cooking redfish

[crappie52]

this might not be the right topic for this forum but a friend of mine gave me a couple of bags of redfish he caught in la, my question is can i just fry them up like i do me crappie, or is their a better way to prepare them. thanks!

[deathb4disco]

"Blackened" redfish is very good. (Blackened anything is very good.)

I'm not much of a chef, so you'll have to turn to Mr. Google on blackening techniques. (It's basically searing the fish very quickly.) Or maybe someone else will chime in.

[feelay]

I've tried redfish a couple times. Never have figured what all the fuss is about. Wasn't very good in my opinion. They are just a drum species....Trash fish to me.

[speckfinder]

When you are used to eating crappie there is not much of anything that will come close.

[PawPaw Gene]

I'm with speckfinder even thou I live right in the middle of redfish country. The only way I find them passable is to do them on a grill over charcoal preferably on the half shell (filleted and leaving the skin and scales on) using fish between 16 and 20 inches. The smokey taste add to the flavor. They can be fried, but it doesn't do anything for me. Seasoned and blackened should also help it along.

"gene"



.

[deathb4disco]

OK, I'll come to the defense of the redfish.

As a general rule, I'll take any saltwater fish over any freshwater fish in terms of fighting ability and eating quality.

(I sense another "live bait vs. artificial"-type debate coming on.)

[feelay]

D4d, no doubt redfish put up a good fight, so do freshwater drum. I love grouper, flounder, wahoo, dauphin, as table fare. The redfish however, doesn't come close to these, or bream or crappie, on the dinner table.

[skiptomylu]

Red Fish are good fried too, but Blackened is a Wow factor that comes in, but you have to have a very good vent A hood or do them outside. Lots of smoke when doing that. I have done it a lot, especially when I lived near Corpus. It must be done right or it will not be at it's best and you can't do it right if you need more than one pan full because you loose the heat and no oil that it starts with.

Chief Paul invented the recipe and I have his book, but you can also find his seasoning at stores that carry them. Just look for the Blackened Red Fish seasoning. It take a good bit of butter and a cast iron skillet. You put the cast iron pan on the high fire and wait for about 10 minutes (with no oil at all and the ten minutes is to make sure it has not oil as it all burns off and starts to turn white a bit) so that it is extremely hot. Your fish have been coated with butter and seasoning and you also need several little containers with a teaspoon of melted butter waiting. Once you drop the fish fillet in the pan you put one of the teaspoons of butter over each fillet. Wait two minutes I think then flip it over and put another teaspoon of butter over each. Two more minutes and it's done, serve and enjoy. The heat of the pan will keep it from sticking and also why you can't do seconds without starting over.

Pm me if you really are going to try this and I will check my memory for you as this was all written from memory and it's been a while. Also if you don't have a store that has his seasoning I can give you the break down so you can make your one Blackening seasoning. If you have never had this it is extremely great if done right and not like any fish you ever had.

Skip

[rockmike]

They originally started blackening redfish to kill the taste as far as I'm concerned. They're OK fried, but not as good as crappie, or speckled trout.

[ga.crappie&breamguy]

well since were taling about my favorite saltwater fish to catch heres what i do. yes all of those others ways a good but waite till you try this. now on a grill or the green egg. you can smoke it away and heres what i put on mine. all right you will need the flowing;

tin foil make sure you have the fish coverd and were the steam can come out of the top
butter plenty of it. salt and pepper to taste and of course mushrooms and cook those last they cook real fast. 2 big sliced onoins cooking with the fish this time of the year its that time of the year get those vidila onions. cook the fish unitl done. you can usually tell when the fish is done it starts to fall apart like a flakie pie crust. now sit back and enjoy your bounty just remember to wash it doan with a cold glass of sweet tea.