cooking drum and redfish

deerefan · Jun 26, 2011

I do a lot of freshwater fishing and had the opportunity to fish some brackish waters this weekend with coworkers. We caught several redfish and drum. What is a good way to cook these fish? I have cooked perch, bream, catfish and bass several times. Is it the same? Does anyone have some good recipes?

Western · Jun 27, 2011

I've never cooked drum, but a friend of mine has and he always used a pressure cooker. Couldn't tell you why, he just said that's what you do. He was from Shreveport.

Bird · Jun 27, 2011

Never used a pressure cooker. Since my parents used to live in Port Aransas, and kept us supplied with fish, we've cooked lots of redfish (also known as red drum) and black drum. We've fried them and broiled them as you would any other fish. And of course the Cajun "blackened redfish" is delicious and you can use the same recipe for the other drum and sheepshead. But for the blackened fish, you want to do that outdoors because it can get rather smoky. Incidentally, one of my brothers used to like to fish for lake trout in Alaska, but didn't like eating them. In 1990, we were up there and I cooked up the trout using Paul Prudhomme's blackened redfish magic seasoning and my brother found he liked the trout very much cooked that way.:laughing:

sweettractors · Jun 27, 2011

deerefan said:
I do a lot of freshwater fishing and had the opportunity to fish some brackish waters this weekend with coworkers. We caught several redfish and drum. What is a good way to cook these fish? I have cooked perch, bream, catfish and bass several times. Is it the same? Does anyone have some good recipes?

If you pressure cook them, the bones will dissolve and you be able to can them just like green beans and eat them later. (sorta like sardines) We do rough fish that way here in Ky. Ken Sweet

Western · Jun 27, 2011

Thanks Ken! Come to think of it , they did can most of it like any other garden produce.

He even canned beef, which I had heard about from my grandparents, but have never seen outside of store bought products.

schoolsout · Jun 27, 2011

Blackened is big down that way

Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic is a good spice to use. Not much salt compared to other stuff.

I usually pan fry or saute the fish here...anything from Redfish to Grouper

http://www.chefpaul.com/site.php?pageID=365&iteminfo=1&productID=8

schoolsout · Jun 27, 2011

And if you do go the blackened route, I'd do it outside

Chef Paul's Recipes - Chef Paul Prudhomme

how to prepare

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over very high heat until it is extremely hot (about 600°F).

Spread a little of the butter or oil on each side of the filets. Sprinkle one side with ¾ teaspoon of the Magic Seasoning Blend and place the filet in the heated skillet seasoned side down. Sprinkle the top side with ¾ teaspoon of the Magic Seasoning Blend. Cook, turning frequently until the fish starts to flake, about 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining filets. Serve each filet while piping hot.

Special note from Chef Paul: Because this method is simple, any variation will make a dramatic difference. Be sure the skillet is hot enough and absolutely dry. Be sure not to overseason - - the herbs and spices should highlight the taste rather than hide or overpower it. You don't want to overcook the filet - - there's a big difference between blackened and burned. Avoid a burned, bitter taste by wiping out the skillet between batches.

retiredmgn · Jun 27, 2011

Bird said:
And of course the Cajun "blackened redfish" is delicious and you can use the same recipe for the other drum and sheepshead. But for the blackened fish, you want to do that outdoors because it can get rather smoky... and I cooked up the trout using Paul Prudhomme's blackened redfish magic seasoning and my brother found he liked the trout very much cooked that way.:laughing:

Kills me Bird. I read a post, think I have something to offer, scroll down and there you are posting exactly what I was thinking.

In this instance I will add...Paul Prudhomme's blackened redfish magic is the best stuff going. Get the pan just as hot as you can without causing thermal meltdown. Butter up a slab of fish, sprinkle (lots) redfish magic on, toss in pan for 2 minutes, butter, sprinkle, flip. Leave sitting on flipped side till meat pulls easily from bones. It's about the high heat and the mechanical action of searing the flesh to keep the jucies inside the chunk of fish/meat. My favorite for this swordfish but that's a treat. Even Bass can be well served by this method.

edit: This method of cooking became even better when I purchased a stand alone LP cooker from Cabellas for boiling, dying, waxing traps. Thing could double as a blacksmith forge. Cooks a mean fish.

Jimbrown · Jun 27, 2011

Cornmeal batter and fried yuuummmmmm

I hope those reds were legal alot of people are not aware of the size limit.

schoolsout · Jun 27, 2011

I guess I should keep reading the posts before posting...

Sorry for the repetition

retiredmgn · Jun 27, 2011

schoolsout said:
I guess I should keep reading the posts before posting...

Sorry for the repetition

I'm in the same boat. Takes me so damm long to type, 13 people have already responded by the time I hit <enter>.

Bird · Jun 27, 2011

I've probably actually used more sheepshead than any other fish for blackened fish because dad & I both liked to fish for them. As for the recipe posted above (and it's correct), I think you must use a cast iron skillet, and I always melted some butter so I could just lay a fillet in it, then turn the fillet so both sides got buttered before I applied the blackened redfish magic and put it into a very hot cast iron skillet. I always did it on an LPG burner outdoors. The first time I ever heard of blackened redfish was when my mother told me about it many years ago and I thought that just couldn't be right; that burned fish couldn't be good.:laughing: Boy, was I wrong!

schoolsout · Jun 27, 2011

I don't do blackened much for the simple reason of going outdoors, although we have a few burners always hooked up downstairs under the house.

Easiest is to just coat filets in olive oil, sprinkle on seasonings of choice (I still use Prudhomme's stuff for this) and cook a few mins on each side until flaky.

retiredmgn · Jun 27, 2011

Bird said:
I've probably actually used more sheepshead than any other fish for blackened fish because dad & I both liked to fish for them. As for the recipe posted above (and it's correct), I think you must use a cast iron skillet, and I always melted some butter so I could just lay a fillet in it, then turn the fillet so both sides got buttered before I applied the blackened redfish magic and put it into a very hot cast iron skillet. I always did it on an LPG burner outdoors. The first time I ever heard of blackened redfish was when my mother told me about it many years ago and I thought that just couldn't be right; that burned fish couldn't be good.:laughing: Boy, was I wrong!

Not aware of Sheepshead. Nothing in Maine I'm aware of by that name. Is that a flatfish?
Cast Iron skillet all the way!

"Here son, eat this burned fish, it will put hair on your chest".

schoolsout · Jun 27, 2011

Sheepshead are in southern coastal waters...they like to eat barnacles, fiddler crabs and things like that. Usually hang around pilings/structure.

During the winter months here, they go offshore to some of the shallower reefs. Fun fishing if you can get out there on a calm day.

Bird · Jun 27, 2011

retiredmgn said:
Not aware of Sheepshead. Nothing in Maine I'm aware of by that name. Is that a flatfish?
Cast Iron skillet all the way!

"Here son, eat this burned fish, it will put hair on your chest".

Nelson, not too many years ago, there were no restrictions in Texas at all on fishing for sheepshead. Not many people wanted them because they have very big bones and head, tough scales and skin, and a black lining in the abdominal cavity. So the percentage of live weight that you get with the fillets is less than most fish. However, I think anyone would be hard pressed to distinguish a sheepshead fillet from a redfish fillet by taste alone. So, as some of the other species became more scarce, more and more people started fishing for sheepshead and then the state made them a game fish and gradually started tightening the restrictions. So now, it's a bag limit of 5 and minimum length of 15" in Texas, and you'd be very lucky to get your limit, where Dad & I used to go catch 10 to 20 in the morning, fillet them, eat lunch, and go back and do it again in the afternoon. The last time I went to Port Aransas was January, 2009, and the minimum length limit at that time was 13", so the picture is some my 2 brothers and I caught one day. We caught quite a few that were an inch or two too short and had to throw them back.

schoolsout · Jun 27, 2011

In SC, we are allowed to shrimp over bait for 2 months out the year...

Long story short, we are heading shrimp off our dock (popping heads off) and tossing remains in the water. We hear a porpoise (dolphin) coming our way, up the dock line near channel. It comes under our dock (about 5' deep or so) and splashes around. We see him heading to the middle of the ICW and his head pops up with about a 5lb sheepshead in it. He tossed it up in the air a few times playing with it and disappeared. Pretty cool sight.

Porpoises terrorize the redfish in the winter time, too, when the water gets really cold. Almost killer whaleesque

Bird · Jun 27, 2011

At Port Aransas, I've seen porpoises come up and throw flounders that way; don't recall seeing them with any other fish, though it's a sure bet they do play with other species of fish, too.

And speaking of the shrimping, one time when I was down at Port Aransas, before the restrictions on sheepshead, one of the shrimp boats came in and the guy knew my dad and knew we liked the sheepshead, so he gave us a washtub full of sheepshead they'd caught in the shrimp nets. Dad & I sure had a lot of filleting to do.:laughing:

Incidentally, the sheepshead can be a rather bloody fish, too, so we always cut their throats a few minutes before filleting to let them bleed out as you would do with hogs and steers.

Western · Jun 27, 2011

I've had Red Snapper "Blackened" and it was excellent, Beliners too. Of course I just like the Red Snapper cooked just about any kinda way.
Wish they wouldn't have changed the limit on the Texas coast, or I'd keep going down each Spring. 5 hr drive for 2 fish is extreme for me, when I can go after Striper, Sand bass or their Hybrids here in our local lakes.

This photo is last Thursday's "shopping" trip, caught quite a few SandBass, but only need a few for the skillet.

Bigger one is the Hybrid striped bass thew smaller 14-16" fish are the Sand Bass.