Taking Your Fish Home Plus Recipes to Cook up Your Catch
KEEPING YOUR CATCH AND TAKING IT HOME THINGS YOU'LL NEED TO KNOW TO TAKE YOUR FISH HOME FROM YOUR TRIP TO CABO SAN LUCAS AND OTHER AREAS OF BAJA, MEXICO
If you're planning on taking your catch home, there are rules you need to abide by plus it's a good idea to take along some essentials. First, take a long an ice chest and one on wheels will be most welcome when it comes time to haul your fish to the airport and through customs. You can opt to buy an ice chest in Cabo San Lucas, but the prices are high and supply can be a problem so it's best to take your own.
Here's a tip if you're worried about taking too many bags along with an empty ice chest. Get yourself a good duffle bag and pack that into the bottom of your ice chest. Pack all of your clothes and checked baggage items into the ice chest on top of your duffle. Take a carry on sized bag onto the plane with the rest of the stuff you couldn't fit into the ice chest. When you check into your hotel, simply unpack the chest and now you've got the duffle to take all your dirty clothes home in plus your ice chest for all the fish you'll be taking home. You're within the two checked bags limit for most airlines and any stuff you don't want mixed in with your smelly laundry can take the ride home with you in the overhead storage.
There are a few other things you need to make sure and pack and they are:
1) Duct tape
2) Big Sharpie pen
3) Couple of trash bags
We'll tell you why you need these things a bit later in this article.
So, let's say you just finished a very successful days fishing and are heading back into port. The official rule for cleaning the catch at sea is that you can have the fish gilled and gutted on the boat, but not filleted. Don't be too surprised if the boat's crew does fillet the fish on board even if it's against the rules... it does happen even though charter boats are currently required to bring clients into port for filleting. There is a fish cleaning station at the docks where you pay about $5 a fish for filleting and packaging. We suggest that you stay with your catch while it is being filleted or steaked to ensure that you are getting all of your fish back. If you go that route, talk to your hotel to see about storing your catch in their freezer until the day you leave for home.
A better alternative is to have your catch prepped for the
trip home by one of many local businesses that specialize in doing just that. Your charter crew will have suggestions but you might want to go with old faithful... Gricelda's Smokehouse between Solomon's Landing and Baja Cantina at the backside of the Tesoro Hotel. Grace and Dale who run the show and offer complete fish cleaning, vacuum packing and flash freezing of your catch so it's freshness and quality are preserved. Give some thought to having a portion of your catch slow smoked for a real special treat. Trust us when we tell you that the flavor of freshly caught smoked tuna is well worth the extra expense and it will be the envy of all your fish loving friends back home.
When you're ready to head to the airport, you can pick up your fish on the way as Grace and Dale store your catch until then as part of the service. When it comes time for your departure from Cabo San Lucas, pack your fish in a sturdy ice chest and if you want to keep it frozen as long as possible, pack a trash bag with ice and place it in the ice chest with your fish. When you get to the airport, remove the ice bag as the airlines don't allow ice in the chests in the cargo hold of their planes. Mexican Customs officials will inspect your ice chest and once they've cleared it, seal the lip of the cooler with your duct tape, then do a few wraps around from top to
bottom to keep the chest from popping open in transit. Write your name, phone number and address on the ice chest (you can write on the duct tape instead of the chest if you prefer) and label it as "frozen fish."
Certain regulations apply when bringing your fish home. Sport fishermen may bring into the United States only fish for personal consumption. US Customs requires that the fish catch must be accompanied by a California Declaration of Entry form, obtainable at California Fish and Game offices and at the US Border ports of entry. (Note that different regulations may apply if you live in a state other than California; for information regarding your state's regulations, contact your local Department of Fish and Game or your local US Customs office). The number of fish must not exceed the Mexican bag limit.
Most flights from Cabo are short so your catch will still be frozen when you arrive home ready for storage in your freezer. We've had fish that has been vacuum packed and stored for over a year and it's still firm and tasty! The key is good quality vacuum packing, so choose your service provider well. We also recommend that you keep a few fillets to enjoy while still in Cabo San Lucas. There are many restaurants all along the marina and in town that are happy to prepare your catch and provide all the sides and tortillas you need to make a memorable meal. The cost is usually around $5 a person for fish prepared several different ways.
Cabo San Lucas Restaurants that will prepare your catch:
Alexander's Restaurant
Pancho's Restaurant
Baja Cantina
Captain Tony's
Felix
Many other restaurants will cook your catch for you. Just ask, most will happily do it! For some terrific ways to prepare your catch, check out our recipes page where you'll plenty of ways to prepare tuna, wahoo, dorado and snapper.
WE ENCOURAGE CATCH AND RELEASE OF ALL BILLFISH!
Billfish worldwide are threatened with diminishing numbers. The only way to help preserve stocks is to practice catch and release on all billfish and to use circle hooks when using live or dead baits. For more information on conservation-minded fishing, see our Fishing Tips and Tactics page.
The Take Marlin off the Menu campaign is designed to educate people about what billfish are, their role in the ecosystem and their imperiled state from commercial overfishing. The ultimate goal is, through education and political advocacy, to end the commercial harvest, sale and importation of marlin, sailfish and spearfish in the United States.After all, if you saw lion or tiger for sale in a restaurant or grocery store would you buy it? Of course not. Well, it's time we began thinking of billfish the same way.
Marlin, sailfish and spearfish are some of the ocean’s most magnificent fish, swimming free in the deep waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. They’re distinguished by a long bill, an extension of the upper jaw and nasal bone; brilliant colors when “lit up;” and sleek body shapes that allow them to swim at extraordinary speeds and cover great distances across the Earth’s oceans. Like lions, tigers, wolves and eagles, marlin are an important, top-of-the-foodchain predator species that keep ecosystems in balance.
Here are three reasons why you should stop eating marlin and other billfish: 1. Marlin populations throughout the world are being wiped out by commercial overfishing. Most marlin mortality is a result of incidental bycatch, in which marlin are caught by commercial fishermen targeting tuna, swordfish, and other types of fish. With millions of hooks and many miles of nets in the water, marlin and other billfish don’t stand a chance. 2. Marlin and other billfish populations are not sustainable based on current demand. Their decline is being fueled by the demand for marlin meat among consumers, which corresponds with the overall growing demand for seafood both in the United States as well as throughout the world. Unlike catfish and tilapia and other “farm-raised” seafood, marlin can’t be farm-raised, and therefore can’t keep up with the demand. Besides, farming top ocean predators actually results in a net loss of available seafood because the diets required to rear carnivorous fish are comprised mostly of wild-caught fish. It would be analogous to raising lions or tigers in pens for human consumption. 3. Marlin may be harmful to eat. Marlin and billfish often contain unhealthy levels of mercury and other toxins that may be harmful to humans who regularly eat marlin, billfish and other large fish predators.
Scenes like this are occurring far to often in the face of depleted billfish stocks worldwide. Photo courtesy of the Take Marlin Off The Menu campaign.
How critical is the situation? According to three prominent marine conservation organizations, the International Game Fish Association, the National Coalition for Marine Conservation, and The Billfish Foundation, if we don’t stop the widespread harvest and consumption of marlin and other billfish, we may risk losing them from the world’s oceans.
According to one study, the numbers of large ocean predators have declined by 90 percent in the last 50 years. Nearly all species of billfish are overfished, some severely (white marlin and blue marlin in the Atlantic; striped marlin in the Pacific) or their status is unknown.
UNDER-REPORTING BILLFISH CATCHES
Most billfish harvest is driven by industrial longline and purse-seine fisheries for tuna. Because billfish in reality are mainly a “bycatch species” (caught accidentally in fisheries for other species) getting reliable catch data can be difficult. Commercial catch data are compiled by the various Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs). However, catch data are plagued by chronic under-reporting, and fish that are discarded at sea, alive or dead, also are often not reported. Many billfish are recorded only if they are landed.
International billfish landings (catches) are compiled by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The following represents catches of the top five species in metric tons (mt) reported by FAO in 2004. Billfish “Not Elsewhere Included” (NEI) represent catches that are not classified to a particular species. The exceptionally high volume of NEI is particularly troubling because these data cannot be used in stock assessments to determine the relative health of individual billfish stocks.
Blue marlin: 26,765 metric tons Indo-Pacific sailfish: 25,722 mt Billfish not elsewhere included (NEI): 23,658 mt Striped marlin: 7,380 mt Black marlin: 3,755 mt
Overall, many more billfish are harvested in the Pacific (83,677 mt in 2004) than in the Atlantic (6,753 mt). Most billfish bycatch in the Atlantic is from high seas longlining. With more than 100 million hooks annually, Japan is the biggest player, harvesting 10 percent of all white and 35 percent of all blue marlin. In the Pacific, longlines take 48 percent of billfish landings and purse seines 38 percent. However, both Pacific and Atlantic landings data are intentionally manipulated to avoid regulations, which results in high levels of unclassified (NEI) catch and underestimates of true billfish harvest.
THE U.S. IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST IMPORTER OF BILLFISH
If obtaining reliable catch data isn’t difficult enough, quality trade data also are sorely lacking. FAO trade data are typically thought to be the most complete at the international level, but it likely underestimates trade due to product mislabeling and underreporting. Still, FAO data provide the best available mechanism for looking at international trends in billfish trade.
The following were the top five exporters of billfish based on the average annual quantity of exported billfish between 2001 and 2005. Taiwan Province of China: 8,169 metric tons/year South Africa: 407 mt/year Maldives: 176 mt/year Costa Rica: 213 mt/year El Salvador: 25 mt/year
The top five importers of billfish over the same time period were: United States: 166 metric tons/year Sri Lanka: 95 mt/year Japan: 40 mt/year Singapore: 36 mt/year France: 32 mt/year
FDA data indicates that U.S. billfish imports may actually be 7 to 8 times higher. In addition to the FAO data, United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) customs clearance slips can provide a better idea of how much billfish the U.S. is importing. According to FDA data, between 2003 and 2006 the U.S. imported approximately 1,260 mt of billfish annually. This figure is substantially higher than that reported by FAO and underscores the underreporting that plagues international trade data.
FDA data identified the following five leading exporters to the U.S.: Costa Rica: 342 metric tons/year Ecuador: 245 mt/year Vietnam: 221 mt/year Republic of South Korea: 132 mt/year Philippines: 121 mt/year
It is worth highlighting that FAO data reports that Costa Rica has a total export of 213 mt, while FDA data reports that Costa Rica exports 342 mt annually to the U.S. alone. This again demonstrates the underreporting inherent in the FAO data and the need for better international trade data.
In the United States it is currently illegal to commercially harvest marlin, sailfish and spearfish and importation of Atlantic billfish harvested by other countries is prohibited. Any billfish product that is imported to the United States must have a Certification of Eligibility (COE) that attests that it was harvested from the Pacific. The problem is that there is no requirement for this form to be submitted to any governmental agency, or for it to be retained by dealers. Thus, there is no mechanism for tracking billfish from the country of origin to the consumer’s plate. Moreover, it has long been thought that the laxness of the COE process facilitates a black market for Atlantic billfish. An investigation of FDA data has confirmed this as there are records of billfish entering the U.S. from countries that have no Pacific coastline. While it is extremely unlikely that these were transshipments of billfish that were caught in the Pacific, there is no way to know for sure.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
One would think that the United States’ position as the world’s largest importer of billfish would signify that billfish harvest and trade is a lucrative business. Economic impact analyses were performed on the U.S. billfish trade to determine what the total impact was and its relation to the rest of the US commercial fishing industry. In the U.S., there are two distinct segments of billfish product flow: domestic harvest and consumption in Hawaii, and imported billfish product consumption in the continental U.S.
The results of the analysis indicated that Hawaiian billfish harvest and consumption alone is responsible for 346 jobs, $12.5 million in direct income and $24.9 million in total output. Put in perspective, the Hawaiian billfish trade is only 0.03% of the average income of $32.9 billion for all commercial fishing in the U.S. In the mainland U.S., secondary wholesaling of billfish imports was responsible for 328 jobs, $11 million in income and $18.5 million in total output. Taken collectively, the entire U.S. billfish trade (Hawaiian and mainland) represents only 0.07% of the total income of all commercial fishing in the US. Put another way, billfish harvest and trade is not a prominent economic component of the US commercial fishing industry.
Hopefully the information you just read has got you thinking. First, worldwide, billfish stocks aren’t in great shape. In addition, the economic value of the U.S. billfish trade is, for lack of a better word, “peanuts,” in relation to the rest of the U.S. commercial fishing industry.
HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH
Most people also are unaware that marlin have been documented to accumulate harmful levels of mercury. The United States Environmental Protection Agency health guidelines for fish consumption indicate that any fish with a mercury level greater than 1.5 parts per million (ppm) should not be consumed in any amount. Marlin, especially large specimens, have been found to have mercury levels as high as 15 ppm, and a recent study reported an average mercury level of 4.08 ppm for blue marlin sampled in Australian waters. Eating Marlin Doesn’t Make Sense
So, based on what we now know, what can we say about the U.S. billfish market? How about: “Stocks are in bad shape and it does little for the economy, but at least eating them is bad for you!” It just doesn’t make sense, does it?
GREAT RECIPES FOR YOUR FISH Part of the joy of fishing the waters of Cabo San Lucas and the East Cape of Baja is eating your catch. Nothing compares to fresh caught fish except your own fresh caught fish! Cabosbest.com has compiled some great recipes for you to enjoy. Should you have recipes of your own that you'd like to share, send it to us and we will post it to the site. Remember to tell us who you are and we'll include a credit at the bottom of the recipe so that everyone will know who helped them cook up a truly memorable meal. Mucho gusto, amigos!
RECIPES STRAIGHT FROM BAJA If you're looking to create a few culinary masterpieces at home but really want to bring a little Los Cabos into your kitchen, we've asked a few of our favorite restaurants in Cabo San Lucas to share a recipe or two. Look for them mixed in with our other recipes marked with a red check mark. ()
We've also searched the web for some great cooking videos that feature the best seafood recipes out there, and some of them even come to you from chefs right here in beautiful Baja Sur, Mexico!
RECIPES FROM PALMAS DE CORTEZ HOTEL ON BAJA'S EAST CAPE
Place mahi-mahi in a well greased shallow baking pan. In a bowl combine milk, salt and pepper. Pour over fish. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, drain, and reserve liquid. Place fish on hot platter and keep warm.
In a skillet melt the butter, blend in flour. Add hot liquid gradually and cook until thick, stirring constantly. Add lemon juice. Pour over fish and top with macadamia nuts and paprika.
CARIBBEAN DORADO (Serves 4-6) INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
2 pounds Mahi-Mahi fillets
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 onions, sliced into thin rings
1 lemon, sliced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
4 tablespoons butter
Ground black pepper to taste
Arrange the fish fillets in an oven proof 9x13 glass baking dish. Pour the rum and lime juice over the fish and place a slice onion on each fillet. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove fish from the refrigerator and pour off about 3/4 of the liquid. Leave the onion slices in the dish and place a thick slice of lemon on each fish fillet. Sprinkle with oregano and black pepper to taste. Place a pat of butter or margarine on each fillet.
Bake, covered, at 325 degrees F for about 20 to 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish or it will be dry. Serve with the cooked onion and lemon slices.
SESAME CRUSTED DORADO (Serves 6) INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
3 shallots, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 shiso leaves (find it at Oriental markets)
Coarse kosher salt
Ground white pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
6 (6 ounce) Mahi-Mahi fillets
4 tablespoons sesame seeds
4 tablespoons black sesame seeds
In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine shallots, ginger, lemon juice, and white wine. Cook until liquid is reduced to approximately 2 tablespoons. Stir in heavy cream, and bring to light boil. Reduce cream by half; do not burn. Stir in soy sauce, then transfer to blender. Blend on low while slowly adding butter, a few cubes at a time, until all of the butter is emulsified. Roughly chop or tear shiso, add to sauce, and blend for about 10 more seconds. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Keep sauce warm. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Heat oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Season both sides of the fillets with kosher salt and white pepper. Mix together white and black sesame seeds, and place in a plate or flat dish. Press the TOP side only of each fillet into the mixture, and press seeds into fish so it sticks. Make sure that the crusted sides are evenly crusted with the seeds.
When oil is smoking, add fish, sesame seed side down to pan, and be careful of oil splatters. Pan sear fish for about 30 to 45 seconds per side. Place pan into oven, or transfer fish to baking sheet, and cook in oven for about 5 to 6 minutes. Serve sesame crust side up with ginger butter sauce.
CURRIED MAHI MAHI (Serves 4) INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
1 pound mahi-mahi fillets, skinned and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger-root
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes and their liquid, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley Sprinkle the mahi with the salt and pepper and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onion, garlic and ginger-root. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add the curry powder and sauté for 1 minute longer. Stir in tomatoes with their liquid and lime juice, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
Add the fish to the skillet, combine it well with the sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley. WAHOO RECIPES COCONUT CRUSTED WAHOO (Serves 4) INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
8 3-oz. slices of wahoo
2 limes
8 oz. coconut flakes
4 oz. flour
3 eggs
2 oz. chopped basil
2 tsp. chopped garlic
15 fluid oz. coconut milk
Salt and pepper (fresh ground)
Marinate wahoo in coconut milk and lime juice for 4 hours.
Mix coconut flakes with basil and garlic. Bread the marinated fish first with flour, then eggs, then coconut flake mix. Pan-fry in medium-high heat or until golden and crispy.
BLACKENED WAHOO WITH CAJUN CREAM SAUCE (Serves 4) INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
4 10-oz. pieces of Wahoo
8 large shrimp
8 large sea scallops
1 pint heavy cream
1 stick butter
3 tbsp. Cajun seafood seasoning
1 tbsp. clam base
1 oz. sherry
Salt and pepper (fresh ground)
lemon—cut in wedges (to garnish)
rosemary stalks (to garnish)
In saucepan heat 1/2 stick butter and bring to boil. Reduce heat and let stand.
Heat cast iron skillet to 500°. Coat pieces of wahoo with 2 tbsp. Cajun seasoning.
In another saucepan, reduce cream over medium heat, add remaining 1/2 stick of butter. Add 1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning, clam base and sherry. Reduce to desired consistency.
In separate sauté pan, heat the standing butter, add shrimp and scallops. Sauté 2-3 minutes or until fish is opaque. Add to cream sauce.
Place wahoo on skillet with butter. Cook on each side 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Spoon cream sauce, shrimp and scallops over wahoo. Garnish with lemon and rosemary and serve.
GRILLED WAHOO (Serves 2) INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
2 fillets wahoo, about 1/2 inch thick
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2-4 cloves fresh garlic
1/3 cup fresh cilantro or parsley
2 tbsp. Cajun seafood seasoning
1 whole lemon, juiced
lemon wedges (to garnish) Brush grill with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Preheat on high for about 10 minutes.
Mix melted butter, garlic, parsley, Cajun seafood seasoning, and lemon juice in a blender until you have a smooth sauce. Brush both sides of fillets with sauce. Place fillets on grill and cook, turning once or twice. Brush on more sauce as needed. Fish is done when it flakes easily . Garnish with lemon wedges.
TUNA RECIPES PINEAPPLE TEQUILA GLAZED TUNA STEAKS (Serves 4) INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
4 pieces of 6 oz. tuna steaks
3 cups pineapple juice
2 tbsp. tequila
Salt and pepper (fresh ground) Cook pineapple juice in small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup.
Remove from heat and add tequila. Let cool.
Place tuna steaks in a medium-sized shallow baking dish and pour in pineapple glaze sauce. Coat tuna steaks completely- both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Heat grill pan over high heat. Add salt and pepper to tuna steaks. Grill steaks on each side for 2-3 minutes.
TUNA WITH GARLIC, TOMATO & HERBS (Serves 4) INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
4 tuna steaks (about1 inch thick)
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
3 or 4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
4 tbsp. dry white wine
3 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tsp. dried Herbs de Provence
Salt and fresh-ground pepper
Fresh basil leaves to garnish
Season the tuna steaks with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy frying pan over high heat until very hot, add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the tuna steaks and press down gently, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 6-8 minutes, turning once, until just slightly pink at the center.
Transfer the steaks to a serving plate and cover to keep warm. Add the garlic to the pan and fry for 15-20 seconds, stirring constantly, then pour in the wine and boil until it is reduced by half. Add the tomatoes and dried herbs and cook for 2-3 minutes until the sauce is bubbly. Season with pepper and pour over the fish steaks. Serve garnished with fresh basil leaves.
GRILLED TUNA WITH TROPICAL FRUIT (Serves 4) INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
4 pieces of 4 to 6-oz. fresh tuna, marlin, or swordfish steaks (about 1 inch thick)
4 slices bacon
4 pieces of 1/2-inch slices fresh pineapple, or 4 slices canned, drained pineapple
1 small papaya (ripe but firm), peeled, seeded, and quartered
Lime wedges and thin slices of lemon, orange, and grapefruit peel
Tropical Glaze(Makes 1-1/2 cups)
Make ahead and refrigerate covered, up to 1 day.
Combine:
1 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. finely shredded lemon peel
4 tsp. grated ginger
1 to 2 tsp. Habanero chile sauce or other Caribbean-style hot sauce
In a medium saucepan cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 20 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp. vanilla.
Rinse fish; pat dry. Cook bacon in a large skillet 2 to 3 minutes until partially cooked but not crisp. Wrap a piece of bacon around outside of each fish steak and secure with a toothpick.
Prepare a grill with a cover for indirect grilling: Arrange preheated coals around a drip pan. Or preheat gas grill, then turn one side off and set drip pan over burners on that side. Test grill for medium heat above pan.
Place fish on lightly oiled grill rack over drip pan. Brush with some of the Tropical Glaze. Cover grill and cook for 8 to 12 minutes or just until fish begins to flake easily with a fork, turning and brushing once with additional glaze halfway through grilling time.
Place the pineapple and papaya on the grill rack around the fish and directly over the coals during the last 5 minutes of grilling, turning fruit and brushing once with Tropical Glaze.
Bring remaining glaze to boiling in a small saucepan. Drizzle glaze over fish and fruit. Garnish with lime wedges and citrus peels.
YELLOWFIN TUNA SUMMER ROLLS (Serves 8) INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
12 ounces sushi-grade yellowfin tuna
1 cup rice sticks or rice vermicelli
8 rice paper rounds
1 cup grated carrots
4 scallions cut lengthwise into slivers
3 inches seedless cucumber, cut into thin strips
1 avocado, seeded, peeled, and cut into thin strips
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Dipping Sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 Thai red chile or serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced
2 tsp. peeled and minced gingerroot
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. fish sauce, available in Asian markets and most supermarkets In a small bowl, combine sugar, chile, gingerroot, lime juice, and fish sauce. Mix well to combine flavors. Set aside.
Place a small nonstick skillet over high heat. Heat dry skillet until very hot. Sear tuna in skillet, 1 minute per side, or to desired doneness. Remove from skillet and slice into 8 log-shaped pieces. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, soak rice sticks in hot tap water 10 to 15 minutes, until soft. Drain noodles thoroughly. Set aside.
Working one wrap at a time, briefly immerse rice paper in a shallow bowl of warm water, about 10 seconds. In the bottom third of each round, place 2 tablespoons grated carrots, then 3 or 4 scallion slivers, 4 or 5 cucumber strips, a slice of avocado, and a piece of seared tuna. Top with a generous sprinkling of mint and cilantro. Place a small mound of rice sticks on top. Fold in the left and right sides of the round. Begin rolling up from the bottom. Place each cigar-shaped roll on a platter. Cover with a damp kitchen towel until you are ready to serve.
The rolls are best served immediately, but they can be refrigerated, tightly covered, up to 2 hours before serving.
To serve, cut each roll in half on the diagonal and serve with Dipping Sauce.
SNAPPER RECIPES SPICY RED SNAPPER WITH MANGO SALSA (Serves 4) INGREDIENTS NEEDED:
1 lb. red snapper fillets
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. water
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into 4 serving-size pieces. Measure thickness of fish. In a small bowl combine lime juice and water; brush onto fish.
In another small bowl combine paprika, salt, ginger, allspice, and black pepper; rub onto fish.
Arrange the fish in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, in a 450 degree F oven until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. (Allow 4 to 6 minutes for each 1/2 inch of thickness)
To serve, brush the fish with pan juices. Serve with Mango Salsa. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro or parsley sprigs.
Mango Salsa (Makes about 2 cups)
1 mango, peeled, seeded, and chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 medium red sweet pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 hot green chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. finely shredded lime peel
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 medium lime, cut into wedges (optional)
Fresh cilantro or parsley sprigs (optional)
In a medium mixing bowl combine mango, red sweet pepper, green onion, hot green chili pepper, olive oil, lime peel, lime juice; vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well, let flavors meld 15-20 minutes, wait a bit longer and the flavor gets even better.
FISH TACO RECIPE
SPENCER'S MEXICAN STYLE BOUILLABAISSE - FELIX' RESTAURANT
INGREDIENTS (or as Spencer calls it, the Parts List) 3 pounds of firm white filets of fish – one pound chopped very fine (almost like hamburger) and the other two cut into big bite-sized chunks. 3 or 4 Italian sausages – cut into slices about the thickness of my little finger. If my finger’s not around - use your own. 3 or 4 cooked crabs – I use small local blue crabs (because that’s what’s available), you can use what’s available where you live. Just toss the crabs into into a pot of cold water and bring them to a boil for no more than a minute or two. Let them cool then rip their little legs and claws off and set them aside. Take the flap off the underside of the body - clean out all the junk that doesn’t look like food and break the body in half. Set them over with the legs and claws. Shrimp – peeled and deveined. 5 or six shrimp for each serving. Scallops – also about 5 or 6 per serving. I use a fresh local scallop called ‘callo de almeja’ about as big around as a quarter. A couple or three medium onions - peeled and chopped. Ripe red tomatoes - chopped into whatever size you like. You want a pile a little bigger than the pile of chopped onions. A few cloves of chopped garlic A whole bunch of chopped parsley - don’t be stingy, this is an important part of the recipe. Teaspoon fennel seeds - do not use fresh fennel unless you are prepared to take my name off the recipe A lot of chopped lettuce - very finely chopped. I’ve never actually measured but it’s probably at least 4 or 5 cups. Use iceburg, red, romaine, butter, whatever Fresh lemon or lime wedge – as a garnish to be squeezed into the bowl or very thin slices to actually float on the surface of the soup. Tabasco - just a little bit Worcestershire sauce - also just a little A dab or two of butter Salt - to taste, but don’t add it until the very end A couple of quarts of liquid……..you can use water, but chicken stock (homemade or store bought) really makes it special. Cooked white rice - enough to put a good scoop in the bottom of each bowl. The rice is not traditional but that’s the way I do it. A nice crisp slice of garlic toast would also work well. Your choice.
STEP ONE In a large soup pot cook the sausage over medium heat in a little bit of oil. When the sausage is just lightly browned - toss in the finely chopped fish, the garlic, onions and fennel seeds. Give it a good stir and keep cooking until the onions are well cooked but not browned. Toss in a good big handful of the parsley and give it a couple more stirs. Now add the tomatoes - either fresh or canned-blended. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add the liquid (hopefully chicken stock) and bring it to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer – put a lid on it and let it simmer away for a half hour or so. Then add the chopped lettuce. The lettuce will float on the surface and you want to add enough so it covers the soup at least an inch thick. Give it a good stir put a lid on the pot and let it simmer some more –stirring occasionally. If we’ve done it right the lettuce will pretty much disappear, leaving only a vaguely tarragon-ish taste and a slightly thickened stock. In all the years I’ve been making this soup, no one has ever guessed that lettuce is the secret ingredient. As soon as the lettuce has been absorbed the soup is done………..almost. Add a couple of good shakes of Tabasco and a couple of Worcestershire and about a third of a cube of butter stir it in and turn off the gas. You’re done with this part of the deal. I taste this soup everyday and, if it’s done right I cannot taste the Tabasco, Worcestershire or butter but if it’s missing, I can tell.
STEP TWO The second step is the reason your soup is going to be so much better than all the celebrity chef’s. They throw all the seafood in at the same time. A half hour into the process the shrimp and scallops are way overcooked, the fish is falling apart and the clams and mussels are tougher’n a boot. So I add the shrimp, scallops and other sea stuff last. I put however many bowls of soup I need into a smaller pot and add the shrimp the fish, crab and scallops, bring it to a simmer. As soon as the fish has turned from grayish to white it’s done. If you’re using clams and/or mussels it’s done when the shells open. Use a slotted spoon to put the 5 or 6 shrimp, 5or 6 scallops, half a crab body, a crab claw and a generous amount of fish over the rice (or garlic toast) in each bowl. Then with a ladle add broth to cover everything. At Felix’ we serve it with lime wedges and a nutcracker for the crab. . At home I actually float a couple of thin lemon/lime slices on each soup. For some reason Americans are reluctant to use the lime, but it’s an important part of this dish, so you should insist.
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