Grilled Striper

Preparation of Fillets: Remove all the red meat. 

3/4-lb. Striped Bass fillets, (6-oz. each), skin and red meat removed
1 tablespoon margarine or butter, softened
4 thin red onion slices
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white or lemon pepper paprika

Prepare grill for medium-direct heat. Grease the center of a 20 x 18 inch sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil with margarine. Arrange 2 slices each of red onion and lemon over the margarine. Sprinkle with one tablespoon of almonds and half of the green onions. Arrange the fillets in a single layer over the onions, lemon and almonds. Top with remaining red and green onions, lemon and almonds. Sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper and paprika.

Fold the long sides of the foil together in locked folds. Fold and crimp short ends; seal tightly. Place the packet directly on the cooking grate. Grill, covered, for 11 to 15 minutes, or until the fish is firm and opaque, and just begins to flake. Makes 2 servings

Best Broiled Striper

Preparation of Fillets: Remove all the red meat.

4   8oz. boneless striped bass fillets
1 large onion (sliced thinly and  separated into rings)
¼  cup butter or margarine
2  teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon lemon pepper
2  lemons
½ teaspoon cayenne red pepper    

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Dip striped bass fillets into melted butter and place on non-stick broiler pan.
Sprinkle fish evenly with lemon pepper and cayenne pepper.
Place onion rings on the fillets and then sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce.
Bake for 8 minutes on center oven rack, then turn on broiler at 500 degrees and allow enough time to brown
the fish and onions (3 to 6 minutes). Remove and allow to cool for 3 minutes. Squeeze lemon over fish and serve. Yield: 4 servings

Mustard Batter For Striper

1/3  cup Dijon mustard -- or prepared mustard
1/4  cup water -- plus 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1  1/2  cups seasoned coating mix
2  1/4  pounds striped bass fillets -- cut in 1 1/2" pieces
canola oil

Preparation of Fillets: Remove all the red meat.
In small mixing bowl, combine mustard, water, juice, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne. 
Place coating mix in shallow dish. Dip fish first in mustard mixture and then dredge in coating mix to coat.
In 10-inch skillet, heat 1/2 inch oil over medium heat. Add fish. Fry three to four minutes or until golden brown.
Turn once. Drain on plate lined with a paper towel.

Sweet And Sour Battered Striper

1 Tbs oil                             
1 onion, peeled & chopped
1 small carrot, cut into thin strips  
1/4 pint pineapple juice
1  cucumber unpeeled cut into strips  
4 Tbs vinegar
1 Tbs worcestershire sauce               
2 ozs. brown sugar
4 battered frozen fish steaks        
1 level Tbs cornflour
4 Tbs water blended with cornflour

Heat oil in a pan and add the onion, carrots and cucumber. 
Fry for 5 mins. Pour in the fruit juice, vinegar, worcestershire sauce and sugar. Simmer for 10 mins. stirring occasionally. 
Preparation of Fillets: Remove all the red meat.
Meanwhile, cook fish in mod. oven (turning them over half way through)  for about 20 mins.
Add the cornflour and water mixture to the sauce and bring back to the boil, stirring constantly. Simmer for 1-2 mins. 
Serve with long-grain or basmati rice.

NOTE: Use covered plastic or porcelain containers only.
NEVER use METAL CONTAINERS!!!

The following recipe will yield approximately 2 gallons of brine mixture, which is just the right amount for your home smoker.
Most smokers will hold approximately 25 to 30 pieces of fish filets. When dressing your fish, package accordingly.

DRY INGREDIENTS
2 lbs. Table Salt
I lb. Dark brown sugar
1/4 Cup Ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. Tarragon
5 Whole bay leaves, crumbled

Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight
plastic container.

WET INGREDIENTS
I Yellow onion, loosely chopped
I Lime, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 cups GOOD white dinner wine (dry)

Use a 3 gallon covered plastic container to mix your brine.
I use a "Sterilized" 3 gallon plastic storage bin. (Wal-Mart).

Pour 1 1/2 gallons tap water in storage bin.
Add 1 1/2 cups dry mixture (I cup to I gallon ratio)
Add I yellow onion, loosely chopped
Add I lime, peeled and cut up
Add 2 cups white wine
Mix thoroughly.

Preparation of Fillets: Remove all the red meat.
Place 25 to 30 filet pieces in brine and let sit covered at room temperature for 8 hours.
Spray smoker racks with Pam or other non-stick spray. Remove filets from brine, rinse, and place on smoker racks. Let them sit and air dry for about 30 minutes. A clear glaze
should form on the filets. The glaze is called the "pellicle." The pellicle should be visible on the filets before smoking. Smoke filets in a steam/smoker for 1 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the fish flakes. Wrap filets in Saran Wrap as soon as they come out of the smoker.

Plain Old Fried Striper Fillets

Preparation of Fillets: Remove all the red meat. 

Cut into chunks and soak in a solution of cold water. The recipe for a quart of the solution is:
1 cup of white vinegar
Supersaturate the solution with salt
Soak for at least 1 hour.
Rinse and drain.

Dip fish in an eggwash and roll in mixture of:
1 cup of flour
1 cup of cornmeal
salt and pepper to taste

Fry in hot oil until golden brown.

with
Spiced Shrimp Stuffing

The two most important things to know about preparing striped bass is to first remove the red stuff that runs down the length of the filet on the skin side along the lateral line, and second to remove any of the fatty, grisly stuff around the abdominal cavity (belly) of the filet. The red stuff can be easily scraped away with a butter knife or fingernail. The fatty junk can be trimmed off with a knife. This will prevent an overpowering fishy taste on an otherwise excellent tasting fish.

What You'll Need
This recipe is for one, 2 pound striper filet, feeding about four people. Catch a bigger one, do the math!

The Shrimp Stuffing
Where there are teaspoon measurements, the term of a dash or a pinch is commonly used. I've given an understandable measurement, but again it is all interpretive.
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and rinsed
1 tablespoon margarine
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon brown spicy mustard
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup finely chopped onion, vidalia preferred
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 to 3 cups soft bread crumbs
Drink 3/4 of a can of beer (the best part of this recipe). Leave the rest to warm up to room temperature. Choose a good brand, shrimp don't like discount beer. You got to worry about the cook what talks with shrimp and gets answers back!

How To Work It
After the can of beer is warm, and you have all of your ingredients ready, take a cast iron skillet and heat it to a medium-high temperature. Grind and mix the cayenne, thyme, oregano, and red pepper. Melt margarine, add the spice mix, Worcestershire sauce and mustard. When this bubbles up add the shrimp. Stir and shake pan while shrimp cook until opaque and curled. Chop up the shrimp into bite size pieces. Add beer, celery, carrot, onion, lemon peel and cook another 3 minutes. Mix in the bread crumbs until desired consistency is achieved. It depends on your own desires, some like it very moist, some like it drier. Continue to heat on a low heat until fish is ready to be put in the oven.

The Ingredients for the Fish
2 pound striped bass filet
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon margarine

Fixin' de fish
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine all the spices in a bowl and grind 'em up real good. In a baking pan that has been either greased lightly with margarine, or sprayed with no-stick cooking spray, pile the stuffing in the center and wrap the filet around the stuffing best you can. Take a couple of toothpicks to hold it in place. Spread margarine on fish and sprinkle fish liberally with the spices to taste. Place in oven for about 30 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
Now there's a down home Cajun recipe guaranteed to steam your eyeglasses!

Striper Escabeche With Bell Peppers And Green Beans

Preparation of Fillets: Remove all the red meat.

For marinade
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar 1/4 cup Sherry vinegar*
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pickling spices
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

1/2 cup drained brine-cured green olives such as picholines, pitted and halved
3 small red bell peppers, cut into very thin rings
3 small yellow bell peppers, cut into very thin rings
1 red onion, cut into very thin rings
6 striped bass fillets with skin (about 21/4 pounds total), halved lengthwise
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound green beans, trimmed *available at specialty foods shops and some supermarkets

Make marinade: In a bowl combine marinade ingredients, stirring until brown sugar is dissolved. To marinade add olives, bell peppers, and onion. Season fish with salt and pepper and in a bowl toss with flour to coat, shaking off excess. Line a shallow baking pan with paper towels. In a large heavy skillet heat 3 tablespoons oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté fish, 6 pieces at a time, turning once and adding remaining tablespoon oil to skillet as necessary, until golden on both sides and just cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer fish as sautéed to paper-towel-lined pan to drain.

Transfer fish to a 13- by 9-inch shallow baking dish and pour marinade mixture over fish, spreading vegetables in one layer. Marinate fish, covered and chilled, at least 1 day and up to 3.
In a large saucepan of boiling salted water cook beans 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender, and drain in a colander. Refresh beans under cold water and drain. Beans may be cooked 2 days ahead and chilled in a sealable plastic bag.
Remove fish from marinade mixture and add beans to dish, tossing to coat. Transfer mixture to a large deep platter and arrange fish on top.
Serves 6.

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