Frying: Sheepshead, Reds, trout, vermillion
Grill: Grouper hands down, Mahi.
Tacos: trigger, good texture. pretty much everything works though.
Baked whole: flounder, diamond cut.
Smoked: I tried AJ and it was ok, looking forward to trying some mullet this year, maybe a blue if I’m lucky this weekend.
That’s my quick list. I found the softer inshore fish fry up great but kinda fall apart on the grill. Sheepshead would be the one that crosses the barrier for me. When i’m grilling, I’m doing a light marinade or spices and butter and grill marks are a plus. I haven’t gotten into the stews yet. May try a ceviche but I’ll probably wait until I can put some shrimp in there too.
Definitely X2 on the Red on the half shell on the grill!!!
Big fan of mahi for tacos. (the slaw will make or break a good fish taco though)
While in Destin a few years ago, I was introduced to trigger fingers. They were pieces of trigger fish, roughly 4-5" long and 1 1/2"-2" in circumference, breaded in panko and fried. Absolutely one of the best pieces of fried fish I have ever eaten in my life. I always make them at home any time I can get my hands on some fresh trigger. Also, whole fried flounder, scored and breaded in panko and some sweet Thai chili sauce for dipping is a VERY close second for me.
Corvina is my absolute favorite fish for ceviche. Shark isn’t bad either.
I have a couple of favorites for sashimi. Yellowtail (Hamachi), Wahoo, Toro (of course), Escolar, Flounder. Yes, Flounder. It’s been a while since I’ve had it but years ago I saw it on a menu in a sushi joint and had to give it a shot. It was very clean and sublime and “disappeared” in your mouth fairly quick.
Juice15 made some smoked fish dip out of Spanish Mackerel and it was amazing.
GREAT!!! Now I’m hungry!!!
No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets, or how far you fall…you are never out of the fight.
Fried is hard to rate. Trigger, grouper, trout, red, flounder, I can’t really say I’ve had a “bad” piece. Hell, I even fried a piece of gar one day during my youth.
Grilled: Grouper, mahi, half-shell red. My new fav is probably wahoo. Did a chunk on the pellet last weekend and my face pretty much melted. Probably the best fish I’ve had in a while.
Smoked: Like me some spanish, blues, and even trout. Now bangstick has me wanting my fish dip. So good. I’ll toot the hell outta my own horn on that one.
Fried is hard to rate. Trigger, grouper, trout, red, flounder, I can’t really say I’ve had a “bad” piece. Hell, I even fried a piece of gar one day during my youth.
Grilled: Grouper, mahi, half-shell red. My new fav is probably wahoo. Did a chunk on the pellet last weekend and my face pretty much melted. Probably the best fish I’ve had in a while.
Smoked: Like me some spanish, blues, and even trout. Now bangstick has me wanting my fish dip. So good. I’ll toot the hell outta my own horn on that one.
Ever shared the recipe? I caught a couple whiting yesterday but didn’t keep anything. My five year old son who usually doesn’t care for fishing was eager to pick up the fish and let it go in front of his new friends at the beach.
Fried is hard to rate. Trigger, grouper, trout, red, flounder, I can’t really say I’ve had a “bad” piece. Hell, I even fried a piece of gar one day during my youth.
Grilled: Grouper, mahi, half-shell red. My new fav is probably wahoo. Did a chunk on the pellet last weekend and my face pretty much melted. Probably the best fish I’ve had in a while.
Smoked: Like me some spanish, blues, and even trout. Now bangstick has me wanting my fish dip. So good. I’ll toot the hell outta my own horn on that one.
Ever shared the recipe?</font id=“red”> I caught a couple whiting yesterday but didn’t keep anything. My five year old son who usually doesn’t care for fishing was eager to pick up the fish and let it go in front of his new friends at the beach.
Hell, he barely shares the smoked fish dip, let alone the recipe!
No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets, or how far you fall…you are never out of the fight.
You can use this as a jumping off point. Most of my recipes I make, there are little to no measurements. I’m trying to get better about writing these things down.
2 tbl mayo
4 tbl sour cream
2 c smoked fish (i’ll elaborate below)
hot sauce to taste
worcestershire to taste
S&P to taste
Garlic to taste (fresh or powder)
Garnish with green onion if you like
Add all ingredients to a bowl and fold in the flaked fish. I let it sit for at least 2 hours, overnight is better. Adjust seasonings to taste if need be. Serve with crackers.
I’ve used spanish, blues, and trout for this recipe. The spanish and trout are my favorite. I typically brine my fish for a few hours. Regular brine of salt, water, and a little sugar. You can add any seasonings you like, or you can season the fish before you smoke it. Drain, rinse, and pat fillets dry. You can smoke immediately or let sit uncovered in the fridge to build up the pellicle. I typically give a good ol’ dose of Old Bay (you’re welcome bangstick) before they hit the smoker. Smoke the fillets at 225ish for roughly 2 hours or until it flakes easily. I usually use a combo of hickory and apple.
Now stick will leave me alone, until I make another batch. Enjoy!
I made some fried trigger before thinking of this post last week and while it was very good, I didn’t like how it fried up compared to some of the softer textured fish. I love trigger, thinking I’ll try it baked or broiled next time.
I think it’s all in the prep. Cutting it into the “strips” I described helps with the “tenderness.” The trigger fingers I had in Destin (and imitate when I make them) were tender and flakey. Plus using panko versus a flour-based coating makes a HUGE difference. Light but crispy and crunchy.
No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets, or how far you fall…you are never out of the fight.
You may know how to catch trout but you’re wrong on this one.
I was being facetious. I cook a lot of fish, and fry very little. Lately, I’m really enjoying cooking sous vide, especially fish like red snapper, grouper, Chilean sea bass, and salmon. If you haven’t tried sous vide, you should. I, also, enjoy blackened redfish and salmon. Sesame coated and pan seared tuna is hard to beat.
You may know how to catch trout but you’re wrong on this one.
I was being facetious. I cook a lot of fish, and fry very little. Lately, I’m really enjoying cooking sous vide, especially fish like red snapper, grouper, Chilean sea bass, and salmon. If you haven’t tried sous vide, you should. I, also, enjoy blackened redfish and salmon. Sesame coated and pan seared tuna is hard to beat.
