Into the Boat and Onto the Plate

Tonight we are in for a very special treat.  Unlike the tuna that can go straight from the water, into the boat, and onto a plate sashimi style, the grouper takes a few more steps to prepare properly.  Deep dropping outside of Bimini we had tremendous luck with Queens and yellow eyes.  They are morsels of heaven that can be cooked just about any which way and they come out delicious.  The grouper fish is caught deep and brought up to the surface fast so sometimes they get the, "Benz," which can effect the quality of the meat if it is not taken care of.  To counteract the side effects it is best to counteract by letting the fish sit whole in a cooler of ice immediately and for a at least a day after.       

But before doing that make sure to get in a trophy picture like this one here.  Here is Skye and Kevin holding up the Goliath Mystic Grouper.  This monster was so big that each filet was about two inches thick and as white as Sea Bass.  Not that it has sat and we patiently waited to gut it, there are a few more steps to perfection.  Because the cuts of meat are so thick and juicy you give it the extra care it deserves, and thus I present to you the evolution of Grouper Don, into Seared Grouper Don.... 

When life gives you lemons...

All of the anticipation built up to a disaster, lol.  The fish looked beautiful, but when I tried to slice into it, it did not have the texture I expected.  It was more like lobster than sea bass, which would have been fine except for the expectations.  So, I improvised.  

I wasn't going to throw away perfectly edible fish just because it was to out higher standards.  So threw the fish on the cutting board and chopped it up to tiny pieces and mixed it in with red onions, capers, salt, and pepper, and lots of lemon juice.  Even better than tuna fish, we now had the most delicious Mystic Grouper Fish Salad sandwiches... Voila!   

Out on the water with Funt Family Boys checking out the Yellow Fin bite.  While fighting this 78lb Tuna we gaffed a few peanuts right into the Productive Day Boat, without losing tight lines.  Awesome!  It tasted as good as it looked.  Once again Captain Justin Schumm, bled and iced this fish and you can definitely see and taste the difference, just look below and the pictures to prove it!  

At first we seared it the usual way with sesame seeds and fresh cilantro S&P, but the meat was so precious, I realized some things should be as nature intended, so I sliced it up thin and served it sashimi with some Ponzu sauce and wasabi.  I had some fresh cucumbers marinating in Rice Wine vinegar and Sweet Chilli sauce.  Simple and delicious.  Kampai!

Lets say you cook up some great fish, be it Tuna, Sword, Mahi, or whatever is biting, and event though it is soo delicious that you eat as much as you can but then you look at the pan and realize there are still some super nice pieces left and you find yourself asking what you can do with it....

Since you probably dont' want to trash it, first it's a shame and second if it's not the night before trash day your side yard will be super stinky, I say, When life gives you Tuna, make Tuna fish.  By this I mean... You can apply your favorite Tuna fish base i.e. onions, celery, jalapenos, lemon juice, s+p, etc and mash up the left over fish to make your fresh fish salad.  Then the next day you can spread it on crackers, put between two slices of bread, or even roll it up in a tortilla for your very own Fish Wrap:

And now a special shout out to Craig Campbell for writing this song that was just dedicated to me by 

Captain Justin Schumm

Catch and Release

It is as important to know what not to eat as it is knowing how to catch and cook what you do eat.  The sport of bill fishing can be as exhilarating as the catch, and this picture caught on the end of rod with a GoPro is the perfect example why Catch and Release is essential to preserve our oceans and the pleasures of fishing.  This amazing Blue Marlin put up a great fight but the fine tuned well oiled machine of a team on the Krazy Salts fought it to the liter without missing a beat.

This very strange and warm winter has made fishing less than predictable, so when a window of opportunity opens you don't wait for an invitation.  A little planning and a lot of running around got this Wahoo trip together.  After an exhausting but exciting day sometimes you have to let the experts work their magic.  So, after clean up and showers we took a few small pieces off the freshest piece of Wahoo over to our Favorite sushi restaurant where the chefs and owners are friends and we brought enough to share with them.  Now you know I love to cook, and I've been known to roll my own. But sometimes you have to pass the reigns to the experts, sit back, and enjoy.    

 Which is exactly what we did here.  We called this Mike's magic roll, since he tempura-ed a piece of wahoo and rolled it into this roll with cream cheese, cucumber, spicy mayo, and topped it with thin slices of avocado and it magically melted in my mouth.  I think Captain Justin Schumm is still talking about how it was the best thing he ever ate.  You would think it would be hard to follow up this ambrosial dish but we could not resist and ordered their famous lobster roll.

Even the presentation is fantastic!  Sorry I can't share the proprietary recipes here, but I promise if you are in South Florida I will take you here myself.  Follow my tweets for a hint on where we went to enjoy the best sushi I've ever had.  As they say, when in Rome do Saki bombs! Kampai!

Melt in your mouth

Garlic Shrimp Kebabs
Apart from amazing fishing, I guess it is stating the obvious to mention to the weather, which is why it surprises me that our local farmers markets have not had more success.  But as they slowly gain popularity, I like to visit them, support our local vendors and see what is new and fresh.  So when I saw Adam's Organic Shrimp Farm with a booth at the Pompano Beach Farmer's Market this weekend, I had to give them a try.  The shrimp were fresh, beautiful, and after cleaning and de-veining them I marinated them in light olive oil, parsley/garlic salt and pepper, and fresh chopped cilantro.  While the grill heated up I whipped up a salad with chopped romaine lettuce and chopped fresh spinach, tomatoes, and red onions.  I used two skewers, one on each end of the shrimp, to make it easier to turn on the grill.  I alternated a slice of red onion in between every two shrimp.  Leave the tails so they don't curl up.  I melted garlic olive oil with butter and painted the shrimp before putting them on the grill.  Turned and painted the other side.  They might have been the most delicious shrimp I've ever had.

Wahoooos!

It's that time of year again when the October Moon brings in the high tides and the full moon calls up the giants from the depths of the ocean.  With the usual suspects on board we geared up on the Productive Day and headed out.  The weather was determined to spite us, but with grunions on we refused to turn back and our determination proved worth while.  The ride home was back breaking but when we laid out the catch we were all smiles again.  Check out the catch here with Captain Justin Schumm, Brad Runyan, Jimmy Leto-Broward's finest fire fighter, and Kevin .
As the guys unloaded I grabbed the essential provisions: wasabi, ponzu, and siracha.  You know when someone tells you about their favorite sushi restaurant and says, "Everything is so fresh!"?  Well, I can promise you it doesn't get any fresher than this.  The fish was iced on the boat so by the time it made it to the filet table it was chilled to perfection.  

Here you see Captain Leto getting the fish ready and Captain Mike Theis stopping by to barter some of his Pumpkin Swordfish in exchange for some Wahoo.  Even swap ain't no swindle.  To re-energize for the clean up, the crew toasted and sliced some sashimi right on the table.

Fresh and easy Wahoo Sashimi App:  

Sliced lemon wedges, real wasabi, ponzu sauce, and siracha for the brave.  Just slice the loin a thin as possible without it losing shape.  The piece will be almost translucent.  Lay on the plate and serve with sauces on the side to let people dip their flavors.  I garnished with a little green onion.  

When you share your catch and use the barter system sometimes you get blessed with delicious goodies.  So, even though we did not catch the pumkin sword on this trip we were able to enjoy the benefits all the same.  It just feels appropriate to eat Pumpkin Swords in October.  One trip and two recipes out of it.  After the clean up and shower we enjoyed our bartered catch. 

I like to cook what we catch and also compliment it with vegetables that are in season.  Not only are they more delicious because they are ripe for the picking, but also they are usually less epxenvie since they are more readily avaialbel, and even better they require less seasoning because they naturally have more flavor.  So with season we found broccoli, butternut squash, onions, and mushrooms.  Toss with olive oil, garliz/parsley salt and pepper, sliced green onions (I used the ends for the garnish int eh sashimi you saw above) same with the fish, and get the veggies going on the grill, then get the fish on a buttered piece of tin foil, when the edges turn white flip everything over.  I cooked the brown rice (long grain) according to the package and fluffed in some sliced green onions at the end.

Pumpkins just in time for Fall

 Good stuff.  Enjoy and don't forget to eat with season, this protects our Oceans and our planet.

Live as One, Peace!

Fishing is the Gift that keeps on Giving.  First it gives you a great excuse to get together, then you have the excitement before heading out on the water, of course the thrill of the catch, then all the different ways you can creatively cook and enjoy eating it with friends and family.  Since above we used some of the nicest pieces for the sashimi recipe you might be wondering what you do with the pieces that get put aside, ask no more, tempura is the answer!
So here it is, I present to you, Wahoo Tempura:

Everyone likes their tempura differently, but ultimately is is a wet batter that you dip and fry.  You can find the dry mix in either the "ethnic" section of your grocer or in the baking isle where the bread crumbs are kept.  For this dinner we used the wahoo pieces, sweet potato slices, vidalio onion, and broccoli florets (not frozen).  You can use any veggies you like, just keep them in big pieces or they can clump together in the fryer.  I used a small fry daddy but you can fill a sauce pan and fill with oil, bring to 375 degrees.  Prepare the batter according to the box.  If you like fluffier tempura you can substitute the water for soda water, something about the bubbles just make sit work.

I sprinkle the veggies with seasoning ( salt substitute/ or s&p), then dip in batter and then into the fryer.  Add one piece at a time and make sure they don't stick together, you can use a wood spoon to push them around and apart so they fry evenly.    If you have an industrial fryer then you don't need to worry.  You want to make sure the pieces are covered by the oil or they will cook on one side, burn, and leave the other side raw.  As they turn golden take the pieces out and place in bowl with a paper towel to absorb the excess oil or the pieces will get soggy.  If you like it very crunchy you can dip in the batter then coat with panko bread crumbs before frying.

We served these morsels of goodness with sweet and spicy marinated cucumbers.  I love to just keep these int he fridge any time I have cucumbers.  You slice them in circles, then into half moons and soak in rice wine vinegar and sweet chilli sauce.  Mix together to taste, adding more of either depending on whether you lie the sweet or salty.  They are refreshing a fresh with compliment all the fried stuff perfectly.  I leave the left overs int eh fridge and use the pieces to add into a salad the next day.

Enjoy, I know we did.

Epic Swords

Captain Justin Schumm, Captain Theis, and Harley

After several Saturdays and countless hours of watching the rod tip bobble, without so much as a nibble Captain Justin Schumm came out with a stocked boat, an animated crew, and a vengeance.  Armed with an arsenal of bellys for bait, provisions, and the secret weapon: chocolate chip cookies, they set out determined to break the spell.  It seems the cookies came through and went 4 for 7 on Swords.  Here is the mammoth that was heaved over the hull.
Iced and cored this 225lb-er was artfully sliced and portioned for the grill.  If you like a piece of meat you can sink your teeth into then a swordfish steak is for you.  Swordfish does not have a fishy taste, so there is no need to mask it's natural flavors.  Pat dry with a paper towel and sprinkle lightly with your favorite mix, For this picture I used garlic salt with parsley and fresh ground black pepper.  Before I get to the fish (since it

does not take long to cook) on the grill, boil some quartered red red potatoes in salted water until a fork easily goes through them.  Drain, put back in pot with butter, sour cream and horse radish cream sauce.  Smash em up.  Ok, here comes the swords.  Get the grill hot with tin foil. butter it up and let the fish steaks sizzle.  You can see how the edges start to turn white, that is how you know it is almost time to flip.    When it is white all the way around, carefully turn over.  Get the head of a fresh broccoli, and steam on the stove.  I don't like to leave it long or the get mushy, just a quick couple of minuets.  Season or sprinkle with parm cheese, or keep it light and squeeze lemon juice over it.  By now the steaks are ready to come off.  You can again test it with a fork, it should go through the middle as easily as it went through the potatoes.  Why do I give these testing tips instead of exact times?  Well, unless you are cooking the same size fish (cut about 1 inch think int eh picture) on my grill at the same temp (each grill is different and cooks with a mind of it's own) then temps and times are useless.  Swordfish is also one of those fish that you definitely want to cook through.  Unlike other fish that gets dried out the longer it cooks, swordfish gets more tender, and if it is not cooked through it will be like chewing a raw piece of chicken, so fair warning.



To put it all together, slab some smash on the plate, I like to put it in the middle,
so it helps the fish and the broccoli stay in place.

 Voila!

Special thanks to Captain Theis, Captain Mike of Sweet Emily, Seth, and Harley for another Productive Day!

Sub Dude

Check out our latest adventure and see the beauty of our natural resources to understand the importance of conservation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y95zLWlv9R0

As the season starts to change into the gorgeous south Florida fall, we still see remnants of the lingering storms and on perfect days when the sun rises just right and the lobsters walk in and take shelter under the ledges, you can have a Productive Day. We had the wonderful company of Captain Lou and on the Sub Dude we left no prisoners. If you put in the time, strap on your nitrox, and wet suit you can reap the rewards. On this particularly beautiful day it was rough enough on the water to not have to compete with other divers. Lets just say we had Lou's secret spots and we limited our catch before finishing our air. Which gave me enough time to get this recipe together to share with you.

I just ask that you enjoy it. I normally like to make double the recipe so I can portion it and freeze as side dishes for meals in the future. Plus, after you taste it, I'm sure you will regret not saving some for yourself. It freezes great. When you defrost it in a sauce pan in the future just have some heavy cream or milk to add and make it creamy again. Just talking about it again makes my Pavlov reaction kick in. Without further ado: Lobster Mac and Cheeeeeeese:

After much anticipation, I bequeath to you this recipe. Be advised: you may be asked ot make this over and over again. It is not a heart healthy recipe, but is sooo good for the soul. I will make some healthy alternative suggestion on the side. With every great recipe, play with it and make it to your taste. Enjoy

-This recipe makes6-8 servings

-Use 5 lobsert tails for lots of flavor (if you like to mix seafood or lobster is too expensive mix in some shrimp or crab)

-Cook the lobster tails ( I prefer to grill them-the grill adds extra flavor, for a silky taste just boil)

Do not cook all the way or they will be chewy after they are baked in the pasta

Ideally just the outside is cooked, it will finish cooking in the oven

-take out of shell and cut into bite sized pieces

-1 box cavatappi pasta (really any pasta will do, this one just makes it look sophisticated and all the ridges and twirls really soak in the sauce for rich flavor)

-cook to al dente directions with salt and olive oil in the water

-strain, rinse with cold water (to prevent from over cooking) and drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat so it does not stick together while you prepare the sauce.

-prepare a casserole dish with Pam spray or butter (use Pam for lighter)

-heat oven to 350 degrees

-half a Vidalia onion, diced

-1stick of butter (use smart-balance or other alternative for lighter)

In large pot, melt half the stick of butter and cook the onion on low temp until golden

Season with salt, pepper, and powdered garlic (keep in mind this is for the all the paste (so over season the onions)

As you add the following ingredients on low heat, mix constantly so the bottom does not burn (I recommend a wooden spoon)

-1 container herb/garlic borsoin cheese (lowfat option is available)

Add the whole container and melt down on low to medium heat

-Add half of the parmesean and melt it down

-Add a small handful of shredded (mixed Italian) cheese or mozzarella (lowfat cheese is avail)

-Add two jars of alfredo sauce

-3 options here:

1. Make your own roux from scratch and lots of heavy whipping cream (is you make from scratch, keep in mind you will need extra garlic, salt and lots of pepper for flavor and a sprinkle of chicken bouillon goes a long way).

2. Use lowfat alfredo sauce

3. Use your favorite alfredo sauce (I recommend using one with pepper and garlic)

If the sauce is too thick add a little bit of milk to thin it out, you do not want it too think or it will dry out in the oven. You know it is too thick if you have some on the spoon and it does not drip off (if it sticks to the spoon it’s too thick)

-Mix in the pasta until it all well coated.

-In a small bowl mix ¾ cup Italian flavored Panko bread crumbs, ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs, and the rest of the parmesean cheese.

-Add in the seafood pieces

-Add ¼ of the bread crumb mixture into the pasta and mix it in

-Spread the pasta into the casserole dish

-Top the pasta with the rest of the bread crumb mixture

-drizzle the top with olive oil so the crumbs do not burn

-spray a sheet of tin foil with Pam on one side and cover the pasta

(this is so the cheese does not stick to the tinfoil as it bakes)

-Bake at 350 degrees for half hour

-Remove the tin foil and continue to bake until the top is golden brown

Hope you like it!

Ps:Service suggestions:I like to sautee mixed mushroom on the side and even add a little truffle oil if you want to get fancy. Some people do not like mushrooms so I leave them on the side. If you are a fungus fan like me, add these in at the same time as the seafood.