36", 20lb Striper caught last night, need recipe help.

Clarky

Oh goody, had a great fishing night (morning) today. Took home one of the bigger cows landed. Just need your suggestions on how to BGE Striped Bass.

Unknown

clarky,
Where are the pictures?
Seth

GWW

clarky,
A nice fresh stripper wont need much, you could marinade it in a little italian dressing for about an hour. Place it on a small foil lined baking sheet sprinkle with some of your favorite seasoning...cook indirect at *350-*400 dome temp for 15 minutes should be good. If you want to get real yummy mix up some backfin lump crabmeat to fill between two pieces! and bake the same way. You can add some of your favorite wood chips if you want it smokey..I personally think the smoke from the lump adds just the right amount. Serve with some fresh sliced tomato and cumbers, potato salad and call it good!
Greg

TF1

clarky,
where you catch?? and for a recipe I'd do the following:[p]Do your best to keep most of the fish intact. if you can lose head and tail keeping the body in one piece that's great. chop carrots, celery, onion, tomato, slices of lemon, herbs w/ the exception of rosemary, and butter (be generous). put into cavity. wrap in foil (pouch) pour in some white vino....enough to give a little steam. tough to say how long it will take...it'll feed plenty and taste great. cook at like 300 for 1/2 hr and check...no need to flip.

Clarky

Seth Howard,
Getting the film developed tonight. Should have them out by the weekend.

Clarky

tf1,
Buddy fillet it this morning. Couldn't see straight by 4am..... I will keep your suggestion for next time. As far as the spot, well, can only say that I was in Hull, Ma. Thanks for the reply.

Clarky

GWW,
Thanks for the response Greg.[p]Mike

TF1

clarky,
late in getting back....but good to hear the fish was in Hull....I'm a Marbleheader and plan on getting the line in the water this weekend...wish me luck!

Unknown

clarky, Since I do not know your fishing background, I will tell you how I cook fish on the grill.[p]First of all, if I am fortunate enough to catch a fish large enough to cook on the grill, I remove the scales and then I filet the meat from the fish leaving the outside skin intact. The skin makes it easier to remove from the grill and helps to keep the filets intact as they are cooking. If you have cut the skin off it is no big deal though.[p]Since I have never caught a striper (or a stripper either LOL) I am not sure if the following will apply or not. Some larger sized freshwater fish will have yellow and red meat. The yellow meat is fat and is common on large catfish. The red meat usually runs lengthwise on what is referred to as the lateral line. There is also red meat around the area of the gills. You want to remove the yellow and red meat as this is what gives fish that fishy taste. One thing to note, pollutants in the water accumulate in the fat of the fish so this is a big concern in some areas of the country. Here in Missouri, pregnant women are advised NOT to eat bigger sized largemouth bass because some of these larger bass have lived long enough to have concentrations of mercury in their system. (The link below will provide more details.)[p]Since I don't know what sized Egg you have, I am assuming you will have to cut the filets in half in order to get them on the grill. If the skin is on, you can bake them in large pieces at 275-300F right on the grill indirect. I like cooking my fish indirect because I find it does not stick to the grill as easily. Spraying cooking oil on the grill will also reduce "stickage." As mentioned in a post below, there is no need to flip the fish during the cooking process.[p]If the large filet has been skinned, I use a greased shallow pan to cook it in and boost the heat up to about 325-350F. I will add a bit of the marinade to the pan when I place it on the cooker. In either cooking method, depending on the size of the filets, the fish will take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes.[p]Another option is to cook steaks. You can do this with the skin on or off. I prefer the skin on. You can eat around the skin and leave it on your plate. I cook steaks at 400-450F (indirect) and flip them after five minutes cooking time. Once again, make sure you have oiled the cooking grate first. Depending on the thickness of the steaks, they will take about 10 minutes or possibly 15 minutes.[p]In any of these cooking methods I have mentioned, you can tell when the fish is done by using a table fork and see if the fork will easily seperate the meat. If the fish is done, the meat will have a flaky texture. Do not overcook the fish as it will have a rubbery texture.[p]As someone mentioned in a post below, with fish on the grill, a little bit of smoke goes a long way. If you do add some wood chips or chunks to your fire, be very conservative with the amount of wood you use. My favorite wood for fish and seafood is peach. Alder and apple are good choices too and as much as I like cherry wood on BBQ, I do not like it on fish.[p]I am posting this 70 miles from my home so I cannot give you my exact fish marinade recipe that I use for baking or grilling fish. Some of the ingredients I use are white wine, melted butter, Italian dressing and lemon juice with a small amount of hot sauce. I have substituted peach schnapps for white wine and this gives the fish a sweeter, but peachy flavor. I have also added a little whiskey or bourbon to the marinade ( but not when the schnapps is used) to give the fish a bit of a charcoal flavor. You can add what ever spices trip your trigger to the marinade. Do not marinate the fish for more than one hour as the acid in the marinade will give the fish a mushy texture. Make sure you reserve some marinade for basting.[p]I hope this helps and if you have any questions, be sure to post them here or feel free to e-mail me at the above address. Congratulations on your fine catch and I am looking forward to seeing the pictures.[p]Beers to you,[p]JDB - Juggy D Beerman[p]
[ul][li]Fish warning[/ul]