My Great Fish Cooking Experiment

Fish is the topic on this first Friday in Lent…so it’s the perfect time to revisit my 2016 experiment. You see…it’s not every day this usually land-locked Iowa Meemaw finds herself standing in front of a fishmonger in a grocery store known for more fresh fish varieties than I’ve ever seen!

Penn Dutch Food Center in Margate, Florida, is an awesome place to shop for ANY type of protein…and on this day I was ready to “go fishing!”

That’s where I was, right after all the fresh fish had been delivered…many coming directly from the fishermen themselves. And no matter which “catch of the day” you buy there, the fishmongers will clean them and remove the scales for free…all while you watch! 

As I waited my turn in line, I found myself surrounded by a sea of grey haired grandmas who were stocking up for their Friday night Lenten dinners. I asked them many questions about what they planned to buy, and I learned so much from them. (At least from the women I could understand…many were speaking in a lilting melody of Greek and Italian.) They were planning to prepare everything from fish soups and stews to fried and grilled methods to feed their families that night.

Now, for the record, I love all kinds of seafood, but I’m not experienced when it comes to cooking whole fish. Oh sure, my dad loved to fish…but in the Heartland his catch of the day was usually a perch, bullhead, blue gill, or catfish.

And back then, my mom was the cook and I was simply a willing recipient of her culinary efforts when she cooked whatever Dad’s catch of the day might be. So this Meemaw? A relative newbie when it comes to fish – especially those caught in Florida.

And since the fish monger was so very helpful, I decided to try an experiment. I asked him to help me select four whole fish…of four different varieties…and give me advice on how to cook each one. (Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!)

My selections that day?

SAND BRIM

MOON FISH

MULLET

YELLOW TAIL SNAPPER

When I returned home and unwrapped each package, I’ll admit my Florida neighbors scoffed LOUDLY at several of my selections. One neighbor informed me he would only taste two of the fish I had purchased: the Sand Brim (also called Bream, I’m told) and the Snapper. Apparently he would only use the others as BAIT! Not very reassuring!

But I was determined to make each of these affordable fish into a taste-worthy dish. Here’s how I made each one:

SAND BRIM

I dredged the fish in a mixture of salt and pepper and Wondra flour. If you haven’t tried Wondra, it’s great to use as a coating for fried foods…it creates a beautiful, thin, crispy crust. (And it makes lump-free gravy too!)

Then I pan fried the Sand Brim in vegetable oil in a non stick pan.

MOON FISH

I coated this strange looking little guy (his face reminded me of a pig!) with extra virgin olive oil and and some fresh parsley. Then I sprinkled a liberal amount of Meemaw’s Magic Dry Rub over it.  

I allowed it to rest in the refrigerator for several hours for the dry rub to flavor the flesh, then grilled it.

MULLET

I sprinkled it with salt and pepper, and I stuffed the cavity with sliced lemons, slivered garlic and fresh rosemary. I also made three deep cuts in the flesh on both sides and stuffed the slits with more rosemary and garlic. (You can’t have too much of a good thing…right?)

I drizzled it with some extra virgin olive oil, then headed to the grill…

YELLOW TAIL SNAPPER

I drizzled this with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. Then I stuffed the cavity with sliced oranges, onions and fresh dill before grilling it.

Tip 1: Before grilling fish (or other proteins), brush the grill grates with vegetable oil. This step helps to keep it from sticking.

Tip 2: Don’t flip the fish over until they are DONE on one side. This helps to keep each one from falling apart.

Tip 3: Fish have a built in temperature gauge to let you know when they’re fully cooked. The fish is done when the eyeballs turn white. (But for the record, I did remove the heads before dinner; I wasn’t keen on my dinner staring back at me, no matter WHAT color those eyes were!)

Since I was “stuck at the grill” on a beautiful afternoon in our winter paradise…I rewarded myself with a giant glass of wine as I conducted my less-than-scientific experiment. 🙂

And after all was said and done…the results?

From Left to Right: Mullet, Moon Fish, Sand Brim, Yellow Tail Snapper

Yay

I would absolutely cook the Yellow Tail Snapper and the Sand Brim again. Both had mild white flesh with a delicate flavor.  I would try the Mullet again, too. It’s a oilier variety, but I loved the lightness and the flavors that the garlic, rosemary and lemons added.  

Nay

But I would skip the Moon Fish. My research tells me that species is usually caught and eaten when it is much larger…and then it is cut into steaks like swordfish. That might make a difference in my evaluation. But this small, thin, flat fish turned out to be mostly bones, and the slightly oily, “off” flavor didn’t warrant the work it would take to devour it without choking, not even for me!  

Tip 4: My mom was always afraid of choking on a hidden fish bone, so she never failed to have buttered bread on the table when we were eating fish. She was convinced that the bread would push a fish bone right on down! (Thank God I didn’t have to use her safety method!)

All in all, it was a fun but also exhausting day-long experiment between the research, cooking, photographing, and plating all four varieties. (So any guesses as to how much wine was left in my bottle at the end of the day?!)

But I know my condo neighbors got a kick out of watching my excitement over experimenting with something they all take for granted here in Fort Lauderdale: FRESH FISH!