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Fishing…kinda
By GP | January 21, 2010
I’d heard about it before through the willow vine. Just didn’t seem like something I’d be interested in unless I had the grand kids along, but they said the fish were great for smoking. When my buddy asked me to come along to help cure my re-hab cabin fever I thought I might for the sake of getting out. Then the Dr. said “not” so that was that.
I called him with the bad news that I couldn’t attend but begged a four pounder for bakin out of him if he caught extra. He planned to smoke vault the rest. It costs a few dollars to participate and all the proceeds to this fish out goes to charity. A fish farm releases their old brood stock into a pond and then for $5.00 you can catch three fish and the rest are a $1.00 each there after.
According to my buddy the fish were still fish and took some skill to catch them. It was a bit of combat fishing as is human nature where a few can’t be courteous, or read and obey the rules. The event asked that you not try to snag them on purpose and of course there were those who couldn’t or wouldn’t comply. More than once my buddy had his line tangled with a weighted treble tosser from across the pond. (Best I wasn’t there cause that would have come to a halt. I don’t have much patience for those who refuse to play by the rules)
My buddy caught thirteen fish ranging from 4 to 12 pounds. He dropped off this great looking rainbow to be baked as he returned home. I was a tad worried there may be a mossy taste to it. But the cold weather had taken care of that. I used a recipe my brother used while in college.
I thought the lid of the oval roaster to be the perfect pan. The fish fit perfectly.
First I oiled it lightly with olive oil
Laid the fish in and coated the inside of the fish with dry garlic and High Mountains Fish seasoning. Mixing up two cans of mushroom soup with one can of water gave you the sauce. You could amp that up with any seasoning you wanted. Lemon Pepper usually goes well and I favor Tony Chachere’s Creole. But you can leave those off for sprinkling on later.
Then we boiled some brown rice to go with it and another side dish of peas. Some folks like to leave those dishes in their separate piles. I love peas in rice and I mix it up.
Pouring the sauce over the fish we popped it in the oven for 45 minutes at 350.
The cooked fish is easy to serve. Peal off the skin start on the center line of the meat with a fork and push the meat towards the back and the belly it will fall off with only a couple of side bones that can be picked through and easily removed. Once the meat is off the top and the skeleton exposed grab the spine at the front of the fish and using a fork to hold the bottom meat down towards the bottom of your pan. Carefully pull the skeleton upwards and it will just peal off. This will easily feed 6 people.
It was delicious!
Topics: GP | 6 Comments »
January 21st, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Ooooh… I want one of those roasters… I wish it had legs and a rim for outdoor cooking with coals…
January 21st, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Mark,
Trivets work wonders for any flat bottom oven. I have seen chains to boarder a lid, and tin foil boats on the lid… both to hold the charcoal.
And, a few will invert the oven for their long bread. Place the dough on the inverted lid over coals and put coal on the ‘bottom’ to heat from above.
And, a heated oval lid makes a great serving dish!!
January 28th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
The fish looks delicious, it is such a great idea using the mushroom soup as a sauce!
February 3rd, 2010 at 3:52 pm
Snagging is nasty business, and I get frustrated whenever I see it…nothing less sporting then a guy slapping the water with a snagging hook. Regardless of where the fish are caught.
February 10th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Looks like a tasty catch. Thanks for the photos and the great ideas!
February 15th, 2010 at 11:02 am
Mark, Raines, I have used my Oval roaster several times with double lid stands underneath. I have never needed to apply a coal retainer on the top lid, those coals stay there just fine with out one.
Gary