Eating porgy and a red drum

I cooked porgy for breakfast.  They don't compare in flavor to the black drum and the sheepshead, but they were good.  I cooked them like I cook bluegills at home.  I thought they might taste like white perch, but they did not.  Still they were not very strong and with lime and pepper, I sure liked them.  I have enough for one more breakfast meal.  These are fish Captain Rick would never keep,but I keep them and I clean them.  I did that first thing this morning.

Then I took one of the large red drum and baked it.  400 degrees until it flakes easily.  I filled it with lime and lemon and put some in slices on the fish and then put olive oil over the fish.  It was just wonderful.

I took out some of the back teeth that are found really far in the mouth, close to the gills.  I thought they looked cool.  They are grinding teeth.  If  all works out, I'll make a poker card protector from them.  First I baked them with the fish in aluminum foil.  Then I tooth brushed out the fish meat and salted the bones for good drying.

Fishing in the Gulf of Mexico

I did post on Facebook, but it is so much harder to post there than here.  I get lost in it and end up losing whole bits I write or photo groups I've worked on.  Facebook contacts many of my friends, but it does get very frustrating and I can't reorganize things.

This is much better, but I have no audience.

Here are all the photos we took.  I'll edit them later.


It was cold in the morning, but this year we were ready. Captain Rick took us right to fish. We expected the sheepshead, but the Black Drum were a surprise and the number of fish was very unusual. Some of the these fish approach 8 pounds. Jenn caught the biggest. It was fun watching her trying to fight them in. Action was constant. There were few times when nothing was happening. The fish we kept were only half the fish we caught and the catch spread out on the table does not inlcude a bag full of small porgy that I am cleaning tomorrow. At home we pigged out on breaded and fried fillets. I have large whole fish to bakd. An amazing day really. I caught a large chunk of sponge. Very strange. On the way home we spotted two roosting bald eagles.

We saw dolphins on the way out that followed our wake right behind the boat. Captain Rick had an experience with a dolphin landing in his boat this year. His UTube went viral and now National Geographic has interviewed him to be part of one of their articles. The downside of that is he is so booked we could hardly find a day to fish this year. This is the same fellow who connected Elizabeth up with her naturalist work two years ago as she works toward her Master Naturalist certification.

I wore my Eastside Cannery cap but it did not show up much in the photos.

Man,  are we tired!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

One of Chuck's Pickerel

Caught this photo of one of Chuck's pickerel.  He probably gave it to me.

 

Some Days There Just Ain't No Fish

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O1l-OOJFKA

Sing it out, Pearl!!

Fishing redfish in Homosassa

FISHING

Neighbor Tom, Eric, and Bob took me fishing with redfish as the fish of choice.


 It is rare to get a "keeper" but many are released.  I actually caught one.

I also caught a number of small snappers and one other baitifish as well as this small ladyfish.

I was happy to have bought my license and have just adjusted to the idea that I'll fish but not get anything for the table.

One spot we fished was fight alongside this boat.  Noone has been anywhere near this boat for a while.   It may have been abandoned.

It was a long fishing session.
Bob explained some of the politics of the condominium and the troubles that are currently being faced and discussed.  None seemed to be of the sort that would hurt our future chances of being here.

Here is the only way I could get these three guys to pose for a photo.

 Until we were on our way home with the sunset behind us

 

X

 

When I got home Elizabeth had nice white shrimp and brown rice waiting for a welcome supper. The water increased my appetite.

Greensboro NC yellow tail snapper

I had a great whole fish at the O.  Henry Green Valley Grill here in Greensboro NC.   I thought it was perhaps a local fish, but it came from California.  It was delightfully fresh and prepared perfectly with a garnish of goat cheese, tomatoes, onions and mild spices.  I went off the diet to have roasted potatoes.  Perfectly sautéed spinach was the vegetable.  the gorgonzola with walnut dressing on the romaine salad was another taste delight as was Hobnob Pinot Noir, the California fish getting a California wine.
http://www.marketviewliquor.com/product/hob-nob-pinot-noir-wine-750ml.html?vfsku=19668&gpla=pla&gclid=CP36qZOMxcICFUto7AodUScA8A

The wine proves that a good taste does not have to expensive, although they get a good price for this inexpensive stuff.

In the room here was a great little handout on food and in that an article on ordering local fish whenever possible with some suggestions of fish rarely understood by consumers.  Top of the list was Triggerfish which I have only had when we speared them in Key West years ago or perhaps after a fishing trip.  I suspect they can be purchased in Florida at the fish market.  I'll have to see.

THE LAST OF THIS YEARS FROZEN PANFISH

Casey wanted to do the frying, but I discouraged him until next year.  No splattering grease issues then like sister Abigail just suffered.  He is short and close to the fry pan.

 

Still he was great at doing the flouring and he loved it.

 

 

 

And when the process is complete, he marvels at the intricate skeleton.

I did not have him to help with this last breakfast fry. where I used up the last of the fish and the last of the flour.