Gone Fishing

So, I'm off to do a little of this down in Hatteras, NC. We try to get down there every year if possible, even when there's a nasty hurricane blowing the inlets open. Hatteras Island is truly a special place with beaches that are virtually untouched sans the spare fishing truck or two parked along the shoreline. Spring and/or fall are the times to go. If you head to the island during peak summer months, be prepared. The traffic sucks, the place is loaded with tourists, and home rentals are at their highest, but head down in the off or mid-season and this place is pure heaven consisting mainly of fishing junkies like us, locals, and kite boarders, many of whom drive all the way from Canada to surf here (which is a mind blowing distance by car).

Of course, a huge draw for us is the food. Fried, grilled and raw fish of every shape and size can be caught and/or purchased when the fishing's not so good. Flounder, triggerfish, mullets, pompano's, drum's, wahoo's and fresh tuna are usually in season right now as are soft shells and Carolina shrimp.

Carolina-style peel and eat shrimp is a special treat and they're literally found on every menu. There's nothing like 'em.

Put away any images of those huge, often-flavorless shrimp that grace the rims of martini glasses. Carolina scrimp are nothing like this. Instead, they are smaller, sweeter and absolutely heavenly when they're tossed in Old Bay and dipped in clarified butter. They taste even better when they're 15 cents at happy hour :)

No visit to Hatteras is complete without stopping in for a beer at Pop's Raw Bar, an honest-to-goodness hole-in-the-wall where locals, fisherman and bikers often come in for good conversation and to share their latest tall fish tales.

So, I'll be seeing you guys on the flip side, and when I return, I hope to be fully rested, fat and happy.

Bon voyage!

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Gone Fishing!

Like, literally. For the next week, I'll be double timing it between Nags Head and Wrightsville Beach (barring any more hurricanes, of course). Will be back online shortly and hope to post some photos of all the ridiculously huge flounder, trout and wahoo I've caught. Pin It Now!

Gone Fishing!

We're busting out our saltwater poles and heading to the shore.  If we're lucky, our catch will look something like this:

or this:

Only the inshore/offshore fishing gods know for sure.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for a couple of recipes and, of course, plenty of tall fishing tails! Pin It Now!

Golden Cornmeal-Crusted Quick-Fry Flounder

Kendra Bailey Morris

So, last night the hubby and I had a hankering for a big piece of fresh fish and the conversation went like this,

Hubs: "What you want for dinner?
Me: "Man, I would love a big piece of fresh fish."
Hubs: "Aww yeee. Do it."

So, off we set to our favorite place in the Richmond area to buy fish Yellow Umbrella Seafood where we know we will get the freshest goodies in town. When it comes to fresh seafood, like many people, I'm a stickler and I don't mind paying top dollar to get what I want. While our first preference is to catch our dinner...

Fishing in Avon, Hatteras Island, NC

and then whip up a little ditty back at the homestead...

unless we're pirating another family's vacation home in the OBX, the majority of the time, we are left to purchase our saltwater treats.

When it comes to fishing, fish and all the jazz, I like to keep things simple, especially when you're working with seafood that was pulled from the water merely hours  before. This stuff is so fresh, so packed with the essence of the sea, it would be a culinary crime to over season, over flavor or generally overdo it in any way. This is why, when I can get my hands on a hunk of fresh flounder, Virginia-caught rockfish, mahi or Wahoo, I ain't messing with it.  Give me some cornmeal, milk (or buttermilk), a vat of Crisco and a cast iron pot, and I'll make you dinner.

My dad is a fried seafood expert, and I learned from him the art of lightly dusting my fish, oysters, shrimp, etc... in real stone ground cornmeal (not the super fine stuff, by the way) that he would buy up in cases from an old gristmill on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Mabry Mill. Mabry Mill makes real deal cornmeal that's packed with just enough to the tooth crunch that it livens up any standard breading.

Dipped in milk and then dredged in a mixture of self-rising cornbread mix (for fluff) and stone ground cornmeal, we fry our fish exclusively Crisco in cast iron. With that in mind, let me suggest that if you choose to make this recipe at home, and are one those people who happen to have an aversion to shortening (as some people do...wha?) might I suggest two options for you: get the heck over it and stick to steaming your fish.

This recipe is fried goodness in all its glory, so either dive in head first and enjoy the ride or hop off the boat.

Golden Cornmeal-Crusted Quick-Fry Flounder
Adapted from "White Trash Gatherings: From-Scratch Cooking for Down-Home Entertaining, Ten Speed Press, 2006)

Serves 4

1/2 cup white stone ground cornmeal
1/3 cup yellow self-rising cornbread mix
Pinch of salt (and/or Old Bay)
3/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)
One pound fresh flounder (or other white fish)
Shortening, for frying

Preheat a large cast iron pan to medium-high.  Add about a 1/4 inch of melted shortening to the pan. In a medium flat-bottomed bowl, mix cornmeal and cornbread mix.  Add a little salt and/or Old Bay.  Pour milk in a separate flat pan. Place flounder in milk and soak for a few minutes. Then dredge in cornmeal mixture.  Fry fish skin-side down in hot oil until crunchy and crispy. Drain on paper towels and season with a little more salt.

Serve your fish with homemade tartar sauce.

Note: This fish recipe is excellent for fish sandwiches (on a roll with lettuce, tomato and tartar) or stuffed inside a warm soft flour tortilla topped with crunchy slaw, pico de gallo, a squeeze of fresh lime and Mexican crema. Pin It Now!