Recipe Box: Great Fish Recipes for Great Lakes Fish

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Barbecued fish is great with cabbage slaw, either separately or in a fish taco.

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JuliKellner

Juli Kellner

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by Juli Kellner

A Yooper man of the outdoors, hunter, angler, thoughtful man of travel and letters … and with the soul and skill of a cook well versed in the language of spice and sauté?

Yup, that’s Marty Kovarik, syndicated columnist, passionate outdoorsman, avid cookbook collector and soon a first-time cookbook author.

“I don’t remember the first thing I ever cooked, but it may very well have been some kind of fish,” Marty says, referring to his foundational cooking experiences as an 11-year-old Boy Scout. (His first fish catch, he remembers, came at age 3.)

“Then when I was about 15 and starting to date I discovered that women were very impressed when you cook for them.” And so a cook was born.

Marty, who lives in Skandia, Michigan, embarked on a lifelong interest in cooking, amassing a collection of about 1,000 cookbooks. Meanwhile his writing and photography career took off as he penned article after article on the outdoors, travel and food.

Part of his work involves developing and photographing recipes for publication and teaching cooking at the U.P. State Fair and for the Becoming an Outdoor Woman program.

After years of amassing recipes, Marty discovered that what he had was a cookbook … and more specifically the makings of an outstanding fish cookbook.

“One of the things that I’ve realized over the years is that people are intimidated by the thought of cooking fish. It’s not that familiar piece of red meat. But cooking fish isn’t hard if you know how to do it.

“One of the things that I’ve realized over the years is that people are intimidated by the thought of cooking fish. It’s not that familiar piece of red meat. But cooking fish isn’t hard if you know how to do it.

“I want people to enjoy great fish from the Great Lakes cooked using methods and recipes from all around the world.”

In cooking, sometimes knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do, so I asked Marty about the cardinal sins of fish preparation.

“Fish is easily ruined. First of all you need to clean it properly. When I fillet a fish I don’t cut into the body cavity. I don’t allow the digestive juices in the belly to spill onto the filets. Then you need to cool and store it properly. Fish is very perishable,” he says. Fish should be kept no more than a day or two in the refrigerator or should be put into the freezer. Some suggest if you are going to refrigerate fresh fish that you place fish with ice into a small plastic container with drain holes that fits into a larger container that catches the water as the ice melts.

I understand what Marty says about fish being intimidating, but personally, I’m not afraid of fish. I grew up on a quiet inland lake, where many a meal was caught and cooked in one blissful afternoon. In fact, I’m told that when my mother was pregnant with me she did not crave fish from our little lake, but had to have herring from big Lake Superior. As the story goes, she pretty much kept at least one commercial fisherman extraordinarily busy those entire nine months. My bias is still good old fried fish, but fish tacos are easy and tasty (you’ve got to try Marty’s recipe!)

It’s hard to find a fish that Marty, an avid angler, doesn’t like. “I enjoy them all … salmon, whitefish, burbot, splake.”

For Mother’s Day, he traditionally treats his mom to a filet of king salmon stuffed with crabmeat and shrimp.

“It’s dramatic and showy and the flavors well work off each other.”

If you can’t wet a line yourself, Marty encourages you to visit your local fish monger rather than buying fish from afar. “Eating local is important, and so is getting away from processed foods with huge lists of ingredients you can’t pronounce. My recipes give you the tools to enjoy an abundant local food, well and simply prepared.”

When buying fish, Marty advises, “fish shouldn’t smell like fish, first of all. If it smells like fish, it’s old.”

The local choices are many, but if you’re just getting into the fish-eating habit, Marty suggests either yellow perch or walleye, both of which are less oily than some species and have less “fish” taste.

Marty’s Great Lakes fish cookbook is due out in June, chock full of recipes both local and from around the globe.

“I tried to balance the variety of fish we have available,” he says, “with the types of flavors I thought people would really enjoy.”

Chipotle Barbecued Fish

1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, use 1 pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 tsp. adobo sauce (from can above)

juice of 1/2 large lemon

juice of 1/2 small lime

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. oregano

1-2 lbs. of salmon or trout filets (either can take the boldness of the spices)

Cut the filets into manageable pieces about the size of your spatula.

Combine marinade ingredients and puree in a blender or food processor. Set aside a small amount of the sauce in a separate bowl to use after fish is cooked or make more sauce if desired.

Place fish in marinade to thoroughly coat and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes, no longer or the citrus juices will begin to “cook” them. Place fish pieces with skinned side up onto an enamel coated grill topper (you can use other indoor grill toppers, but the fish likely will stick). You can also broil fish or use an outside grill. Grill until a nice browned coating is achieved. Flip fish over and just barely finish cooking, do not overcook. Serve with Cilantro Cabbage Slaw on the side.

Cilantro Cabbage Slaw

4 c. (packed) shredded red or green cabbage or combination

1/2 purple (red) onion, sliced thin

1/2 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil (go for fruity, I prefer Colavita)

1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Combine cabbage and onion. Combine remaining ingredients thoroughly and toss with cabbage mixture. Dressing is heavily vinegar, so use it to taste.

Make Mine Fish Tacos

Prepare the fish as above, then break the filets in small pieces and place them into pre-warmed soft flour or corn tortillas. Top with the cabbage slaw and this combination will burst alive in your mouth.