Cookbook
Enjoy some our favorite recipes with your fish caught aboard the Happy Snapper. We will fillet and bag your fish for you. All you need to do is cook it and enjoy it with your family and friends!
Island Swordfish w/ Mango Salsa
Prep: 20 min.
Marinate: 1 hour
Broil: 8 min.
Ingredients:
• 4 4-ounce fresh or frozen swordfish steaks (about 3/4 inch thick)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh or canned mango or frozen peaches, thawed
• 1/4 cup chopped avocado
• 1/4 medium red sweet pepper, chopped (1/4 cup)
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped (2 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon finely shredded lime or lemon peel (set aside)
• 6 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro or parsley
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Dash bottled hot pepper sauce (optional)
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Green onions (optional)
Directions
Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
For fruit salsa, in a bowl stir together mango or peaches, avocado, red pepper, onion, 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice, cilantro or parsley, ginger, garlic, and, if desired, hot pepper sauce. Cover and chill up to 4 hours. (Let salsa stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving.)
For marinade, in a small bowl stir together the remaining lime or lemon juice, lime or lemon peel, wine, orange liqueur (if desired), and pepper. Place fish steaks in a shallow dish. Pour marinade over fish. Cover and chill for 1 hour, turning fish occasionally.
Drain fish; discard marinade. Place fish steaks on the greased unheated rack of a broiling pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 8 to 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork, turning once during cooking. To serve, top fish steaks with fruit salsa. If desired, garnish with green onions. Makes 4 servings.
Nutritional Information Nutritional facts per serving
calories: 186, total fat: 7g, saturated fat: 2g, cholesterol: 45mg, sodium: 105mg, carbohydrate: 7g, protein: 23g
Caribbean Conch Fritters w/ Island Hot Sauce
Ingredients:
• Canola oil
• 1/4 pound conch meat, cleaned, cooked, and small diced
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 tablespoon garlic
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• Hot red pepper sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 quart vegetable oil, for frying.
Preparation:
In a saute pan, add canola oil and heat. Add the conch, onion, and garlic and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. p Make the batter by combining the eggs, milk, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, beating and incorporating until all is used and the batter is smooth. Season with hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in the parsley and the cooled conch mixture.
Heat the oil to 360 degrees F. Drop the batter, a heaping tablespoon at a time, into the oil. When the fritters pop to the surface, roll them around in the oil to brown them evenly. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season immediately with Essence. Serve with Island Hot Sauce.
Essence:
Ingredients:
• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container. Yield: about 2/3 cup
Island Hot Sauce:
Ingredients:
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 3 Scotch bonnet peppers, halved and seeds and stems removed
• Vegetable oil
• Water, to cover
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, add more or less, to taste
• Kosher salt
Preparation:
Sweat the onion, carrots and peppers in vegetable oil until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Cover with water and add vinegar. Simmer until the carrots are very tender. Puree in a blender and season, to taste, with vinegar, and salt. Thin, as necessary, with more water.
Pan-Seared Tuna w/ Pineapple Sambal
Sambal, a popular all-purpose condiment in Indonesia, Malaysia and India is at its most basic a mixture of brown sugar, chiles and salt. Here it's made with pineapple, vinegar and garlic for a heady accompaniment to pan-seared tuna with a peppercorn crust.
Ingredients:
• 2 cups finely diced pineapple
• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 2 red jalapeño chiles, seeded and minced
• 2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 (6-ounce) ahi tuna steaks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup crushed black peppercorns
• 1 lemon, halved
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
To prepare the sambal:
Combine pineapple, rice vinegar, jalapeños, brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain mixture, discarding liquid. Transfer sambal to a serving bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To cook the fish:
Season tuna with salt. Press peppercorns evenly into steaks. Squeeze lemon juice over fish and set aside while large skillet is heated over high heat. Add oil, and when very hot, but not smoking, carefully place tuna in skillet. Sear one side for about 4 minutes, turn and finish cooking on other side (about 4 more minutes for medium-rare, depending on thickness of fish). Transfer fish to plates with sambal served on top or on the side.
Makes 4 servings.
Fish Burger
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 pounds cod or other white fish
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 3/4 cup crushed cornflakes cereal
• Vegetable oil
• Red Leaf lettuce leaves, tomato slices, and red onion slices
• 6 sandwich buns, split
Place fish in lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; cover with aluminum foil.
Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork. Drain; cool and flake. Combine egg through red pepper in a large bowl. Stir in flaked fish. Shape into 6 patties; coat with crushed cereal. Place on paper towels; refrigerate 1 hour.
Pour oil to a depth of 1/2 inch in a large heavy skillet. Fry patties in hot oil over medium heat about 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Serve in buns with lettuce, tomato, onion, and Jalapeno Tartar Sauce.
Yield: 6 servings
Crispy Pan Fried COnch w/ Citrus Sauce
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: 4 servings
• 1/2 cup spiced rum
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Key Lime juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 pieces conch, 1/2 per person Flour, for dusting
• 1 egg, beaten with 3 tablespoons water, for egg wash
• Bread crumbs
• Olive Oil, for pan frying
Combine spiced rum, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, and sugar and reduce on high heat until syrupy. Keep warm. Dip the conch in flour, then egg wash, then in bread crumbs. Cook on medium heat in olive oil until golden. Serve with citrus sauce and garnish with cilantro and fresh flowers if available.
Smoked Fish Dip
Ingredients:
• 1 ½ cups crumbled smoked fish
• 1/2 cup milk
• 8 ounces light cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup finely minced onion
• 1 stalk finely chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh parsley
• 3 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
• Cayenne, salt and pepper to taste
Put the smoked fish in a medium bowl and add the milk. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to an hour. Stir in the cream cheese, onion, celery, parsley, relish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne, salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours until flavors have blended.
Serve with your favorite crackers.
Smoked Red Snapper
Ingredients:
• 1-1/2 lb. red snapper filet, skin on -- 6 oz
• 2 tbs. olive oil
• 1 tbs. brown sugar
• 1 tbs. garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. pepper black -- freshly ground
• 1 tbs. maple syrup
• 6 oz wood chips for smoking -- moisten
• 1 each foil pie plate
Brine:
• 2 qts water
• 12 oz kosher salt -- approx.
• 2 tbs. brown sugar
• 1 tbs. garlic granulated
Prepare the brine by dissolving enough salt in the cold water to float an egg, (the amount given is an approximation. Add the sugar and the granulated garlic.
Brine the fish for one hour. I use frozen red snapper and I put the frozen fish in the brine for about 2-1/2 hours.
Combine the olive oil, brown sugar, garlic and pepper to make a rub, and rub it into the fish well. Oil the skin side lightly, so it won't stick to the smoking racks.
Smoke the fish for 60 - 75 minutes, depending on thickness at 225 F.
Paint the fish with warmed maple syrup as a glaze.
What if you don't have a smoker? Lamalle 1-800 660 0750 has a stainless steel stove top smoker, and they sell wood chips of all flavors.
If you have a two burner propane grill, you can put the wood chips (moist) in a pie pan on one side. Cover down. When they begin to smoke, put the fish on the unlit side and close the cover, turn the heat on low. With a single burner charcoal grill, get the wood chips smoking good, add the fish, turn off the fire. There will be enough smoke to give you flavor, but the fish may cook sooner than you think.
Red snapper slices very nicely when smoked, and tastes like lean sturgeon.
Notes: I find this a delightful appetizer, served sliced with buttered dark pumpernickel bread, and thin slices of sweet onion. It is also good on a bagel, and fits into a buffet of smoked and pickled fishes nicely. The maple syrup glaze is my idea, and if you don't like it, it is easy to skip, but you won't know unless you try, will you?
Serves 4.
Stuffed Red Snapper
Ingredients:
• 1 (3 pound) red snapper, cleaned
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 garlic clove, split
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• Chopped parsley, to taste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Wipe fish with a damp cloth. Place in greased 9x12-inch glass dish. Melt butter in skillet. Place garlic pieces on toothpicks. Add to butter and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove garlic and discard. Add green pepper, onion, and celery. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper, stirring 1 minute over low heat. Fill fish to capacity with stuffing, and arrange remaining stuffing including juice over and around the fish. Bake 30 to 50 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
serves 6