Summertime and the livin’ is easy, fish are jumping and the days are warm, the evenings are cool.
Fish come in all sizes and shapes as do the people who catch them.
Caught at dawn for breakfast and brought home by a proud angler, or save it for the evening over a campfire or barbecue, fish taste good anytime.
Each catch that you bring home for whatever meal, deserves the best treatment you can give it to preserve the fine pure flavours.
There are many methods of cooking fish and many recipes used to deliver a flavour and taste to suite almost everyone.
Sauces and stocks, if used should bring out the best of your fish.
A combination of butter or oil with herbs for basting helps retain natural moisture and balances the flavours.
A well seasoned court bouillon or aromatic poaching liquid can also accent or minimize the taste of the fish.
A sauce can be made smooth and delicate to compliment a mild tasting fish or tangy and robust to blend with stronger tasting fish.
Stuffing is used to increase the flavour of mild or stronger tasting fish.
The choice of stuffing is a matter of individual taste, however, a rich fish requires a simple dressing containing vegetables or fruits and a lean fish gets flavour from a rich stuffing containing sausage, a shellfish or nuts.
Here is an easy rice and nut stuffing
3 slices of bacon, diced
1 cup of cooked rice
½ cup of cooked wild rick
1/3 cup of slivered almonds, lightly sautéed in 2 tbsp of butter
1 tbsp of parsley
Fry bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels.
Combine the reminding ingredients in a bowl and stir in the bacon.
Makes approximately two cups or enough to stuff four two pound fish or one six pound.
Cook on barbecue until nicely done, not rare or rock solid.
Now here is a tasty sauce for that stuffing.
Lemon Butter Sauce
½ cup of butter
½ cup of lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
In a small pan combine butter and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until butter is melted. Stir in parley and serve while hot.
Makes about 1 cup.
Whether you are catching some of the great fish in Cariboo-Chilcotin or fresh from the stores, try some fish on the barbecue during the nice weather.
Bye for now and Goood Cooking.