I will share a couple of recipes for fish and
vegetables that I have experimented with over
the years, to the generally rave reviews of my
victims, er, patrons. These two recipes work
well for baking in the oven, on a grill, or
in a campfire. Here 'tis!
Fish:
Make a pan from heavy duty aluminum foil, turning
up the edges to hold the juices which will be in
your “pan.” Place your fish (it doesn’t matter
if it is whole fish or fillets) in the “pan,” and
either squeeze some fresh lemon juice or sprinkle
lemon juice concentrate over the fish.
Next, place some pats of butter on each piece of
fish (for example, about three pats per fillet for
a 2 lb. bass, or about 6 pats for a whole 2 lb. bass).
Sprinkle some lemon pepper, salt, and Old Bay
seasoning to taste over the fish. If you like hot
sauce, put a little Tabasco sauce or Trappey’s Bull
sauce on the fish.
Pour about a quarter cup of water or white wine
into the “pan,” being careful to not wash your
seasonings off the fish. (You may need more
liquid if you are cooking a large amount of fish
in a large “pan.”)
Slice some good Vidalia onion (or Texas sweet onions
if you don’t have Vidalias!) and cover each fillet
or whole fish with the onion slices.
Form a cover from another piece of aluminum foil
and fold the edges of the bottom of the foil “pan”
to the top of the “pan,” ensuring a tight seal.
Place the “pan” in a preheated oven at about 350
degrees, or on your grill or in your fire.
(If you have a really hot fire, use a grill rack
to keep the fish out of the extreme heat.) In the
oven, filleted fish will be done in about 10-12
minutes; whole fish in about 15-20 minutes, again,
depending on size of the fish. When you go to check
on the “doneness” of the fish, be extremely cautious
when opening your “pan!” The steam will give you a
bad burn! The fish is done if you can flake it with
a fork.
Vegetables:
You can get very creative with different vegetables
here, but I will describe what I like.
Make a “pan” just as you do for the fish. Slice up
some red and white potatoes (peeled or unpeeled,
whatever you like) into chunks about 1 inch square.
Do the same for Vidalia onions (or Texas sweets again),
and slice some carrots into one inch chunks. The
amounts of these vegetables can be variable,
according to how many folks you are serving.
Next, put about a quarter to a half stick of butter
(for 4-8 people) in the mix, and generously apply
(about two tablespoons) Lea and Perrin’s White Wine
sauce (the one for chicken).
Add a half cup or so of water or white wine, some
salt and pepper to taste, and some Tabasco or
Trappeys, if desired. Again, make a cover for your
“pan,” sealing it well by folding the edges.
Cook in the oven, on the grill, or in the fire for about
30-45 minutes. Again, use caution opening the “pan”
when checking for “doneness.” The concoction will
be done when the potatoes are tender to the fork.
Some variations I like are to add green beans, whole
kernel corn, or baby lima beans. As one would expect,
the firmer vegetables are best in this recipe.
Give these a whirl and let me know how you all like 'em!
~ Gary D. Jenkins
Do you have a favorite fish recipe? Or neat fish
cooking method? Share them with us here!
Send to publisher@flyanglersonline.com.
Originally published July 12th, 2004 on Fly Anglers Online by Gary D. Jenkins.