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aquaticbiology

fishlips
May 30, 2005
799
0
redneck heaven
split and fillet the fish just to remove the head, backbone and innards and wash the remaining two halves really well in fresh, potable water

now here comes the controversies:

in my mind there is absolutely no cooking method whatsoever for fresh fish except grilling on real charcoal (even if its raining), so, on with the menu

skin on or off?

i prefer leaving the skin on, both for the holding-together effects on the grill and also for the special taste treat the deeper you dig into the flaky, tender, drawn-butter-laden flesh

brown flesh layer on or off?

if you leave the skin on, you automatically leave the brown layer of flesh that's under the skin on, and it can be a bit bitter, but, for me, that's the cherry on the sundae - think of all those vitamins

marinade or not?

some folks like to ruin the exquisite and delicate taste of a ritcheous fish by placing it in a marinade overnight - phooey, gross and yecch (shiver!) - the fish's taste is the fish's taste and to smother it in something else is a sin against the departed spirit of the fish

that said, there are many flavor-enhancing brush-ons while on the grill, such as:

papaya to add sweetness to balance a fish's sourness

balsamic vinegar for acid balance to remove bitterness

juice of a lemon, or the rind of a fresh orange right off the tree, for sourness to balance sweetness and releasing the aromatic oils in tuna

garlic oil (heated peanut oil mixed with garlic powder if you don't have the real thing handy) to give an extra boost to shrimp and fish - never use butter or marjorine - solids have too low a flash point so they burn and leaves that tell-tale gross odor on the meal

drawn butter, or the middle liquid oil in a small pan of melted real butter (never marjorine - too low a flash point and also congeals on the fish as it cools - yeech!), wait a bit for things to settle down from the melting, then skim off the butter fats floating on top, and pour off the middle layer of oil into a dipping bowl, but stop before you get to the solids at the bottom and what you have in the dipping bowl is drawn butter - adding anything to the drawn butter like herbs or spices is also, in my mind, a grevious sin

mesquite or not?

i feel that real mesquite wood sticks placed on top of the grill prior to cooking is mandatory for all florida fish - never put mesquite in the fire, because the oils just burn up and are wasted, you want the sticks to heat up and throw their oils all over the grill and fire and release the wonderful aroma

note - the faithful old mesquite tree in destin park that was the source of so many wonderful memories of delightful cooking smells and tastes is gone now - succumbed to the greed of some jerkoff who took the whole freaking tree and robbed everyone else who knew what it was - i've even heard it was removed by the state as non-native, and that is absurd as it was growing there before i was born

to cook a fish is art, to catch one is skill, but to create one is divine - respect the fish and prepare it with the dignity it deserves
 

kathydwells

Darlene is my middle name, not my nickname
Dec 20, 2004
13,310
418
62
Lacey's Spring, Alabama
WOW...aquaticbiology, what a great reply to this thread. I learned alot by reading this. I had alway's heard of and eaten drawn butter, but I just thought it was the whole stick of butter melted...thanks for the education. Of course, it made me very hungry for some really good grilled fish. :D
 

aquaticbiology

fishlips
May 30, 2005
799
0
redneck heaven
a long time ago my girlfriend back then showed me how to make it - she had worked in a resturant kitchen - they used to make a little coffeepot looking thing for resturants with a spigot in the middle for making a bunch at a time
 

BeachSteelers

Beach Fanatic
Feb 18, 2006
473
48
Seagrove
Much Thanks Aquatic for the helpful hints. Kurt I say start the fishing forum. And for the Spnaish Macks... watch out... some of yins and not gettin thrown back.
 

catweazl_2000

Beach Comber
Apr 24, 2006
26
0
Amsterdam
nice thread, very educative indeed. I had my doubts about the charcoal that you can buy with mesquite in it . once it is burning nothing gives a special flavor only ash and (streamy)smoke. Now I know what mesquite is good for.
I'll look around to see what the actual tree looks like.

We where amazed by the skills of a Kentucky friend who made the best tequila shrimps and garlic shrimps I ever ate on the campfire. If you read this Bill, thanks again!

Kurt, I am all in favor for a fishing department on this site!!
Grtzz,
Henk
 

aquaticbiology

fishlips
May 30, 2005
799
0
redneck heaven
we're back as well

boat trip report - may 18, 19 and 20th - me, the ball and chain, mickeyt (fishing buddy) and his wife and their snot nosed brat

put in at west bay as usual and went clockwise (st andrews bay, pc pass, offshore, destin pass, east through intracoastal canal)

wind was a bit wild - high tide simply had no fish but a lot of june grass (also known as 'snot', for it is a glutinous algae that covers everything dragged through the water, like a trolling lure, with a green yecch) - bay was great where the water was ripping as low tide approached and the snot went back out to sea

caught a whole bunch of bluefish
LBF_Bluefish.jpg

and a few spanish mackerel
spanmack.jpg

on the bay rips where the water was churning and the seagulls and pelicans were feeding

offshore, there were snapper galore on the way out and back, but no wahoo, and we spent a heck of a lot of gas getting there for nothing since that's what i wanted

choc bay was full of goodies at low tide

got some more croakers in the canal

that's about it
 

catweazl_2000

Beach Comber
Apr 24, 2006
26
0
Amsterdam
Yeah, june grass is the most horrid thing if you try to fish from the beach. First 3 days I was @ grayton the water was mainly clear. I was in business, hanging out burning my feet terribly in the sun and catching a few fish in the meantime. day 4 I caught the monsterredfish and there was some junegrass on the line.
The next day I get in the water cast out far and I discover that I can throw away about 100 yards of line because it snapped when I tried getting the endless amount of junegrass of. I reeled the rest of the line in by hand to throw it in the bin and find a 15 inch catfish on the hook. All the junegrass made it impossible to notice the fish at all.
From that day on we walked past the junegrass to the sandbank and did baitcasting from there for three days and did not get a single hit. I enjoyed the dolphins jumping up out of the water more then a yard high and the sunrise when in the sea.
Next time better I suppose. I started saving...
Greetings,
Henk
 

aquaticbiology

fishlips
May 30, 2005
799
0
redneck heaven
i'm glad you had a good time!

we (probably) won't be going back until september due to the summer gas prices, the snot, the afternoon thunderstorms, the hurricaines and the oppressive summer humidity and heat

i've put the boat in the big lake up here to let the freshwater work its magic on the engine and all the metal that's been exposed to saltwater and i'll (probably) just leave it in until september - be sure to soak your rods and reels, and anything else metal, totally in fresh water (bathtub works great, just soak them all night long, then disassemble, clean, re-string and re-grease) - you'll be amazed how much sand, snot and other junk, like tiny shell pieces, come out when you open them up

it's been fun, the freezer's bulging and gas is already starting to spike for memorial day, so see you guys in september!

goodnight.JPG
 
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