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May is here and Mother’s Day is upon us. However, we have a conundrum: Do we take Mom fishing or out to dinner. I say take her out to dinner and then go fishing as the fish are biting.
Well, back to cooking tips. Always clean your fish and put on ice immediately. Be sure to clean the blood line located along the backbone of the fish. This will enhance the flavor and the flesh will remain firm and tasty.
It’s time to put together a few recipes. Some will be for freshwater fish and others for those from the sea. Being that it was a good steelhead season I will start with Simple Baked Steelhead.
Simple Baked Steelhead
Four 4- to 6-ounce steelhead fillets
Olive oil
Course-ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
1 large tomato, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon dried sweet basil
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large lemon, quartered lengthwise
Spray a broiler pan with vegetable spray. Lay the steelhead on the broiler pan. Liberally sprinkle olive oil over the fish, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover each fillet with tomato slices, then sprinkle with the basil and Parmesan cheese.
Place the fish in a preheated 350-degree oven. Cook for approximately 30 minutes, depending on the thickness. Check the fish after 20 minutes to see if it’s done. Fish will flake when done; be sure to not overcook.
When cooked, place the fish on individual dinner plates with a slice of lemon. Fresh vegetables such as steamed broccoli, onions and squash go well with this dish.
This is a great way to prepare your catch of the day.
Trout and Southwestern Salsa
For the salsa:
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
For the fish:
Four large (6-ounce) trout fillets
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons honey
In a medium frying pan, add the corn and heat through. Combine all the other salsa ingredients in a large bowl and mix in the heated corn.
In a separate frying pan coated with vegetable spray, place the fish and salt and pepper. Fry 5 to 7 minutes on each side, depending on thickness. Halfway through, flip the trout and drizzle with honey.
When cooked, serve with warm tortillas and the fresh salsa.
For those of you who like a nice hot bowl of soup, the following recipe should be one of your favorites.
Vince’s Fish Chowder
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
4 large red potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
3 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 cups milk
2 cups water
2 large smoked hamhocks
2 pounds cod or sea bass
Two 6-once cans chopped clams
One 15-ounce can creamed corn
Put the butter or margarine into a large stock pot with the onion, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, celery, liquid smoke, milk, water and hamhocks and simmer for 1 hour.
Add the fish, clams and creamed corn and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Remove cooked ham from the hocks and add to the stew.
Serve with bread and a glass of white wine.
The following recipe will make you want to run down to the fresh fish section of your local market. This is a great Mediterranean dish. Fresh seafood and pasta, how much better can it get?
Sea Bass and Scallops
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
One 15-ounce can of tomato sauce
One 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 small package of fresh sweet basil, chopped
1 pound sea scallops; if large, halve or quarter the scallops
1 package fettucini pasta, cooked al dente
2 pounds sea bass
Pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese
In a large skillet or pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion and garlic. After 5 minutes add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with juice and chopped basil. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
Next add the scallops and simmer another 10 minutes.
While the scallops and sauce are cooking, prepare your pasta according to package instructions.
In a separate frying pan, add some olive oil and fry the sea bass. Turn over when half cooked and sprinkle with pepper and grated Parmesan cheese.
Place the cooked pasta on a large serving platter and arrange the scallops around the edge. Cover the pasta with the marinara sauce and arrange the fried fish on the top of the pasta. You may want to wear a bib.
Chef Vince cookbooks and CD-ROMs are available upon request. Chef Vince can be reached at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or at 258-6804.
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