Charred and Stuffed

I prepared this dish for friends years ago while I was visiting in England, where trout is abundant. But rest assured, this recipe works very well with so many other whole fish such as; Steelhead, Coho and Artic Char —also a big favorite of mine and a few of my close friends. 

 - The trick with grilling any whole fish is to have a very clean grill; surface-cast iron is my preference, well-seasoned (not salt & pepper) meaning oiled by brushing w/vegetable oil or sprayed with vegetable spray when cold. And that's before lighting the grill. 

- I prefer using lump charcoal for this recipe, but no sweat, a gas grill is OK. Add a couple pieces of soaked wood chips to the grill a few minutes before cooking the fish - it adds another layer of flavor.

- This part is key; the grill must be very hot so the fish does not stick. Also, you’ll notice in this recipe that the fish is brushed with olive oil. Make it look like it just came out of the spa, after a well oiled ayurvedic massage. 

- Use a very wide spatula to turn and remove the trout from grill. 

- Cooking a whole fish. Feeling a little intimidated and insecure? Forget therapy, just do it. You may however: after turning over the trout, add it to a well greased pan and finish grilling inside the pan. But that is if and only if you think you can’t hold it together — I mean the trout together.  

This recipe is really that easy, it's just a step beyond cooking a burger.

Charred Stuffed Trout

Makes 4 servings | From Adventures in Grilling cookbook by George Hirsch with Marie Bianco, ©1996

One 8 ounce salmon fillet
1/2  cup bread crumbs from day-old French or Italian bread
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise, (I prefer the new olive oil mayo)
1 teaspoon fresh dill, chopped
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
3 egg whites
6 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
Four 12-tounce rout, cleaned, gutted, and boned
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Pre heat the grill to high.

Process the salmon in a food processor using the on/off button until it is ground but not pureed. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, dill, hot sauce and pepper and blend for 30 seconds. Add the egg whites and mix for 1 minute. Fold in the shrimp with a rubber spatula.

Fill each trout with a quarter of the stuffing. Secure with skewer or toothpick. Brush the trout with the olive oil and grill for 2 minutes on each side. Lower the heat to medium or move the trout to the cooler edges of the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Really fresh fish does not require a sauce; just drizzle a small amount of extra virgin olive oil, and drizzle a little fresh lemon- top off with a little fresh dill on top.

Moules Marinières

Summer is in full swing. That and coastal living makes me say “hello seafood.” My rule with cooking seafood is the simpler, the better; as well as believing in keeping it as local as possible. So when traveling to locations known for seafood, I take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy eating fresh and local. Recently, I had Bantry’s mussels & oysters in Ireland - yes, they live up to their reputation. You may be able to find Bantry mussels in your grocer’s freezer along with New Zealand; but to me it's not my preference compared to eating local. Some other leading mussel cultivars are Spain, and of course North America's Prince Edward Island in Canada. 

The classical way I learned to cook mussels years ago is called Moules Marinières, or mussels in the style of the sea, synonymous with summers in France. I have prepared versions of this style on air with my TV shows. This happens to be a crowd favorite every time with my TV crew. They are amazed at how simple it is to prepare. See for yourself, TV segment here. The only way to improve this recipe is add some crisp Pommes Frites. I would also approval of a creamy Belgium beer to wash it all down with. 

Here’s a good tip: The jewel in eating mussels is to get the right balance of the mussel meat with the fantastic broth juices that come from cooking the mussels with wine, garlic and herbs. No utensils needed, use the mussel's shell as your spoon. Pick up the freshly steamed mussel in the opened hinged ‘valve’ (the shell). Break the valve in-half, discard one half of the shell. With the second half valve (shell) that now has the mussel meat, dip the half-shell and mussel meat into the warm broth scooping up just the right amount of juice to meat. Now, politely slurp the mussel along with the broth in the same mouthful. Mouth watering. Heaven! Sometimes I see others do a dip using a fork, but they are missing the gold, the broth!

Try this next time you prepare mussels, instead of using a fork and dipping into the broth that will just slide off your mussel meat. What to do with empty shells? I have observed other connoisseurs of mussel eating that includes arranging the eaten empty half valves into unique patterns on plates. 

Simple and ready in minutes. But do yourself a favor, have plenty of good bread on hand to dip and soak up any leftover broth. Summer - here we come!

Video Recipe.

George Hirsch Cooking & Lifestyle TV Segment: Mussels Recipe

Pacific Northwest Style

You are going to need cedar planks for today's fish recipe. I am encouraging you to step outside and grill with this recipe. Soak planks for 30 minutes before you fire up the grill. Make sure the grill is good and hot, this is key! Cedar planked fish takes on a wonderful smokey flavor with more flair and a lot less hassle. The plank will be charred, but the fish will be perfectly cooked. This technique of cooking on planks is not new. Developed by Indians in the Pacific Northwest, cooking on cedar and alder has been a tradition for centuries.

This weekend when you are running errands, head to the hardware store and pick up some cedar planks. Oh- be sure they are untreated non-resined wood, and no thicker than 1 inch. Cedar and alder are popular choices, but mesquite, cherry, peach, apple, and oak also add their own unique flavors. Enjoy.

image,© Olga Lyubkina

New England Summer

I have traveled up-n-down the east coast and every seaside village has their version of the classic lobster roll. I will tip you off to one of my favorites, I know I have mentioned this spot before. We even filmed TV segments for Living it UP! at The Clam Bar - located here in the Hamptons, on the Napeaque stretch between Amagansett and Montauk. The owner Dick Ehrlich sets the bar very high serving-up their chock-filled fresh lobster rolls, manhattan clam chowder and locally caught grilled fish dish specials. 

The lobster roll is yet another great in season option to served at your outdoor gatherings and picnics. Feel free to mix seafood, such as crab or shrimp. Then just call it a seafood roll. Or, skip the carbs and stuff a summer vine ripened tomato with your fresh lobster salad. Now kick back and enjoy!

New England Lobster Roll

Makes six sandwiches 

* 1 1/2 pounds Lobster meat, cooked and cooled
6 soft rolls
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 green onion chopped
1 Tablespoon chives, chopped
1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon fresh dill 
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Cut lobster meat into 1 inch pieces. In a small bowl toss lobster meat, mayonnaise, green onion, lemon, mustard, dill, and hot sauce.
Serve immediately on soft rolls with sliced tomatoes.
*shrimp and crab meat may be substituted 

★

Boil Master

A seafood boil is a fun reason to gather for an outdoor gathering and ideal reason for a summer time celebration. One of the most memorable of my many lobster boils was one for my TV series wrap party; with the beautiful setting of my neighborhood beach. We brought in propane gas stoves for this clam bake - boiling lobster, clams, mussels, smoked LI Duck, corn and LI Yukon potatoes. One of the challenges was timing the sunset on the beach with the lobsters ready-to-eat. BTW, I wasn’t making it romantic for my crew—we were also taping our seafood boil party for GH Living it UP! TV series. 

 

Here are a few kinds of boils I’ve either been privileged to have attended in my travels or have had the pleasure of creating myself.

New England - lobster steamed with beer, corn, sausage and new potatoes

Montauk - mussels, clams, lobster, stripe bass, duck quarters, LI Yukons, corn

Maryland or Chesapeake - blue crab, oysters and clams with steamed with beer, vinegar, and Old Bay cooked in a steamer basket served with crackers corn and slaw 

Cajun & Creole Boil - shrimp, crab, crawfish, andouille sausage or kielbasa, small red new potatoes

Low Country or Frogmore Stew - usually just shrimp with smoked sausage & corn

Texan - crawfish, oysters and good old Texan smoked brisket 

Monterey - Dungeness crabs, shrimp and artichokes when in season

Seattle - planked salmon & oysters

Types of seafood commonly used for a boil is typically shellfish with shrimp being the most popular ingredient. Local availability, taste preferences and imagination can rule your boil. You may consider; Dungeness & blue claw crabs, shrimp, oysters, calamari, hard shell & razor clams, mussels, crawfish, Pacific salmon or strip bass for your boil.

Equipment: outdoor propane gas cooker, or large pit with charcoal, a large pot, size depends on amount of seafood and the number of guests. 20 gallon stock pot, or improvise with a NEW 30 gallon galvanized trash pail, large paddle to stir, large wire strainer or skimmer to scoop, tongs, mallets, crackers, picks, picnic tables, No utensils - eat with your hands.

Flavoring ingredients: onions, split heads of garlic, salt, lemons, beer, bay leaves, crab boil seasoning, cayenne pepper, hot sauce 

Serve: remove seafood from pot, drain well and dump on picnic tables covered with newspaper, brown paper or butcher paper with bowls of lemon wedges, melted butter, bottles of hot sauce, and good quality breads.

Beverages: Iced tubs of tall necks or keg beer (keep it local to your boil theme), tall necks of root beer, chilled rose, iced tea, lemonade.

Boils are also known as Steams, Bakes Fish Fry, Potluck, Planks or Seafood Barbeque

Seafood Boil Recipe

From George Hirsch Living it UP! TV series

To Serve a Seafood Boil: 

Add crabs, shrimp and clams. 

Add to water, 2 bottles of beer, 1 head fresh chopped garlic and 1/2 cup Old Bay, If you like it spicy add dried hot pepper flakes, or chapped jalapeño. 

Add seafood in stages for different cooking times.

Shellfish Cooking Times:

Blue Claw Crabs (cut up)- 5-7 minutes

Shrimp (shell on) 2 minutes

Steamers or Littlenecks- 5-7 minutes

To Boil Lobsters:

- Fill a large pot three-quarters full of cold water and cover. 

- A good rule of thumb is to allow 21/2 quarts of water for each lobster. Two or more lobsters will cook in the same time providing the pot is large enough. When in doubt use two pots. 

- Bring the water to a rapid boil. 

- Lobsters should be alive with the safety bands left on the claws. Drop the live lobsters one at a time head first, let the water boil again and cover the pot. Now you will begin to time the cooking. 

- Allow 7 minutes for a one-pound lobster and add one minute for each 4 ounces. A One and a half-pound lobster will cook in 9 minutes. 

- Lobsters will turn a bright red when cooked. Remove lobsters from pot with a pair of tongs. 

- Allow at least 2, One pound lobsters per person since a 1 pound lobster offers only 4 ounces of meat. 

TIPS:

- Serve the sweet boiled shellfish with a dip mixed with olive oil and fresh lemon; don’t forget the oyster crackers.

- For authentic boil, line table with yesterday’s newspaper.

- Offer lemon-water finger bowls for each person.

 My GOOD STUFF picks that can assist your next Boil: Flying Lobsters + Graniteware Lobster Pot