The Best Way to Barbecue Fish - By Patrick Tang

By Patrick Tang

When coming to barbecue fish, there is a general fear that all the fish will end at the bottom of your barbecue stove as opposed to the well presented pictures in any recipe book; more importantly, remaining as on whole piece at the end of the process. So how does one get that delicious barbequed fish, just right? How do you prevent your fish from sticking to the grill and falling apart?

The primary reason why food sticks to the barbecue grill and falls apart is that the grill is not hot enough when the food is placed on it. You need to get the grill hot enough to not only produce the aromatic sizzling sound but also will continue to do so during the whole cooking process.

Secondly, you need to ensure that your grill is clean. Often food particles get stuck on the surface of the grill and these are areas that your fish may stick to. Keeping a clean grill will reduce the chances of your fish sticking.

Fish normally do not take a look time to cook and it is very important to be very aware of this a barbecue setting. People tend to over cooked it causing it to dry out rather than the deliciously juicy flesh. To ensure that you don’t over cook your fish, make sure it is not frozen and it is at a cool temperature but not cold. Try not to use frozen fish at all if you can help it as fish loose its subtle texture and taste when frozen. These qualities also deteriorate rapidly if fish are kept in room temperature for an extended period presenting health risk.

Flipping your fish is like cooking a good piece of steak, you flip it only once. The tendency is not only to flip it more than once but trying to lift it up to see whether it is cook or not; these actions are sure recipe for disaster. The best way from avoiding this rather uncontrollable tendency is to use a timer. Invest in one, put the fish on, set it to the right duration, go away, come back and flip it when the alarms go off. The other trick is to always place the skin side face down first (if the skin is retained and this the recommended way of cooking fish in a barbecue as it helps to hold the flesh together). Furthermore, it adds the crispy texture to the whole dish.

So far, cooking time has been mentioned a number of times but how long is that, unfortunately this one of those ‘how long is a piece of string’ question - it all depends on the thickness, temperature of your stove and your cooking technique. However, fish in general take much shorter time to cook than meat, a lot shorter. If it is a whole fish you are cooking, slice diagonally across the middle section of the fish (the thickness part of the fish), make a few slices of about 2cm apart. This will allow the heat to get through evenly.

Another way to prevent sticking is to wrap the fish in foil. This way, you can also add flavorings, such as lemon juice and butter. Often you will find that this is the easiest way to keep your fish moist. It is much more difficult to prevent drying out when the fish is placed directly on the grill. However, keep in mind that this will prevent some of the taste of the barbecue from penetrating the fish.

A good invention has been that of the fish basket. You can place your whole fish inside one of these and place them on the barbecue grill. The advantages of these are that you can flip the entire basket, instead of attempting to flip the fish without it breaking. It will also prevent pieces of fish from falling through the bars of the grill.

Recipe of the Day - Barbecue Snapper with Chutney and Parsley

Serve
1. 2 People

Ingredients
1. 1 x 3/4 kg of Snapper whole
2. 1 Cup of freshly chopped Parsley
3. 2 Tspn Apricot & Date Chutney
4. Juice from half a lemon
5. 4 Tspn of Macadamia Oil
6. Salt & Pepper to taste
7. Aluminum foil for wrapping

Method
1. Ask the fishmonger to scale and clean the fish for you but keep it whole instead of fillet it. Make sure it is wiped dry using paper towels.

2. Make diagonal slice cut across the mid-section of the fish but do not cut through the bones and seasoned the whole fish with salt and pepper.

3. In another bowl, mix the chopped parsley, macadamia oil, apricot & date chutney and lemon juice together, add a bit more salt and pepper.

4. Spoon some of this mixture into the stomach of the fish and rub the rest throughout the fish. Wrap the fish using the foil and let it stand in a cool place for 30 minutes.

5. When your barbecue stove is ready, place the wrapped fish on the center of the stove. Let it cooked on one side for 5 minutes and turn it over (once only) for another 5 minutes. Note that depending on the thickness, you might need to vary this cooking time a bit.

6. Once it is cooked, unwrapped the foil but be careful of the steam in the wrapping, transfer it to the serving dish and serve hot. Make sure you transfer all the juice in the wrapping to the serving dish as well.

Patrick Tang is the author of this article. His passion for good quality gourmet food and gifts has driven him to setup Fabulously Gourmet (http://www.fabulouslygourmet.com.au) for the Australian Community.

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I Love Apalachicola Bay Shrimp - By Bob Alexander

By Bob Alexander

Most of the shrimp we eat speak a foreign language. Like most folks, I’d never really given a lot of thought to where the shrimp I eat come from. During my last trip to my favorite fishing grounds, Apalachicola Bay and St. George Island, Florida, I learned quite a lot about shrimp! Before this I was just happy to be able to eat all the shrimp I wanted and not care where they had spent the night before!

My family and I were preparing a huge pot of shrimp that we’d bought from the back of a pickup truck on the side of the road; next to the long bridge from St. George Island to East Point on the mainland. We were using a couple of recipes that we had just gotten from the fellow who had sold us our shrimp.

Our fish salesman’s name was Ernest, the captain of his own shrimp boat, the “Mary Nelle”. He’d lived in East Point, Florida for most of his life; shrimping for the last 12 years. He sells most of what he catches to local seafood distributors and picks up extra spending money selling fresh shrimp out of his pick-up truck. He is also a fountain of knowledge about the shrimping industry, most of which is not good if you’re an American shrimp fishermen!

Bragging on his product, I mentioned that the last time I was on the island the shrimp I bought from him then was delicious. He replied by saying that the shrimp that lived in the waters off Apalachicola and St. George Island were the best tasting you could buy anywhere. Probably Texas and Louisiana shrimp fishermen would contradict that claim.

He then told me that 85 % of all shrimp consumed in American came from foreign countries such as China, Taiwan and Viet Nam. By some estimates it’s more like 90 %.

don’t know about you, but I want my shrimp tasting like the last time I dipped into the Gulf of Mexico! I now know that some of the shrimp I’ve eaten in the past that tasted like boiled shoe laces were actually foreign shrimp. Besides that, about half of that is farmed raised, never having to fight for its existence in the ocean surrounded by ferocious predators. I think that’s what gives the shrimp its unique taste; fear! You don’t get that same taste with farm raised shrimp.

The reason for this huge importation of shrimp of course is money. Nations all over the world supply us with shrimp, most at a lower cost than our own domestic fishermen can provide. Fishermen here in the United States though, haven’t taken this matter lightly. With slogans such as “Wild American Shrimp!” and “Do You Know Where Your Shrimp Is From?” are educating consumers in America to what good tasting shrimp is all about!

Ernest, the shrimper, admitted that even after all the years on the water, he stills loves the taste of shrimp. He was delighted to give us a couple of his recipes for shrimp. Here’s how a real shrimper likes his shrimp!

ERNEST’S SHRIMP SCAMPI:

Half pound butter
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
5 mediums cloves garlic, crushed and minced
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce

PREPARATION:

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat until butter stops foaming, usually 30 to 40 seconds. Add the shrimp, garlic, Tabasco sauce, lemon juice and parsley. Cook until shrimp are just turning pink, 4 to 5 minutes, turning often. Serve immediately.

For your own culinary treat, try to get American shrimp whenever possible. They taste better and as a bonus, they speak our language.

Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at:
http://www.bluemarlinbob.com
http://www.redfishbob.com

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Maryland Style Crab Cakes - by Chef Brian

by Chef Brian

Here is a recipe for Maryland style crab cakes that makes the absolute best tasting crab cakes I have ever found.This recipe is used at one of the restaurants I worked at some time ago. It was a guarded secret until today!

There are very few private recipes that I will let go public but it’s time that everyone needs to have this one. I have traveled the country trying crabcakes that were supposed to be fantastic by the critics, but none have ever come close to this one.

This is a very simple recipe, as some of the best are, and can be made in a short amount of time. The dressing gains flavor over time, 3-5 days, and will keep well if refrigerated.

Blue crab lump meat is quite pricey and you can get away with just claw meat for this recipe if your budget demands.

I have reduced the recipe to a manageable size, originally it was for 100, 4 oz. cakes! The restaurant would go through a couple hundred cakes a day. They were the most popular item on the menu. You will find out why when you try them.

Crab cake dressing: 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 cup finely ground onion, drained very well

Use food processor to grind onion, let drain in colander for at least 20 minutes, do not press. Mix above items together with large wire whip until smooth.

Crab cakes: 1 pound blue crab claw meat, 1 pound blue crab lump meat, 4 ounces cracker crumbs made from saltines, 1 1/4 cups dressing, you can add the balance of the dressing prepared above if a moister cake is desired.

Gently mix crab meat, cracker crumbs and dressing together by hand just enough to fully moisten.

Weigh out 4 ounce portions and hand form into round cakes about 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Wrap in wax paper, 6″ squares will do, and refrigerate for 2 hours before cooking.

Saute using clarified butter till golden brown on both sides. (to clarify butter, heat till almost boiling, let set till it separates. Use the clear portion on top)

Can be served by themselves or as a compliment to a light flavored fish such as grouper, scamp or tilapia.

Yield: approx. 12-13 cakes.

The last time I checked, blue crab claw meat was $12-$14 a pound and blue crab body lump meat was $18-$20 a pound. And you always wondered why the crab cakes at the restaurant seemed so small and over priced!

By making these at home the costs will be about $3 each and like I said earlier, these are going to be better than 99% of the restaurants that serve them unless you live on the Chesapeake Bay! Enjoy! ~ Chef Brian ~

If you think this recipe was out of the ordinary, you should check out Chef Brian’s website at:
===> http://www.chefbrianscookingtips.com <===
Where you will find many unusual recipes, from simple to fairly difficult. That is, if you think you are up to it…..Well, are ya? Enjoy!

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