Ingredients:

4 servings

4 6 – 8 ounce walleye fillets
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
pinch sugar
1 tablespoon capers
3 additional tablespoons butter
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup tomato, seeded and diced

Instructions:

Pat fillets dry with paper towels. Combine flour with next 4 ingredients. Dust fish with seasoned flour. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fish and brown lightly on both sides until just cooked. Transfer to a dish or pan, cover and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

Wipe pan out with a paper towel and return pan to a medium-hot stove. Add lemon juice, wine, sugar and capers. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid to 1 or 2 tablespoons. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter and onions until butter is melted. Stir in tomato and spoon sauce over warm fish.

When you’ve trimmed the tuna loins and don’t want to waste what’s left, try this great recipe for tuna burgers with lots of spicy flavor.

Ingredients:

4 servings

1 1/2 pounds fresh tuna, cut into 1 – 2 inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup mayonnaise
dash or two Tabasco
1/3 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Cilantro-Lime Mayonnaise
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juice only
1 green onion, chopped
1 teaspoon capers, crushed (optional)
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped

Combine all ingredients to make mayonnaise.

Instructions:

In a food processor, pulse tuna until the meat is in pieces about the size of a garbanzo bean. Add to a bowl with all of the remaining ingredients except the breadcrumbs. Using your hands, combine ingredients. Add breadcrumbs and mix with hands. Form a ball about the 4 inches in diameter. Press together to form a patty about 3/4 – 1 inch thick. If the patty is too moist, add a little more breadcrumbs. If it’s too dry, add some mayonnaise.

Patties can be grilled, broiled or pan-seared. Serve on a bun with fresh tomato, lettuce, red onion and Cilantro-Lime Mayonnaise.

Fish and game cooks love to wrap stuff in bacon. “OK, here’s the deal, you take your goose and cut it into little strips. Then, you soak it in a combination of Worcestershire, ketchup, Italian dressing, garlic, onion and Coca-Cola for…oh, about 3 days. Then, you wrap ‘em up in jalapeño pepper and bacon and toss them on the grill. They don’t even taste like goose!” Whether you go to extreme measures to make your fish and game edible or not, the bottom line is – most things taste better wrapped in bacon, and freshly caught trout is no exception.

Ingredients:

2 servings

2 whole dressed trout, about 1 pound each
salt and black pepper
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 bunch fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 thinly-sliced onion rings
6 slices tomato
4 strips bacon
short skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes

Instructions:

Season fish inside and out with salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into each cavity. Pack equal portion of basil, garlic, onion and tomato into cavity. Wrap each with 2 strips of bacon and secure with skewers. Place on a medium-low heat barbecue grate for 5 to 7 minutes then flip over cook other side about 7 minutes more or until bacon is browned and fish is just-cooked throughout. Remove skewers and serve fish whole.

Note:  When wrapping fish and game in bacon, try cooking the bacon half way first and then wrap around the meat, etc. This is especially good with things that cook quickly, like dove breasts, since the bacon is crispy, not limp, when the meat is cooked.

Sturgeon ranks near the top of my list of favorite fish. The flavor and texture is unlike any other fish. It is firm to the bite and somewhat neutral in flavor. The texture is reminiscent of a cross between pork and fish. As an added bonus, there are no bones to mess with – just the cartilage. Filleting is a snap and you can grill, pan sear, broil or sauté this strange looking creature. It looks prehistoric. It tastes out of this world.

Ingredients:

4 servings

4 6 ounce sturgeon steaks
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 lemon, juice only 1 lime, juice only
1/4 cup dried nectarines, peaches or apricots
1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries (“Craisins” work fine)
2 additional tablespoons chilled butter
*** salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Season fish with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan and sear on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip fish over and sear 2 minutes. Add brandy and ginger to the pan. BUT FIRST…

CAUTION – DANGER – WATCH IT – LOOK OUT, ETC. – DON’T PUT YOUR FACE ANYWHERE NEAR THE PAN WHEN YOU ADD BRANDY. IT WILL PROBABLY FLAME UP AND BURN SOMETHING, LIKE YOUR FACE, THE DRAPES, ETC. CHECK THE AREA AROUND THE PAN BEFORE ADDING ANY ALCOHOL.

O.K., Anyone who burns something now was not paying attention. You can reduce the risk of flames by combining the brandy with the next 3 ingredients and adding slowly to the pan. Or…after adding the brandy, add orange, lemon and lime juices. Add dried fruits. Remove fish and keep warm. It’s done. Reduce liquid to 1/4 cup. Stir in butter until melted. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, place sturgeon on plate and spoon sauce over.

Ingredients:

4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 1-inch thick striper fillets, dark flesh removed
salt and pepper
4 sprigs rosemary
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons dry vermouth
seasonal vegetables, sliced 1/4 inch thick and 2 inches long
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
fresh tomato, peeled and diced

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in pan.

2. Season fish with salt and pepper.

3. Add fish to pan with rosemary. Brown on one side, flip. Cook for 2 minutes more.

4. Add butter, vermouth and vegetables to pan. Season veggies with salt and pepper.

5. Place in a 400 degree oven for 5 – 6 minutes.

6. Arrange vegetables on plate. Top with fish. Top fish with parmesan and tomato.

You’ve got to have a really hot skillet to make this work. It also helps if you cook it outdoors since searing three kinds of pepper in a hot skillet is a lot like breathing in pepper spray. If you have to do it inside, make sure you allow for plenty of ventilation. There’s a decent chance that you smoke alarm may go off! Try this with salmon also.

Ingredients:

4 servings

4 6 to 8 ounce fish fillets
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, white pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 sandwich rolls
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
8 slices cooked bacon
sliced tomato
shredded lettuce

Instructions:

Coat fillets with melted butter. Combine seasonings and dust fish in seasonings. When skillet is very hot, carefully add fillets to pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, or until charred. Flip fish over and char other side. Spread mayonnaise on sandwich rolls, add sliced tomato, bacon, lettuce and blackened fish.

Ingredients:

4 servings

4 8 ounce salmon fillets, skin on
2/3 cup basic Bar B Q sauce
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup Di Arie Zinfandel
6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Juice from 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3-4 teaspoons maple syrup (to taste)
Pinch of salt
fresh rosemary sprig (optional)

Instructions:

Whisk together the above ingredients and heat over low heat for 4-5 minutes (stir periodically). Do not boil or burn.
Option: Crush a sprig of rosemary and add while heating glaze. Remove sprig after heating.

After heating, adjust seasoning if needed.

Layer the glaze onto a platter and place salmon filets (skin side up) in the glaze. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Heat grill to medium heat.
Wipe the grill with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Place salmon skin side up on grill for 3 minutes.
Flip filets (skin side down) and re-glaze the meat. Cook 3 minutes.
Decrease heat to low and move filets to coolest spot on grill. 3 minutes.
Serve immediately and enjoy!

During the hot summer months, I probably eat more fish tacos than any other single dish. Firm-fleshed fish such as salmon, swordfish, snapper and striped bass may be easily grilled outdoors. The more delicate and smaller fish may either be pan-seared in a hot skillet with a tablespoon or two of olive oil or broiled in the oven. This is a great recipe to try on someone who prefers not to eat fish. The flavor is not unlike a taco made from seasoned chicken. The recipe specifies warm soft flour tortillas, but crispy corn tortilla shells work well also. Do be careful not to overcook your fish. Overcooked fish always tastes dry and often rubbery.

Ingredients:

4 servings/ 8 tacos

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup orange juice
2 ounces tequila
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chili powder
1 pound fresh fish fillets
1/4 cup red onion, diced
8 medium flour tortillas, warmed
2 cups romaine or iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 cup jack cheese, grated
1 ripe avocado, diced
1 cup fresh tomato, diced

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine first 7 ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove fish from marinade and discard marinade. Cook fish either on barbecue, in skillet or under broiler. Break cooked fish apart into small chunks. Place an equal portion of fish into each tortilla. Top with remaining ingredients.