Fish Food

Catch and prepare your own meal. Each recipe serves 4.

I love fishing and eating freshly caught fish. I remember fly fishing in the Florida Keys with a guide and catching a mess of sea trout. We had plenty to make delicious fish sandwiches, fish tacos, and fish dinners. Below are some of my favorite ways to enjoy seafood.

Fish Tacos

Crema:

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup mayonnaise

3-4 Tbsp. lime juice 

1 tsp. lime peel, grated (optional)

Slaw:

4 cups cabbage, shredded

⅓ cup vinegar

3 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt 

½ tsp. pepper

Tacos:

2 lbs. fresh fish

3 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup onions, chopped

12 small corn or flour tortillas

1 bottle hot sauce, for serving

Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, and lime juice in a bowl. In another bowl, mix cabbage with vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle chili powder and salt all over the fish. Grill or sauté fish on medium-high for 3-4 minutes per side (more if fillets are thick), and heat tortillas for 1-2 minutes on the grill. To assemble, spread crema on each tortilla, top with hot fish pieces, slaw, and onions. Serve with remaining crema and hot sauce.

Grilled Caesar Fish 

1 clove garlic, minced 

1½ tsp. anchovies, mashed

1½ Tbsp. lemon juice 

½ cup mayonnaise

½ tsp. each salt and pepper 

4 fish fillets: swordfish, tuna, or other firm fish
(1-1½ inches thick)  

4 cups lettuce 

2 lemons, quartered

Mix first five ingredients to make Caesar mayonnaise; set aside. Heat a grill to medium-high. Smear both sides of the four fish fillets with Caesar mayonnaise. Place fish on the grill, turning once, until just cooked through, 3-4 minutes per side. Toss lettuce with remaining Caesar mayonnaise and divide among four plates. Top salad with fish and serve with lemon wedges.

Fine Fish Sandwich

½ cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish

1½ Tbsp. capers

2 tsp. mustard

4 fish fillets

4 Tbsp. mayonnaise

¼ tsp. each salt and pepper

1 cup breadcrumbs

3 Tbsp. oil

4 hamburger rolls, halved

4 lettuce leaves

4 slices tomato

4 slices onion (optional)

Heat a frying pan to medium-high. Mix first four ingredients to make tartar sauce; set aside. Slather fish with mayonnaise, salt, and pepper and press into breadcrumbs to cover both sides. Sauté* fish in oil for 3-4 minutes per side. Spread rolls with the tartar sauce, then place lettuce, fish, tomato, and onion on the bottom half of the roll and cover with the top half of the roll.

*May also be baked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes.

Spectacular Seafood Cakes

2 cups chopped shrimp, scallops, crab, or cooked fish

¾ cup breadcrumbs

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

¼ cup onion, finely diced

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

½ Tbsp. Old Bay or other seafood seasoning

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

2-4 Tbsp. oil or butter for frying

Place all ingredients, except oil/butter, in a large mixing bowl. Gently fold ingredients together until evenly combined. Portion into patties (about 2 tablespoons each). Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil or butter and heat to medium-high. Sauté fish cakes in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with cocktail sauce or tartar sauce.  

Florida Fishing Guide’s Fish Salad

1 lb. cooked fish, flaked

¼ cup each onion and celery, chopped 

2 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice (or chopped dill pickle)

¾ cup mayonnaise

½ tsp. Old Bay or Cajun seasoning (or equivalent salt and pepper)

In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, onion, celery, lemon juice, and Old Bay. Add fish to the mayonnaise mixture, folding gently to combine. 

-by Lori Ross