 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Aquatic Lifeforms Recipes
Many people think of Blackened fish as a Cajun tradition. -WRONG- While it is in fact the recent invention of Cajun Chef Paul Prudomme, it is not a traditional Cajun dish. Many Cajuns resent the fact that when the Cajun food craze hit, Blackened Redfish is what most people came to think of as Cajun. So lets keep the record straight! It's really good, and a lot of Cajuns do like it (though they may not admit it), but it should never be mistaken as a traditional Cajun dish! This dish creates a lot of smoke & fire and should only be done outdoors. You will need a high pressure propane burner, a 12 or 14 inch cast iron frying pan, a long handled spatula and good gloves. If you do this a lot, you will want to dedicate a cast iron pan to it since the intense heat required to blacken the fish will burn off all the years of tender loving care you have put into curing and caring for your cast iron pan!
The Ugly Brothers often use red snapper but have also used Ahi tuna, catfish and Sea Bass. Some of the most incredible blackened fish we have ever scorched was fresh, still quivering, White Sea Bass speared by Big Bad Brother-in-Law Bob on a trip to San Quintin, Baja California. Dredge your fillets in Tony Chachere's. Melt your butter and place it in a dish or pan long enough to take the fillets. Flame up the high pressure burner and heat the cast iron pan until all the cure burns off and it is glowing red hot, you will know when it is hot enough because you will think you can "see through" the pan! Now dip the fillets in the butter and toss them onto the pan. Toss them in from a safe distance! DO NOT lean over the pan as you do this since very often the butter will ignite and send up a large burst of flame! Cook for 2-4 minutes on each side, depending on thickness, until blackened and crispy. You may want to CAREFULLY add more butter to the fillet just before you turn it. To serve spread a thin layer of warm Hollandaise sauce on the plate, place the blackened fish on top of the sauce and garnish with sauteed or toasted pecan halves. Blackend fish can also be used to make killer fish tacos!
Follow the basic directions for Blackened fish except use 2 to 2-1/2 inch thick, slices of fresh Ahi tuna, about 6 to 8 inches long. We like to cut them in a triangular thickness so that you have three sides to sear. You want to cook them so they are seared black on the outside but still sashimi-raw on the inside. After searing, slice in 1/2 inch thick pieces and serve with soy sauce & wasabi or just as is. You will think you are eating a fine steak!
The Ugly Brothers traveled to Loreto, Baja California Sur, in October of 1997 to celebrate the 300th aniversary of the founding of the mission of Loreto. This has significance to all Californians north and south of the border since Loreto was the very first (the madre y cabeza) of all the California missions stretching up to San Francisco. On this journey, which also took them to San Nicolas (site of the famous Pig Fries), the Ugly Brothers found themselves in dire straights. The fish weren't biting. So the Ugly Brothers, sister Ima Ugly and Big Bad Brother-in-law Bob Ugly donned snorkel, mask & fins and began diving for clams. Clams (almejas) are easily found in the sandy shoreline of the Gulf of California. The variety most widely there are "chocolates" distinguishable by the brown coloration of their shells. After a bunch were collected the inevitable question was asked... "OK, what do we do with them?" Being resourceful buggers the Ugly Brothers used ingredients at hand to create this now classic dish. As the chorizo began frying in is own fat, the clams were rinsed, the onion & cilantro were chopped and all set aside. Approximately one large ounce of tequila was ingested by all participants. The mesquite fire was lit in the BBQ and until the fire was judged to be at the proper temperature, all participants took turns inspecting the fire through the bottom of a tumbler of tequila. The Ugly Brothers discovered this is a very crucial step as the color of the tequila (particularly mezcal) filters out the harshness of the mesquite fire allowing you to see the soul of the flame, Salt and lime quarters are a great aid to this process which eventually revealed a medium-low flame to be most suitable. The clams were placed on the grill and allowed to heat up only enough to make them open slightly (any that don't should be discarded). They were taken off the grill, the top half of the shell removed and the meat loosened from the remaining half shell. This half shell containing the clam meat was then sprinkled with small amounts of chorizo, squeezed lime juice, tequila, onion and cilantro with a dash of Tapitio hot sauce. All the half shells were put back on the grill where they were allowed to cook until all the liquids in the shell had began bubbling. The shells and the cooked clam meat can be quite hot so it is recommended that the clam be held in a towel with the left hand and a tumbler of tequila be held in the right, ready to quench a potentially scorched tongue.
A unique, resourceful method of making use of what's at hand.
Clams (almejas) are easily found in the sandy shoreline of the Gulf of California. The variety most widely found there are "chocolates" distinguishable by the brown coloration of their shells. While BBB Bob Ugly was hanging out with some of the local fishermen north of Loreto they introduced him to this unique method of cooking clams. After giving the clams a quick rinse, they were wrapped in aluminum foil. The lads then dug a shallow pit about six inches deep and placed the wrapped clams inside, They then collected some tumbleweed which was placed on top of the clams and set alight. When the tumbleweed had burned off the clams were cooked in their own juices and all sat around slurping clams and sucking down Pacifico cerveza. Ya know, it just doesn't get any better than this!!
Sake kasu, known also as sake lees, is the by-product (dregs, lees) of sake. It is a grey mush that somewhat resembles clay. Salmon or butterfish can be "cured" in it then grilled, giving it a wonderful, light flavor of sake.
Cut the salmon into approximately 4x4 inch slabs then coat with Kosher salt. Wrap tightly in saran wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day rinse the fish and pat dry. Transfer salmon to a flat tupperware container and encase the salmon with sake kasu. (If the sake kasu is too thick to coat properly a SMALL amount of sake can be added to make it a little more mushy). Leave the coated salmon in the refrigerator for at least 4 days. ( Lekiki will sometimes leave it up to a month). When ready to grill, brush off any big hunks of the sake kasu but try to leave a thin layer on it. Sake kasu, known also as sake lees, is the by-product (dregs, lees) of sake. It is a grey mush that somewhat resembles clay. Salmon or butterfish can be "cured" in it then grilled, giving it a wonderful, light flavor of sake. |
|
Who are? | Where are? | Uglys in Action! | Store | Search |