark meat removed)
4 slices of Bacon
1 tsp butter
1 Tsp Paprika
1 Dash salt
Fresh squeezed lemon

ONE HOT BROILER

Pre heat broiler for 15 minutes
Cut fish in 4 equal pieces
Place fish on foil rubbed in butter
Lay 1/2 strip of bacon on each fillet
Sprinkle Salt, Pepper and Paprika on fish
Place fish on hot broiler pan and place under flames of broiler

Cook for 7-8 minutes until done.

Squeeze lemon Juice on fish

Serve with wild rice and Baked potato/steamed spinach and or fresh Broccoli



Leif

Poached Cod with Potato and Onion

Growing up, my Mom and Dad used to make this for us quite often. Sometimes we would use dried cod and when we would catch them it was made with fresh cod.

We had my sister over the other night for dinner and it brought back great memories
I always thought the fresh cod tasted like lobster with the melted butter on it.

Ingredients

3 lbs cod fillets
6 med red potatoes
2 med yellow onion
Non-stick spray
Salt
Pepper
1/2 stick Melted butter

Directions

Boil or microwave potatoes until done, let cool, peel and slice
Peel onion, cut in haves and slice
In a 5 quart sauce pan boil water and add 1/2 tsp of salt
Heat lg 12in skillet and coat with non-stick spray(med heat)
Place potatoes in pan and cook till golden brown
Add onions when potatoes are 3/4 way done
Cook till onions are soft and slightly brown

Place fish in boiling salted water and cook till fish flakes, 10 minutes or so
Drain fish in strainer and place on top of potato and onions

Drizzle fish with melted butter, salt and pepper and serve.

Enjoy!!

Leif

Striped Bass with green onions and Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

My son Leif and I had the house to ourselves last night as Judy was out with her friends for dinner. We took the opportunity to make a special dinner together using the Striped Bass we caught this fall. Leif did all of the cooking and it was awesome.

For the vinaigrette

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
Kosher salt and pepper

For the fish rub

3 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp kosher salt

Fish and onion

 half pound striper fillets
1 bunch or green onion
2 tbsp olive oil

Make the vinaigrette
In a bowl mix the vinegar and mustard with a fork or wisk
Add oil gradually and wisk till blended
Add salt and pepper

Make the paste (rub)

In a bowl mash the garlic and salt till it forms a paste
Heat the grill or grill pan
Rub garlic paste on the fish and brush with olive oil
Place fish on the grill and cook 2-3 minutes on each side

Place green onion brushed with olive oil on grill and cook with fish until softened grill marks appear(do not over cook)

Place fish on plates and drizzle with vinaigrette

We served ours with baby arugula and yellow rice. (see photos)
It was an interesting combo of flavors and one of the best striped bass meals I have had.

Leif

Grilled Longfin and Calamari over Baby Arugula

Grilled Longfin and Calamari over Baby Arugula


We were lucky enough to catch a nice Longfin tuna on our last trip on the Sea Devil with Capt. Bob Pennington. We also caught many squid which can be very tasty when prepared correctly.

Here is a simple recipe for the tuna and the squid.


 Ingredients

2 Longfin tuna steaks
4 medium squid cleaned
1 large Baked potato
1 lime
1/2 cup Itallian dressing (zesty)
Small bag of baby Arugula
Non stick spray
Salt Pepper
Lemon juice, olive oil

Take cooked baked potato and cut in quarters. Brown till crispy in a non stick pan on all sided. Leave the skin on.

Marinate the tuna steaks and squid in the dressing and juice of one lime for 1/2 hour. Add salt and Pepper.


Spray grill with Pam and heat grill on highest setting very hot.
Place steaks on grill and cook 2 minutes on each side with the lid down,

Do the same with the squid.

Serve over bed of baby Arugula seasoned with a little lemon juice and olive oil.

Note...Longfin can dry out quickly if over cooked so be careful not to over do it. The marinade does soften up (cook) the fish a bit so a minute or two on each side of a 3/4 inch steak does the trick.

Leif

Skipjack Salad

Skipjack is a small, fast breeding tuna and is the favored tuna fish from a sustainability standpoint.

We caught many of these skipjack tuna last year and found them to be very tasty. When bled and iced properly the store well and can be vacuum sealed and frozen for later use. These little tuna saved the day for us while fishing for bluefin.

Here is a simple recipe.

1 lb of skipjack fillet
1 small red chopped/diced onion
2 pinches of sea salt
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Boil or steam the skipjack in salted water until done. 5 minutes

Let cool

Mix all ingredients in bowl and add salt to taste.

Serve on a bed of greens or prepare sandwiches

Enjoy,

Leif

Yellowfin with Mango Cilantro Salsa

Ingredients
4-6 Yellowfin steaks

Salsa
2 ripe mangos 1/4 in cubes
1 small red onion(diced)
1/3 cup chopped Cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1 minced Japelano pepper
1 Lime cut into wedges
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Mix above together and let stand 30 minutes.

Red Onion Garnish

1 small red onion halved and sliced thin
2 tablespoons Rasberry red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of sea salt

Mix above ingredients and let stand 20 minutes, drain and garnish as shown.

Marinade Ingredients

White pepper
Sea salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
Juice of one lime

Whisk the above together and pour over fish, let stand room temp. 30 minutes

Coat hot grill with oil or non-stick spray and grill tuna 2 minutes on each side.

Serve as shown....Enjoy.

Leif

Scallops over linguine with shallots and orange sauce.

Ingredients
11/2 lbs fresh Scallops
4 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 chopped shallot
1 lb linguine
sea salt, white pepper
2 tablepoons olive oil
1/2 stick softened butter
Directions

In a large 8 qt. pot cook the linguine, when done drain and coat with a little olive oil.
Season scallops with salt and white pepper.
In a 12in saute pan with olive oil, saute the scallops 1 minute on each side till golden
In a small sauce pan add chopped shallots orange and lime juice, bring to a simmer.
Add butter a pat at a time and wisk till disolved
Reduce sauce until it thickens
Serve scallops over pasta as shown.
Add sauce on top of scallops

Enjoy, Leif

Mackerel with zucchini, cherry tomatoes and avocado!

Dredge boneless Mackerel Fillets in flour,  pepper, salt , pepper and paprika.
Place in hot non stick pan sprayed with Pam or canola spray.
Cook fish 1-2 minutes on each side.

Sauté zucchini, cherry tomato halves in canola oil.

Slice ripe avocado into wedges.

Serve as show with blue corn chips.

Enjoy..

Leif