# Recipes and cooking Methods



## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

I am just offereing help with this. If anyone needs help with any type of recipe or cooking methodplease pm me and I will be more than glad to help you out. I am a certified executive chef and will help you out to the best of my abilities and if you dont understand something I will do my damndest to help you out, and in some cases come help you make something for your first time or what not. Just offering my help if anyone needs it. Remember Dont Always Eat To Live, Live to Eat!!!!


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## Out Align (Oct 18, 2007)

What is your favorite way to fry snapper and grouper? What do you use flour or cornmeal? I usually use some zatarans fish fry with a little lemon pepper that works fine but I know there are better recipes. If you have ever had the grouper at jerry's drive inn I really like theirs, it's more of a sweet batter fry.


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

You can do one of 2 things. You can either make your own fish fry and season it to your liking or you can do a mix and match. I am not particular to cornmeal on anything unless its Bream, or Mullet. What i would recommend you do is a 3 part recipie, one part cracker crumbs fine ground, one part masa flour or corn flour, and one part all purpose flour. Season the hell out of it with creole seasing, salt, black pepper, garlic salt, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon salt or lemon pepper, your best way to tell if you have it right is have your oil hot and fry up something real quick, a piece of a fillet. Now what i normally do is make a big batch of it and put it in the freezer and pull from it as I need. Now I do a 4 part breading for my fish. You need to have 4 containers for this one. I like to take the fish and wash it really well with just normal water then I take whole milk and crystal hot sauce2 parts milk to 1 part of hot sauce and let my fish sit in that for several hours or you can go over night. This allows the fish to get rid of the bloody gamey taste that youcome accross with snapper, and helps the fillet outkinda like a marinade. Then when its time to fry This is a bitch to do, but you will thank yourself when you are done. I take regular all purpouse flour and season it with just creole seasiong. Then I have an egg wash made up, I use probably 8 eggs to 1/2 gallon whole milk, and you can add crystal hot sauce if you like and some creole seasoning as well,then I have my seasoned flour. Take your fish out of the marinade and rince it off really good again in water, then go to your plain all purpose flour making sure you get a good light coat of flour on it, then to your egg wash then to your seasoned flour then to your greace. I like to fry fish like this right at about 335 to 350. If you want a little sweeter taste you can add some sugar to it but be careful, if you add to much to your mix you will burn your fish and burn your oil rather quick. 

The other way to cook fish is with a true batter, not my favorite way but will work if you like. You need 6 egg yolks, 1/4 cup crystal hot sauce, 2 regular beers, 1tblsp baking soda, 2 tlbs sugar, and flour till its thick enough, now when i say thick enough you want to be able to put a piece of fish in the batter and you have to force it to the bottom, kinda thicker than pancake batter. Fry it up and keep all the crisspys out of the greace because it will burn. 

Now my favorite way is the top for Snapper, Trigger, Grouper, Shark, Redfish, Trout, Flounder, pretty much anything, but i still prefer my corn meal for mullet, and bream. Let me know if you need any other help.That breader works really well on shrimp, oysters, scallops as well. Remember to Live to Eat, dont Always Eat To Live


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## Out Align (Oct 18, 2007)

Do you have a recipe for a pecan crusted fish of some sorts? I have tried several some good some not.


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

Pecan Crust Is a good one but can be tricky. Get yourself some plan pecan pieces and grind them up in a food processor, and add cracker crumbs and corn flour to it, with a touch of sugar, salt, black pepper, creole seasoning, and some garlic salt. Kinda like the 2 way season mix i used before, and do the same as I said before above with these changes, dont presoak the fish, dont use creole seasoning in the first flour, dont use crystal hot sauce in the egg wash, and use the pecan flour for the other. If you would like you can add some whole pecan pieces like you would use in brownies or cookies to your pecan flour for texture. Bread as per normal and deep fry, you want to fry it closer to 325 so your pecans dont burn, and this will brown darker than normal fried fish, because of the sugar and the pecans in it. 

Now if you want to pan sear it you can do so as well, but dont do a 3 way breader, and use bread crumbs parm cheese, pecans and olive oil salt and pepper in a food processor until you can get a good paste that it will stick to the fish without a problem, you have to put it on the fish, only on one side and not the other and it will be really think so dont dredge it, you have to press it on to the fish and spread it, cook in olive oil at a medium heat and watch that you dont burn it, flip it and if its a thick piece you can finish it in the oven.


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

I have a great recipie for pecan crusted Red fish with a Creole Meuniere Sauce with brabant potatoes that will make anyone that eats it fall directly in love or Lust whatever you want with you!!!


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## onoahi (Oct 5, 2007)

i'd love the redfish recipe. my wife likes me to give her a difficult recipe and fresh fish and see what she can do w/ it. this sounds like a good one.


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## AUradar (Oct 1, 2007)

Do you use brines? I recently discovered brines when smoking chickens. Any suggestion for brine use? Especially for turkey since T-given is coming.


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

Ok this is gonna be a long responce so please bare with me. I will try to make it as clear as I possibly can. I will be breaking it up into the pecan breading, the fish, the muenire sauce, the potatoes. So like I said bare with me. It will sound like a lot but goes rather quickly.

<U>Pecan Breading Ingredients:</U><UL><LI>4 cups crushed pecans in the food processor(make them look like pretty much a powder)</LI><LI>2 cups all purpose flour</LI><LI>1 cup masa flour or corn flour</LI><LI>season the hell out of it with creole seasoning salt pepper garlic salt or powder or both, onion powder and a touch of sugar</LI><LI>You want to do the same 3 way breader, all purpose flour with creole seasoning, egg wash with a little crystal thenthe pecan flour, you can add some more chuckier pecans to the mix if you want</LI>[/list]

<U>Fish Ingredients:</U><UL><LI>6 fillets of redfish, no skin cleaned, if the blood line is heave remove the blood line</LI><LI>Dust the fillets with creole seasoning. </LI>[/list]

HINT!!! Now when i say use creole seasoning, i like to use it because its a bunch of different things in one, you want it for flavor not for heat remember that one.

<U>Creole Mueniere Sauce</U>

*<U>WARNING PUT YOUR STOVE HOOD ON HIGH BECAUSE THIS WILL STICK UP YOUR HOUSE!!!</U>*<UL><LI>6 garlic cloves chopped fine</LI><LI>1tsp butchers grind black pepper</LI><LI>the juice of 4 lemons</LI><LI>1 dark beer, DONT USE GUINESS, Samuel adams works well, along with Yeungling, you want to use a lager or an ale.</LI><LI>2 cups Whoretshire sauce</LI><LI>1/4 cupcrystal hot sauce</LI><LI>1# Unsalted butter</LI><LI>1/2 cup heavy cream or heavy whipping cream</LI>[/list]

<U>Method for Creole Muenire Sauce:</U>

Take the Garlic, the pepper, the juice of the lemons, the one beer, the whoretshire sauce(i have been cooking for16 years and still cant spell that damn word), the crystal hot sauce and put them all in a pot. Put the pot on the stove and TURN THE HOOD ON, THIS SMELL WILL KNOCK YOU OUT. Bring it up to a boil, but watch it, it will want to boil over on you, what you want to do is reduce this, it will take a while, get it going on a good simmer completely uncovered with your hood on full blast and let it reduce till you have a little more than a 1/2 cup of liquid left, now dont turn it up to high because it will burn and really smell like shit after that. Now you are gonna ask, how do I know, trust me you will know just kinda eyeball it. The bubbles will begin to get bigger as it reduces and that is a key key tale, but the main thing is to have about 1/2 cup left in the pot. Then take and put in your heavy cream and start to reduce that down to about what you had before. Again watch it so it doesnt boil over on you. Once that is done turn your burner on the lowest possible setting you can possibly get it on, if you have gas or your low is still damn hot you will have to take your pot on and off of it from time to time until you get this next step done. Before doing all of this take your pound of butter and cut it into cubes. Let it sit out on the counter and get to room temperature, DO NOT PUT IN LIQUID BUTTER, YOUR SAUCE WILL BREAK, AND THEN YOU HAVE CRAP!!! Ok with a wisk, put in a little bit of butter at a time stirring slowly until the butter disappears, like I said you dont want to put to much in at a time or else it will want to break on you Definition of breaking a sauce is when the fat and the liquid seperate away from each other. What you are pretty much doing since we all work on shit here is taking motor oil and water and making them one liquid and not seperating, so you have to be delicate. That process will probably take you about 20 mins. ONce you have all the butter in the sauce your sauce is completely done, leave it someplace warm like on your stove or next to the stove but give it a good stir every once in a while. so it doesnt seem to cool tomuch, dont put it in the fridge. Best to use all the sauce in one night because cooling off then warming it back up will cause your sauce to break.Your sauce will bedark brown kinda like gravy color.So now that we have that done lets move onto the next step.

<U>Potatoes Ingredients:</U><UL><LI>4 Idaho potatoes washed and peeled</LI><LI>1 sharp knife</LI>[/list]

<U>Potatoes Method:</U>

Peel and wash your potatoes really well and what you want to do is to cut it into cubes perfectly square is what you want, but if you cant do that then just cut it as close as you can. The beat way is cut off everything from the potatoe that doesn look like a 3 rectangle then cut that into pices then cut those pieces into squares. That is called a brabant potato, well after you get done cooking it. Now you want to cook them before the fish and keep them in the oven so they stay crispy. You want to Deep fry them then once they are done being fried and drained toss them in a bowl with a little bit of salt and pepper. then lay them out and keep them Warm.

<U>PUT IT ALL TOGETHER AND MAKE THE DISH:</U>

Bread the fish and fry it, you can pan fry it if you like because it will tend to lay flatter on the plate, but you can deep fry it just keep your greece around 335. Take the fish out of the pan let drain on a paper towel. Now heres the fun part. Take the potaotes and put on the base of the plate, lay the fish on top of that, then drizzle the sauce around the plate, you dont want to drown it, remember you spent a lot of time making that breading and frying your fish and making it crispy you dont want to make it soggy after all that work, if you would like put the sauce down then the potatoes, then the fish. Garnish it with some Parsley and some lemon wheels.

Now I know this might sound difficult but its really easy just takes some practive. If you need any help at all just get in touch with me and I will walk you through it. This works great for flounder, grouper, snapper, scamp, trout, you name it it will work, it also works well just doing grilled fish with the sauce. Make sure you have some good crusty french bread to get the rest of the sauce off the plate. People will beg you to make this again, and guys that havent gotten any in a while, you will after you feed them this!!!! Remember Live to Eat rather than Eat to Live!!!!


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

I do love to do brines but the secret to brines is poach your chickens right after you take them out of your brine before you smoke them. 

Chicken brine I dont measure this stuff but you will need this

good handful of fresh thyme

good handful of fresh rosemary

good handful of crushed garlic cloves or roasted

6 lemon halves

1 cup salt KOSHER

1 gallon of water

handful hole black pepper corns

Put everything except for the chicken into a big pot and let boil for 3 mins, then put it in the fridge to cool, completely. Put your chickens into it and let it sit in the fridge over night. Next day take them out and let them air dry then poach themin boiling water for 1 minute then let them air dry for a day in the fridge then smoke them

With Turkey you can use the same brine as i listed above if you want add some whole all spice just dont poace it just rince it really good and cook it the same day, you dont need the time to air dry.

Another turkey brine is take a 5 gallon bucket put your turkey in it and put one box of kosher salt in it and fill the bucket up with water and let it sit in a cooler over night then rinse and roast as per normal!! Remember dont always eat to live, live to eat!!!


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## onoahi (Oct 5, 2007)

thanks aj. let you know how it turned out after i catch some reds


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## SPACE (Oct 1, 2007)

How about different ways for vension !!!!!!!!!


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

I hear Joe Patti and Marias have them in stock regularly, its to damn cold to go fishing!!!


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## AUradar (Oct 1, 2007)

thanks,

do you brine anything besides poutry?


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

I like a good Deer Chili, and I dont have a recipe for it, i use 4 different types of beans, peppers, onions, garlic, deer meat, hot sauce, diced tomatoes, tomatoes sauce, and beef stock. 

You can grill it up real good like steak or you can stuff the roasts. I like to make chicken fried deer steaks with deer gravy and bisquits. Make it like you would make chicken fried steak and make the gravy the same way just use deer. I like to soak my deer meat in buttermilk, or milk for 24 hours before i do anything with it. Helps draw out that gamey taste. I can list Deer recipies all day, the way I like to treat is I will do anything with deer I do with beef. Just sometimes when in doubt add more fat to it, and beat the hell out of it with a mallet to tenderize it.


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

I have used brines with pork chops, pork loins, ribs, deer, lamb...


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

This Brine I have used in the past for damn near everything. 

1 gallon orange juice

1/2 gallon soy sauce

3 ginger roots chopped up (dont worry about peeling)

2 bunches cilantro rough chopped

1/2 cup rough chopped garlic cloves

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar or honey

put on the stove bring to a boil and then cool in the frigde put what you want to cook in it and let it brine for 24 hours then cook. 

Hint this works really well on pork loins grilled or smoked.


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

This works really well with beef ribs or a with a roast (deer, beef, or pork)

3 cups kosher salt

1/2c whole allspice DO NOT USE THE GROUND STUFF

8 lemon halves

10 cloves of garlic

black peppercorns Handful

6 bay leaves

Bring to a boil and let cool brine for 24 hours


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## bonita dan (Oct 3, 2007)

Wow,real nice of ya to throw this out there and keepem coming:clap Just ate and now i'm hungry again:banghead No wonder i'm getting fat!


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

If you want the recipe just let me know and I will do my best to make it happen for you. If there is anything you have ever wanted to make, or maybee a different way of doing things just let me know.


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## halo1 (Oct 4, 2007)

do you have any sauces or marinades that go with venison?? Thanks !!


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## Brandy (Sep 28, 2007)

Im wanting to do some pecan crusted fish tonite. What is the best way to stick the pecan, egg?


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

see above for my pecan crust

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=smalltxt vAlign=top><SPAN id=_ctl1_ctlTopic_ctlPanelBar_ctlTopicsRepeater__ctl5_lblFullMessage>Pecan Crust Is a good one but can be tricky. Get yourself some plan pecan pieces and grind them up in a food processor, and add cracker crumbs and corn flour to it, with a touch of sugar, salt, black pepper, creole seasoning, and some garlic salt. Kinda like the 2 way season mix i used before, and do the same as I said before above with these changes, dont presoak the fish, dont use creole seasoning in the first flour, dont use crystal hot sauce in the egg wash, and use the pecan flour for the other. If you would like you can add some whole pecan pieces like you would use in brownies or cookies to your pecan flour for texture. Bread as per normal and deep fry, you want to fry it closer to 325 so your pecans dont burn, and this will brown darker than normal fried fish, because of the sugar and the pecans in it. 

Now if you want to pan sear it you can do so as well, but dont do a 3 way breader, and use bread crumbs parm cheese, pecans and olive oil salt and pepper in a food processor until you can get a good paste that it will stick to the fish without a problem, you have to put it on the fish, only on one side and not the other and it will be really think so dont dredge it, you have to press it on to the fish and spread it, cook in olive oil at a medium heat and watch that you dont burn it, flip it and if its a thick piece you can finish it in the oven. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


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## amberj (Oct 1, 2007)

i would marinate and treat your venison like you would beef, or a steak they have very similar charactaristics at a base level and will accept the same types of acids to the meat. You could go light with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and oregano, or you could go heavy 2 equal parts crystal hot sauce, whorestshire, and soy sauce, or you could do my least favorite italian dressing. The world is your oyster with marinades and venison. I have also heard of one with brown sugar and red wine vinegar, not fond of that though. Experiement.


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