Striper for Dinner!

Stripers are damn tasty! Here’s how to cook ‘em up right:

Striped bass have firm, white flesh that’s mild in flavor and extremely versatile. My favorite is fish tacos followed grilled with garlic butter…Yum! However, I decided it was time for a little change. Time to go with something a bit more interesting.

That, of course, led me to Scott “The Sporting Chef” Leysath (www.sportingchef.com) who shared with me his poached striper and peppercorn vinaigrette recipe, which I once cooked with him on his show (but of course have long since forgotten).

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Cooking Trout

While catching trout is a blast, eating them can be even more fun – if you know how to cook ’em.



To find out how to do trout up right, I contacted the foremost authority on the subject, Scott Leysath – also known as the “Sporting Chef.”

 Scott is the co-host of “Hunt-Fish-Cook,” a popular TV cooking/hunting/fishing show. He’s also the author of many magazine articles on cooking wild game, and has written a book on the subject. In short, Scott knows how to cook anything you can shoot or catch.

I told him I’ve been in a rut when it comes to preparing trout. I usually just wrap the fish in foil, add some lemon, butter, pepper and garlic and throw it on the barbie. It tastes great this way, but a little variety once in a while isn’t such a bad thing. If you’re like me and are looking for a new way to cook your catch, Scott suggested his trout with herb vinaigrette recipe.

 He said you can bake, broil or pan-fry trout this way, but his favorite method is to throw it on the grill. My kinda dude!

Anyway, here’s how to impress your family, friends and taste buds:

 To make a four-serving meal, start with four one-pound trout (cleaned with the head on). You’ll also need:

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
a pinch of salt,

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

one teaspoon Dijon mustard

two minced garlic cloves

one tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup fresh chopped herbs

On the herb front, go with whichever ones you like best or what’s in-season at the supermarket.

“First, butterfly the fish,” he says. “To butterfly, use a sharp boning knife and, starting at the head, run the knife between both sides and the spine. This will separate the bones from the spine and fish can be opened up flat. After cooking, the bones can be easily removed. Then, you’ll want to season fish with salt and pepper.”

After that, it’s time to make the herb vinaigrette. Scott says to combine your remaining ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Next, you’ll need to baste the fish with the vinaigrette mixture in the jar and let everything stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Now, the fun part!

“Place your fish, skin-side down on a medium heat barbecue,” he says. “Cover the fish with the lid or foil for five minutes, then baste again and give the fish a quarter turn with a spatula. Cover again and cook for five minutes more.

 At that point, your fish should be done throughout. If your trout turns out too dry, don’t blame the fish – you’ve overcooked it. When done, remove the bones and serve with your vinaigrette mixture on the side.”

Yum! I’ve tried several of his recipes and they’ve all been outstanding! For more innovate and tasty ways to cook your favorite fish and game, check out his Web site, www.thesportingchef.com.

Salmon with Mango Salsa: serious grubbin’ going on

It’s salmon season and, if you get lucky enough to whack a nice chromer on the noggin’, here’s a tasty way to do up some fillets…

Salmon Jerky: A Great X-Mas Gift!

If you’re sick of the malls and the holiday traffic’s driving you nuts, here’s a little tip: stay home and make everybody on your Christmas list some smoked salmon jerky this year.

I’ve made a ton of smoked salmon over the years and, through much trial and a ton of error, I’ve got the process down pat. Now, I can expect a quality product each time. However, in recent years, I’ve been making little test batches of salmon jerky along with the traditional smoked variety and it’s become my most requested Christmas gift. Salmon jerky is easy to make, keeps longer than regular smoked salmon and is a great finger food/appetizer. Here’s how to do it:

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Cedar Plank Salmon…Yum!

While catching a big, bright king salmon is a thrill, eating one is often even more of a joy — provided you know what you’re doing.

 I’ve heard way too many horror stories of good salmon gone bad during the cooking process, coming out too dry or too mushy or too fishy or too charred. If you’re one of the folks who’ve been down that road before, I’m going to help you out. I’m going to teach you how to make cedar plank salmon, a treat for your taste buds and one of the most sure-fire ways to prepare a bright red fillet of salmon.

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Trout: Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em

So, you just went out and caught a mess of trout. Now what? Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em, that’s what!

Smoked trout and landlocked salmon is a fantastic treat and making up a batch is super easy to do.

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Fish Grilling 101

It’s the middle of summer and, to me, that means ‘tis the season for campouts, fishing trips…and, of course, barbecuing. When people ask for fish cooking suggestions, I always recommend the grill.

You just can’t beat that smoky taste you get with a barbecue and food cooked on a grill tends to be a lot more healthy for you since much of the fat burns off or drips into the fire (kinda like the George Foreman Grill only better). To make perfecto fish every time, you need to know a little more about grills. So, here’s a quick glance at BBQ 101.

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Your Fish Tasting Fishy?

So, that fish you caught the other day didn’t quite turn out to be as good on the grill as you had expected. In fact, you decided that it tasted a little too “fishy.” The funny thing is, however, fish shouldn’t ever taste fishy — and when it does, it usually means it was not properly taken care of between the time it was caught to the time it was eaten. The good news is that dreaded fishy flavor can be avoided!

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$5 Cleaning Table

One day back in the late summer/early fall of 1999, I had just finished a salmon trip on the Feather River. We’d done well and I was filleting my client’s fish. There are no boat ramps along the Feather up near Oroville…let alone fish cleaning stations…so I always ended up cleaning fish on a gravel bar, on some uneven patch of grass or on some sand. Needless to say, doing a good fillet job is tough to do when you have less-than-ideal conditions. It was murder on my knife as it was constantly being exposed to rocks and sand – and I’m sure people found the odd blade of grass on their fillets later that evening.. Come to think of it, I’d bet a few of those fish I filleted “au natural” tasted a bit gritty. I figured there must be a better way.

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