Seafood and Fresh Water Fish Recipes

The best fish is, of course, the one you just caught. The first thing you need is someone to clean it, and I have always arranged to fish with one such person.

Hint: The most important part of cooking fish...don't overcook. Cook just until flesh can be easily flaked.

Crispy Catfish

• 2 lb. dressed catfish
• 1/4 c. evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• pepper
• 1/2 C. flour
• 1/4 C. corn meal

Clean fish, wash and pat dry with paper towel. Roll fish in flour-meal mixture. Fry fish in hot oil for 4-5 minutes or until fish is browned and done. Drain. Great served with hushpuppies.

Kitchen Hint - To Remove fish odors from dishes and utensils add a tablespoon of vinegar or ammonia to washing water.

Stuffed Bass or Crappie

• 2(1-2lb.)bass or 3/4 lb. crappie
• 3 small fish, boiled, meat pulled off bones
• 2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped fine
• 3 Tbsp. onions, chopped fine
• 2 buttons garlic, minced
• 1 c. bread crumbs
• 4 Tbsp. vegetable oil or enough to mix preceding ingredients to make a firm mixture

Scale and clean fish cutting head and tails off, leave cavity for stuffing. Mix parsley, onions, 1 button of garlic, minced, bread crumbs, the boneless boiled fish, with 4 tablespoons of the vegetable oil making a fairly firm mixture. Score fish on one side only. Salt and pepper fish. Rub fish with 1 button of minced garlic. Fill cavity of fish with mixture. Put foil in bottom of baking dish, lay fish in pan uncovered. Bake in 325 degree oven until meat lifts from bone. Baste periodically with Butter Sauce. Using recipe below

Butter Sauce

• 2 sticks oleo, melted
• 4 oz. vinegar
• 4 oz. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 button garlic minced

Keep mixture warm, serve with fish.

Tuna Loaf

• 1 can tuna
• 2 1/2 C. bread crumbs
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1/4 c. chopped pimento
• 3 Tbsp. parsley
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Soak bread crumbs in the 1/2 cup milk. Add all ingredients in order given. Put into greased loaf pan. Bake a 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes.

Seafood brings delicacy of flavor and texture to a wide variety of dishes. Seafood is a high protein food that deserves more use in our menus

Shrimp Quiche

• 6 oz. peeled, deveined shrimp or 1 C. shrimp
• 1 c. shredded, processed cheese
• 1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 c. grated onions
• 1-2 oz. pimento (optional)
• 2 c. milk
• 1 c. bisquick
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• Individual pie shells or unbaked pie shells

Layer peeled shrimp into unbaked shell. Break cream cheese into pieces, placing on top of shrimp. Add onions, pimento, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle grated cheese over other ingredients. Mix Bisquick, milk and eggs together and pour into pie shell over all other ingredients. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes. Do not overcook. Should be lightly browned but still soft in middle.

Kitchen Hint - Leftover pimentos will not spoil if covered with cooking oil and refrigerated.

Fried Oysters

Fried oysters can be delightful or they can be soggy with grease and overdone. This is not always due to poor cooking, mostly it is because the oysters are fried too far ahead of serving time. Avoid this! Fried oysters, hushpuppies and cole slaw make a great meal!

Drain, wash 6 medium oysters per person under cold water. Dry between towels. Use very fine bread crumbs, seasoned heavily with salt and pepper.

Dip oysters into bread crumbs, then into 1 egg slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of milk, then into the crumbs again. Have the fat very hot.

Use 2 parts bacon fat to 1 part butter. Fry oysters until golden brown, drain on absorbent paper and quickly transfer to a hot platter. Serve immediately!

Boiled Lobster

Select lively lobsters and see that the claws are well plugged. Be sure not to buy them too big for your pot. If possible obtain what are known as chicken lobsters. They average from 1 to 1 1/2 lbs.

Never plunge live lobsters into a pot of boiling water. This results in toughened meat. Place 6 peppercorns in a pot of cold water, add 2 tablespoons vinegar and 3 tablespoons salt for each quart of water used. Put the lobsters in this bath, place the pot over a brisk heat and cover. When the water reaches boiling point, keep it there for about 12 minutes.

Remove lobsters, place on their backs to drain and cool. When cool enough to handle, remove claws and separate tail from body, taking out tail meat. Pull out the intestines that course, through the middle. Slit down the center with a heavy knife or cleaver, remove stomach, a small hard sac located close to the head.

Don't throw away the precious coral- a spongy red substance, found only in female lobsters- or the green lobster fat. Both are delicious. The lungs- fibrous segments attached to the underside of the body- must be discarded. Break the claws with a cleaver or hammer and the meat is easily removed.

Chill the meat, then place on a platter. Serve with mayonnaise, chopped celery and slices of lemon and lime. If you want to eat it hot, sprinkle with melted butter and seasoning; reheat in medium hot oven (375 degrees), then dust with chopped parsley and serve.

You can, of course, serve the lobsters in the shell. Split them down the center, crack the claws so the meat can be removed easily, serve dishes of hot lemon butter on the side.

Lobster Bisque

• 2 pounds boiled lobster
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk, scalded
• 1 cup light cream, scalded
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt

Remove lobster meat from shell. Dice the body meat and chop tail and claw meat fine. Add broth to the shells and let simmer for 25 minutes; then strain. Melt butter and blend in flour. Gradually stir in the lobster-shell broth, keeping mixture smooth.

Next, stir in scalded milk. Add lobster meat and simmer slowly for 5 minutes. Remove from fire and stir in cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately,!

Creamed Salmon

Melt together 3 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons flour; add two cups milk; let cook until thick; then add 1 can salmon chopped fine. Serve hot.

Baked Salmon

Equal parts of salmon and cracker crumbs; season with salt and pepper; make a rich milk sauce and pour over salmon and crackers. Bake in moderate oven till brown and serve.

Salmon Croquettes

• 1 can salmon;
• 2 well beaten eggs:
• pinch of salt;
• 1 teaspoon red pepper;
• sufficient cracker crumbs to form into small cakes.

Fry in small quantity of hot oil.

Salmon Croquettes

Mix 1 can salmon with 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 cup mashed potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a little pepper, 1 egg slightly beaten and 1 tablespoon melted butter.

Form in croquettes and roll in bread crumbs, then egg and bread crumbs. Fry in hot oil.

Salmon Loaf

Drain all oil from 1 can salmon, remove bones, beat together 4 eggs until very light. Add 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 cup rich cream; juice of 1 lemon; salt to taste; good dash of cayenne pepper; mix, put in baking dish, cover and bake 30 minutes.

Salmon Casserole

• 1 can salmon
• 1 cup cooked peas
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons green peppers
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1 cup bread crumbs

Bring to boil the butter, flour, milk,salt and pepper, add fish, peppers and peas. Pour into greased casserole. Squeeze lemon juice over top, cover with crumbs, bake until brown.