Category Archives: Fish and Seafood

The Kentucky Not Brown (FJ Style – cooked on the grill)

Winston’s Restaurant in Louisville is a favorite stop when haunting the environs around that annual event called the Kentucky Derby. This recipe is a variation on the one served from under a broiler. I designed it to cook from the bottom up using a black bottomed skillet directly on the grill. Similar to the original recipe for the Hot Brown, note the seafood switch from turkey.

 
2 servings
 
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups whole milk
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 cup coarsely grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 large shrimp with the tail on
2 thick cut fried green tomatoes
2 Tablespoons cooked and shredded crab
2 Tablespoons steamed spinach
4 slices of cooked bacon
2 large slices of Texas Toast or thick French bread. Toasted lightly.
 
DIRECTIONS:
For (2) servings of Not Browns on the Grill start by prepping a mornay sauce. In a 2-quart saucepan, Melt butter over low heat. Add flour. Cook over low heat whisking constantly for no longer than 3 minutes. Add milk continually while whisking. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce to low heat. Allow the mornay to gently simmer. Whisk occasionally for about 10 minutes.
 
Remove from heat. Fold in the Gruyere until it is melted. Stir in salt and pepper. Lastly add nutmeg.
 
For each Not Brown, place a slice of bread in a black bottomed skillet. Cover with shredded crab. Top this with spinach. Cross with two slices of cooked bacon. Add the slab of fried green tomato. Pour mornay sauce over each Not Brown. Crown with cooked shrimp. You can leave the shrimp off and add after bringing the sandwich up to a suitable heat for serving.
 
Set on top of a hot grill. Cover, and cook until sauce bubbles and the entire stack is hot. Watch the shrimp so it doesn’t over cook, or leave it off and add just before serving.
 
Attributed to: John Castro’s version at Winston’s Restaurant in Louisville Kentucky.

Bourbon Lemon Salmon

Rita Lenes of Washington state says that this is one of her favorite marinated dishes. “The lemon and onion slices add an extra touch of flavor”.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoons bourbon
3 Tablespoons chopped green onion
3 Tablespoon vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Salmon fillet (1 to 1 – 1/2 pounds)
1 small lemon, sliced very thin
2 onion slices, separated into rings

DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl combine brown sugar, bourbon, green onion, oil and sauce. Place salmon in plastic bag set into a shallow dish. Pour the marinade over the salmon; close the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Turn bag once halfway though the marinade time.

Remove the salmon fillets from the bag. Discard the marinade. Place salmon skin side down on the center of an oiled cooking grate or fish screen. Top with lemon and onion slices. Grill, turning once, 15 to 20 minutes or until the fish flakes when tested with a fork.

Also attributed to that same ol’ worn and tattered copy of Weber Grilling Times. Circa 1997.

Fresh Trout with Lemon and Herbs

Gone fresh water fishin’? Make sure you bring back some trout.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons fresh minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
Dash of black pepper
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
2 fresh pan-dressed trout (12 ounces each — or 4 smaller trouts, if you’re not quite so lucky)
Vegetable oil or substitute Extra Virgin Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS:
In a mixing bowl combine bread crumbs, parsley, lemon rind, basil, tarragon, thyme, and pepper. In small bowl or cup combine lemon juice and margarine or butter and mix well. Drizzle two tablespoons lemon butter mixture over bread crumb mixture and toss with a fork. Lightly stuff each trout with the bread crumb mixture.

Bring grill to medium to high heat. Grease the grate with the cooking oil. Place fish on center of grate and grill for 14 to 18 minutes or until fish flakes when tested with a fork. Turn once halfway through, brush the top with the remaining lemon and butter mixture. Yank them from the grill and serve hot!

Attributed to: Kay Holzinger, Illinois, USA

Salmon off the Grill with a side of Salsa Picante

Whip up your favorite Salsa Picante. Or if you’re just too busy, break out the Pace.

INGREDIENTS:
4 salmon steaks (5 to 6 ounces each) or 6 salmon fillets (5 to 6 ounces each)
Juice of 2 limes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup Salsa Picante

DIRECTIONS:
Place the salmon in a shallow glass dish and sprinkle both sides with the lime juice. Add salt and pepper. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or less. If not grilling in 30 minutes, refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Fire up the grill. Bring the coals to the hottest point. Brush olive oil over the salmon and grill turning once, about 4 to 6 minutes per side, depending on thickness and how close your grill grate is to your coals. Check for good browning, and that the meat is opaque but still juicy in the middle. I like to place a dollop of the Salsa Picante onto the center when serving and ladle a portion along the side.

Attributed to: Racquel Osborne

Shrimp and Red Onion Quesadilla

Makes 8 appetizers

3 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Pepper, freshly ground
Sea salt, coarsely ground
2 ten inch flour tortillas
1/4 small red onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced on the vertical
1 Tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS
Heat your grill to medium-hot and place the grate about 4 inches above the coals. Brush one side of the tortilla with olive oil. Place the tortilla with the olive side down on to a plate.

Place shrimp in a bowl and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and cook until the interior meat just turns white, about two to three minutes per side. Remove from grill and slice into one inch pieces.

Top the tortilla with cheese. Add red onion, slices of the Romas, shrimp pieces and the parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with the other tortilla and clamping both tortillas, carefully slide onto the grill. Brush the top surface with olive oil.

When the lower tortilla browns on the side touching the grate, flip over and grill the other side. Cut into 8 slices and serve to your happy friends and family.

Cheesy Tuna Mac

Makes 4 servings

They call Macaroni and Cheddar comfort food. Some folks think of it as kiddie food. Well deep down no matter the level of food snob, you know you love it!

1 pkg. (14 ounces) Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 can (6 ounces) tuna, drained, flaked
1 teaspoon dry mustard

DIRECTIONS
Prepare your trusty Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese dinner following the basic instruction. Add the vegetables during the last three minutes of cooking time.

Stir in tuna and mustard; cook until heated through, stirring gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Attributed to a Kraft Mac & Cheese package, found while cleaning out a back-pack from a recent fishing trip.

Baked Fish

You can roast these fish on a roasting pan on the grill or in the oven for a crispy delight.

INGREDIENTS:
4 or 5 pounds of your favorite fish
1 recipe of Tomato Gravy (find the Tomato Gravy recipe under Sauces)
Panola Cajun Sauces brand PANOLA POULTRY SEASONING
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS:
Season the fish with Panola Poultry Seasoning and place in roasting pan. Pour on tomato gravy and bake, uncovered in 325 degree grill or oven. Baste frequently with Tomato Gravy.

Do not overcook. Fish is done when meat is tender and flaky when tested with a fork. Top off the fish with chopped parsley. Garnish with lemon slices. Serve gravy with rice.

Attributed to: Panola Pepper Corporation, Lake Providence, Louisiana

Skate Wings with Cabbage and Leeks

I’ll bet you thought you can’t eat skate wing. You just never had the right recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
4 skate wings
2 large yellow onions, halved
1 bunch fresh thyme or 2 Tablespoons dried thyme, crumbled
1 head garlic, separated into cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 small head of savoy cabbage, cut lengthwise into eighths
1/3 cup good quality sherry wine vinegar
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts only julienned, sauteed in butter

DIRECTIONS:
Rinse fish and pat dry. Combine yellow onions, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper in a large, deep skillet. Add the skate wings and cover with cold water. Cover skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water boils, remove pan from heat. Remove 1 cup of the liquid into a small non-reactive saucepan and set aside. Cover the skillet and set aside until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Steam cabbage until cooked, about 10 minutes. Bring the reserved cup of liquid to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and boil for another minute. Swirl in the butter a few pieces at a time, and keep the sauce warm over very low heat.

To serve, drain the skate on a towel. Remove the skin from both sides. Place 2 wedges of cabbage on each of 4 warmed dinner plates. Place skate on top of cabbage. Spoon sauce over the fish, sprinkle with leeks and serve immediately.

Smoked Salmon Rolls

Here is a very impressive recipe with an equally impressive treatment for displaying the final result.

INGREDIENTS:
5 ounces Mascarpone cheese (about 2/3 cup)
2 Tablespoons capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound smoked salmon, cut into 24 thin slices
48 small, tender arugula leaves

DIRECTIONS:
Mix the Mascarpone with 1 Tablespoon capers, 1 Tablespoon chives, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Lay the salmon slices out on a cutting board. Put a spoonful of the Mascarpone mixture in the narrow end of one slice. Lay 2 arugula leaves, fanned slightly apart, across the Mascarpone, so that the tips of the leaves will project several inches from one end of the roll, and roll up the salmon.

Stand the roll upright, leaves pointing upward, on a large platter. Repeat the process for the remaining slices. Cover and refrigerate until time to serve. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tablespoon each of capers and chives.

Attributed to: Jody Adams

Skate Wings with Cabbage and Leeks

I’ll bet you thought, “you can’t eat skate wings”. You just never had the right recipe.

INGREDIENTS:
4 skate wings
2 large yellow onions, halved
1 bunch fresh thyme or 2 Tablespoons dried thyme, crumbled
1 head garlic, separated into cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 small head of savoy cabbage, cut lengthwise into eighths
1/3 cup good quality sherry wine vinegar
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
2 medium leeks, white and pale green parts only julienned, sauteed in butter

DIRECTIONS:
Rinse fish and pat dry. Combine yellow onions, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper in a large, deep skillet. Add the skate wings and cover with cold water. Cover skillet and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water boils, remove pan from heat. Remove 1 cup of the liquid into a small non-reactive saucepan and set aside. Cover the skillet and set aside until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Steam cabbage until cooked, about 10 minutes. Bring the reserved cup of liquid to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and boil for another minute. Swirl in the butter a few pieces at a time, and keep the sauce warm over very low heat.

To serve, drain the skate on a towel. Remove the skin from both sides. Place 2 wedges of cabbage on each of 4 warmed dinner plates. Place skate on top of cabbage. Spoon sauce over the fish, sprinkle with leeks and serve immediately.