Whether you’re a seafood lover, an angler, or both (like most CCA members), Catch, Cook, Eat was created for YOU. We’re happy to share our favorite angler-inspired recipes and we hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoy fishing for and creating them.
CATCH, COOK, EAT!
Photos and Recipes by Heather Peterek, Staff Seafood Enthusiast
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
9 mini red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers, seeded and sliced (3 of each color)
3 jalapeño, seeded and sliced
1 12oz can evaporated milk
1 12oz package quesadilla melting cheese
4 oz cream cheese
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 clove garlic, grated
1 c green onion, thinly sliced
12 oz fresh lump crab meat
2 bags thick tortilla chips
2 c shredded Monterey jack cheese
Garnish: lime wedges, cubed avocado, sliced green onion
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Arrange sweet peppers and jalapeño on a large baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for about 10 minutes to soften. Remove from oven and set aside for assembly. Leave oven on for cooking nachos.
In a medium saucepan, heat evaporated milk until hot, but not boiling. Slowly add in cheeses, Cajun seasoning and garlic, and whisk continuously until smooth. Once all ingredients are thoroughly combined, gently sir in crab and green onions. Remove from heat and set aside.
Distribute a layer of chips on a 14″x19″ sheet pan, greased and lined with parchment paper. Spoon desired amount of the crab mixture over the chips then top with another layer of chips. Spoon over more of the crab mixture, then top with the shredded Monterey jack cheese. NOTE: you will have enough crab mixture to make two full 14″x19″ sheet pans full of nachos.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Remove from oven and top with roasted peppers, avocados and green onion. Serve immediately with lime wedges. SERVES A CROWD.
SPICY REMOULADE SAUCE:
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 c sour cream
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp horseradish
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Louisiana hot sauce
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
Juice of 1 lemon
SNAPPER CAKES
Vegetable oil for frying
2/3 c fresh corn kernels
1/4 c red bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 c yellow onion, finely diced
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
2 large snapper fillets, cut into small pieces
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/4 c green onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 c panko bread crumbs
Make the remoulade sauce by whisking all ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Let sit in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The longer it sits, the better, even as long as overnight.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add corn, bell pepper, yellow onion and garlic; cook until all vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add all the snapper pieces to the skillet and cook about 5 minutes per side or until fish is cooked through. Transfer the fish and vegetable mixture into a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. Add mayonnaise, green onion, mustard, salt, pepper, egg and panko bread crumbs. Gently fold it all together until well combined, taking care not to break up the fish too much. Refrigerate for 10 minutes then shape mixture into 1/2 cup patties.
Heat about 4 tablespoons vegetable oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot enough for frying, cook cakes in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Let drain on paper towels or a wire rack. Repeat process until all fish cakes are browned.
To serve, place one or two snapper cakes on a plate, top with remoulade sauce and garnish with extra chopped green onion and lemon wedges. MAKES
ABOUT 8 CAKES.
A mini sandwich packed with crunchy fried fish and a spicy homemade sauce, these beer bettered redfish sliders with jalepeño tartar sauce will be the MVP of your lineup.
-Heather Peterek
TARTAR SAUCE:
2 tbsp lime juice
1 c mayonnaise
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
½ jalepeño, seeded/chopped
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp dill relish
¼ c chopped chives
Salt and pepper
REDFISH:
Vegetable oil for frying
1 ½ c flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 c beer of choice
½ tsp hot sauce
4 large redfish fillets
Salt and pepper
Small rolls for serving
TARTAR SAUCE: Add lime juice, mayonnaise, anchovy, jalapeño and honey in a food processor and process until combined. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and mix in relish, capers and chives and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
REDFISH: To make your batter, mix 1 cup flour, baking powder, Cajun seasoning, oil, beer and hot sauce together into a mixing bowl until thoroughly incorporated.
Prepare your fish pieces by cutting each fillet into about 3 inch squares (or close to it). Add flour to a large pan or bowl and dredge each fish piece coating both sides. Shake off any excess flour and transfer fish pieces to a plate.
Add enough vegetable oil to a large frying pan deep enough to allow the fish pieces to be completely submerged. Heat oil on high until oil is very hot.
Dip each floured piece of fish into the beer batter, making sure the fish is completely coated, allowing any excess batter to drip back into the bowl. Then slowly lower the fish into the hot oil and fry until puffed, golden-brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove fish with a slotted spoon or tongs and drain on paper towels.
TO SERVE: Halve a roll, slather tartar sauce on both insides and sandwich a piece of your beer battered fish in the middle. Repeat.
Makes ABOUT 12.
This is a hearty wintertime dish that only takes about 30 minutes to prepare. The crust is key, as toasted nuts and crunchy panko pair perfectly with a sweet-tangy glaze.
-Heather Peterek
SALMON
4 salmon fillets, skin removed
½ c finely-chopped pecans
½ c panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp butter, melted
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped
GLAZE
½ c pure maple syrup
¼ c Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp black pepper
Preheat oven to 425º F. Grease and line a baking sheet with foil.
In a bowl, stir together pecans, panko, thyme, butter, brown sugar and a pinch or two each of salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a small pot or sauce pan, whisk together maple syrup, Dijon mustard, garlic, and black pepper.
Place salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet, skin side down. Season with salt and pepper, and spoon over some of the glaze mixture, just enough to lightly coat each fillet. Then top each with equally divided amounts of the crust mixture, gently pressing to adhere.
Place salmon fillets in the oven and roast for about 12 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork, or to your desired doneness. Once cooked through, move your pan to the lowest rack and broil for 1-2 minutes to further toast the crust. Be sure to watch during this step, it will burn easily if left too long.
While the salmon is roasting, bring the remaining glaze mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until the glaze thickens to syrupy consistency, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste if desired.
Once salmon is finished in the oven, serve immediately. Plate by placing each fillet onto your plate and drizzle with as much or as little glaze as you’d like. Serve with your favorite side dish and garnish with chopped fresh parsley. SERVES 4.
Catching your own is always ideal, but you can find tuna at the store when you have to. In this Seared Tuna with Wasabi Taters and Carrot Ginger Puree recipe, rare is best, so watch closely during cooking. You can leave out the extra green in these taters, but I think they add a fun surprise to plate.
-Heather Peterek
4 (6-8 ounce) tuna steaks
canola oil
salt and pepper
SOY GLAZE:
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c white sugar
WASABI TATERS:
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
1 c milk
1/2 stick butter
2 to 3 tbsp wasabi paste
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/3 c chopped green onion
3 drops green food coloring
CARROT GINGER PURÉE:
1 lb baby carrots
1/4 c shallots, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c white wine
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 c fresh ginger, chopped
CARROT GINGER PURÉE:
Preheat oven to 400°. On a sheet tray, toss carrots with olive oil, shallots, garlic powder and wine. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until golden and caramelized, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer roasted carrots to food processor, add ginger and purée until you reach desired consistency. Season with salt/pepper if needed.
WASABI TATERS:
Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and whip with remaining ingredients. Season with salt/pepper.
SOY GLAZE:
Heat soy sauce and sugar in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved.
ASSEMBLY:
Season tuna with salt/pepper. Heat canola oil on high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Sear tuna for about 1-2 minutes per side (or until cooked to your preference). Place on a plate with taters, carrot purée, soy glaze and garnish with sesame seeds and green onion.
In this recipe we kick up the heat on a classic pesto with jalapeño and kick up the wow-factor with fresh redfish. This redfish Jalapeño Pesto Pasta is an easy, family-style meal perfect to share with your favorite spice-loving people.
JALAPEÑO PESTO SAUCE:
½ c fresh basil
½ c fresh cilantro
¼ c fresh mint
1 large jalapeño, seeded and quartered
1 garlic clove
½ yellow onion, quartered
½ c grated Parmesan cheese
¼ c fresh lime juice
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
½ c extra virgin olive oil
REDFISH:
6 redfish filets
1-2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
1 tbsp vegetable oil
PASTA:
1 lb penne pasta
¼ c crumbled goat cheese
Salt and pepper
GARNISH:
Crumbled goat cheese
Fresh basil, chopped
JALAPEÑO PESTO SAUCE:
Place the basil, cilantro, mint, jalapeño, garlic, onion, Parmesan, lime juice, salt, pepper and olive oil in a large food processor. Pulse and blend until all ingredients are finely processed and thoroughly incorporated into a sauce. Set aside.
REDFISH:
Season your filets on both sides with a light dusting of Cajun seasoning. Add oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the filets and cook through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from heat. In the skillet, break up the filets into large chunks with a spatula or fork. Set aside.
PASTA:
Cook the pasta according to box directions, reserving 1 cup of its cooking water before draining.
Toss together the pasta with ¼ cup of the cooking water, three-fourths of the pesto sauce and half of the flaked, cooked redfish. (Add more of the pasta water or pesto sauce if the pasta seems dry.)
Finally, gently fold in the remaining flaked redfish and crumbled goat cheese. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
Serve immediately on a plate or in a bowl, garnish with additional crumbled goat cheese and fresh chopped basil. Serves 4-6.
SAUCE:
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/2 c honey mustard
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
Juice of 1-2 lemons
Salt and pepper to taste
PECAN CRUST:
1 c pecans, finely chopped
2 c finely crushed potato chips
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
BATTER:
1 c milk
1 egg
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning
REDFISH:
4-6 medium redfish fillets
Canola oil
1 stick unsalted butter
Sauce:
Whisk together all ingredients and set aside.
Redfish:
In a large bowl thoroughly combine the pecans, potato chips and Cajun seasoning.
In a separate bowl make the batter by whisking together the milk, egg, flour and Cajun seasoning.
Dip each fillet in the batter, then press into the pecan-chip mixture, getting a heavy, even coating on both sides. Repeat with all fillets, set aside and let sit about 10 minutes before cooking.
Heat 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons oil in a large frying pan over medium-high. Once oil is hot, add fillets and pan fry until crust is browned and fish is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
To Serve:
Place fillet on a plate and spoon sauce over the top. Garnish with extra green onions and parsley. Serve immediately with your favorite sides.
12 oz penne pasta
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled, and deveined
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium shallot, minced
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
2 c diced fresh tomato
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 c dry rose or white wine
1 1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1 c (good quality) grated Parmesan
1 c (loosely packed) chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 c (loosely packed) chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
Cook pasta according to box instructions. Set aside.
In a large, high-sided skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, shallot, and Cajun seasoning. Cook, stirring frequently until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp and set aside.
To same skillet, add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add the wine and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally. Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
To same skillet, add the cooked shrimp, cooked pasta, Parmesan, basil and parsley. Toss together until all ingredients are well incorporated. Season, if needed, with salt and pepper.
Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Garnish with leftover basil, parsley and Parmesan. Serve immediately.
SERVES ABOUT 6.
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Photography provided by Jason Arnold Photography
