Rockfish
Old Raspy’s Secret Cove! New Pacific Rockfish Recipe & Rockfish Adventure
Pacific Rockfish RECIPE
Rockfish Recipe:
Alright-Cooking time.
I recently went to a Brazilian Beef BBQ restaurant and had 10 types of Rock-Salted meats from Pork, beef, lamb to chicken. As I was looking at the skewers they were covered in a Solid Rock-salt and cooked to the right temp and then prior to serving the Salt-coating was broken off leaving the Juice sealed in the meat. This interested me and I Googled the Rock Salt process.
Basically, the goal is to cover the meat of your choice (Fish) with salt and under heat and time the Salt with mix with the Juices and form a solid crust. This crust will get intensely hot and seal and steam the fish in its own juices.
Recipe:
Fish prep:
1.) Rinse off Scaled, de-headed, gutted fish well (I didn’t get too crazy with the scales, because the skin and scales all come off when you crack the salt off)
2.) Keep in Fridge (I always keep fish as cold as possible, especially these cold-water species—It keeps their meat the way they kept it- Ha Ha)
3.) Pat fish dry with paper towel
4.) Cut up thin slices of lime and orange
5.) Take a 2-3 tbsp of Olive oil and mix with 2-3 fresh squeezed lime/orange juice (I know it sounds weird, but it will make sense later)
Cooking:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (I usually go 375-425 for baking fish)
1.) In Pyrex or Oven Glass dish pour in ½ pound of Sea Salt. Make sure to cover 1/3 to ½ inch in salt.
2.) Lay the Fish on the salt.
3.) Put the Orange and Lime Slices in the belly with some black pepper.
4.) Cover the Fish with 1/3 to ½ inch of Sea Salt.
5.) Place in oven (center rack).
6.) Set timer for 18-20 minutes (this is the killer—you can’t tell what’s going on in there—so I put is on for the same time I would cook Cod or Salmon (thicker meat fish).
7.) Take it out and let sit for a couple minutes until the juices under the salt stop boiling.
8.) Crack away the salt crust and pull from bones (I laid fish over Steamed white rice)
9.) Then pour Orange/Lime/Oil mix over the fish (make sure to taste the mix to your liking!—I went Lime-heavy)
Entrée:
I served the Rockfish over Steamed White Rice and seasoned Asparagus
-Cpt. Richard Brock
-By Captain Richard Brock
A Rock-Fish Adventure
Old Raspy’s Secret Cove! Rockfish Adventure and New Pacific Rockfish Recipe A Rock-Fish Adventure
Alright, so we travel down to Monterey, California to try our hands at Spear fishing some Rockfish. They are supposed to be like small grouper/snapper-like fish that are all sorts of colors and hang in and around the Rocky ocean floor.
The biggest challenge is finding the right spot…Right? There are many protected areas and the areas that you can take from have been “picked over” to say the least. I have always tried to find good heavily populated fishing grounds and not OVER-fish them. Once I develop the knowledge of that spot I will only fish it once or twice a season so it has time regrow and not be over pressured.
Not to get on my High horse—but it does have a comfy saddle! For those of a sensitive hunting and gathering nature…Spear fishing is the best way to harvest your catch. It has the lowest mortality rate and doesn’t affect the overall fish population. How? Well with spear fishing you Actively Select the right size fish and take jus that one. You leave the others to grow and do their thing!
Back off the horse! So we are trying to find a new fishing spot and researching the maps/Google, and more with difficulty. It’s always hard to go to a new area and just ‘run up on some fish.’ So after talking with a few locals we start to hear that you have to make a journey away from “Beaten Path.” After about 3 or 4 recommendations we ran into this random guy at the SCUBA shop. You know the older guy who’s been there done that and got a little burnt in the sixties along the way? We that guy perked up and we’ll call him Old Raspy (his voice) for this story.
Old Raspy then relived a couple pacific-battle stories and then asked us the question we were waiting for…do you want dive where no one else dives? Ding! We all listened in… He proceeds to tell us this convoluted disjointed crazy talk-but I usually key in on the Crazy, so as the story goes…
“You gotta go past Carmel about 40 minutes, and then there’s this small road after a stop sign, that takes you past a subdivision of houses. Now once you get to the subdivision you gotta find these two houses (mind you he declares this was back in the late 80s-I think I was 10 back then). The house on the left was a 2-story and dark green or maybe blue and the Right house was falling apart. Great so 20+ years ago these houses were on the outs. 'Ok Raspy, where next.' Ok so then you have to go between these houses and end up out their backyards and their will be a secluded cove. It has White sands (which are rare here) and clear blue waters. That’s where the fish that no one gets to are.”
Everyone listening looked at this guy and gave him the thanks, you know the one where you are being respectful but wondering if he just got out of the Psych ward?
So we weighed our options and I pushed for the crazy out of the way adventure. After a little prodding the rest agreed.
So we follow the directions to a T, meaning we got lost 4 times and after the 30 phone calls and texts between our trucks I saw these 2 broken down houses, now Beige and faded yellow, but I could see the Ocean behind and thought maybe…So we jumped out and (not sure if it was trespassing) made our way into these peoples backyards and we found a small dirt pathway. It leads us through some trees and scrub that we had to push through, but then it opened up and there it was! The White-sandy beach and clear Blue water Cove! Old Raspy was right on!
What Raspy forgot to tell us was that in his memory there wasn’t a Massive Cliff between us and the ocean! Ok so now the eyes are rolling, everyone’s pretty much over the idea, we are trying to find another way down and pretty much it’s scale the cliff or go elsewhere. I voted for the Adventure.
We trouble shot how to get down and how to get our gear down. I went to Home Depot and got these Tough Totes and put our stuff in them, and then we used ropes to lower and hand-off the Totes until everything was on the beach.
Once down on the White sand and starring out at the Ocean it was the Most beautiful North California beach I’d been on –Almost tropical.
The Fun Part! We made our dive plan, which was to just explore and gather what we could, and then we would go back out on a second dive and try to fill our rings. As we were kicking out to deeper water, the Viz kept clear and we were starring down at 40+ bottom! No one wanted to stay up and we all were letting air out as fast as we could.
65 minutes of Intense red kelp beds, and huge Rock mountain reefs Covered in Fish! There were schools of Olives, Browns, Yellows, Blues and Black rockfish. In the Rocks were Chinas, Kelps, and Crustaceans of every kind. Ol Raspy had lead us to the Rockfish Promise land! We filled our stringers in the first half of the dive and then un-strapped the Band-guns and just took it all in. We mapped out the pathways through the underwater mountains and caves for the net time we came.
It was so clear and easy to navigate we popped up in 5 feet of water and made the easy beach exit. Everyone was loud and pumped and comparing their rings on the walk back to the blankets.
We left the live fish in the cold tide pool beside our Beach-lounge and soaked in the Pseudo-tropical experience.
-Cpt. Richard Brock
-By Captain Richard Brock
Tips and Preparation
Preparation
Unlike the Grouper/Snapper-like fish we thought they would be like, these rockfish were made for the rugged nasty Pacific battle. Every part of them was sharp and aggressive. Even their noses! We got a few sore fingers before we new where to grab them (Slide your hand over their Dorsal fins to the tail and grab firmly on their main bellies. Stay away from the head and gills. Layers of Razor blades).
The first rock I filleted was a China Rockfish. They are Short Stocky/meaty fish. It had a very thick solid skull and front end with a quickly taping back end. Total fish about 3.5 to 4 pounds. Initially I was going to fillet away jus the meat, but I found it to have more ribs and smaller bones than warm-water Grouper and Snapper. So I decided to gut head and scale them.
Tip: I have always tried to keep saltwater fish in saltwater. And as the Pro tuna guys do it, I put them into a RSW or Saltwater-Ice mix and brine them in the cooler until I got back to a stove. Also keeping as much of the skin on them as possible to keep the juiciness to the meat is key.
This also lets them bleed out as much as possible for the un-bloody taste.
-By Captain Richard Brock
Adventure and Recipe Rating
Rating
Here goes…
1.) The Fish had a cold-water Bite, which was the consistency cross between a Grey-grouper and a Ling Cod.
2.) Surprisingly, the fish was not too salty and very juicy through the full thickness of the fillets.
3.) Everyone enjoyed the fish and lite Citrus base.
4.) Biggest Factor—The thrill and frustration of finding the “x” on the map from an Old Salt “Raspy,” then rewarded with the experience of a secluded North California Tropical Oasis and then capturing it all in a Crystallized Salt Crust…
Overall I give Ol Raspy’s Salted Rockfish:
-5/5 Rating for Interesting Preparation
-5/5 Rating for Eating Pleasure
-5/5 Rating for Adventure Satisfaction
-By Captain Richard Brock
Abalone
The Secret To Soft ABS! An Abalone Adventure and Red Abalone Recipe
Pacific Rockfish RECIPE
ABALONE RECIPE:
Ok for the Best Part--Cooking (Actually -- Eating).
I do enjoy a healthy meal, however I risked my life and put myself through the JAWS theme in 50 degree water...This recipe is for my soul!!!
As I held the AB pieces they felt like a cross between Calamari tail (The Big Humboldt), Sturgeon and Conch. I wrestled with Spices and coatings, and like I said--Soul!
I decided to go with a modified "Tempura Seafood Crisp".
Seasoning:
Directly on the Damp AB Pieces
Light Garlic Salt (Light GUYS! Guys always over salt stuff!)
Light Black Pepper
Tempura Batter:
3 parts Flour
1 Parts Cornstarch (1 third)
Cool Water
Mix and drop in AB pieces
Let sit until thick (sticking good to AB pieces)
Crispy:
Then roll in Shrimp Crisp Breading (any grocery has a Shrimp or Seafood crisp or some kind)
Pan fry in Butter and Olive Oil (Med-Hot-but now splattering outtalk control)
Fry until Golden with Browned edges
I put them onto a Metal grate-(drip dry!)
Finishing Touches:
Squeeze fresh Lemon or Lime (Lime's better)
Cocktail or Garlic Butter-- Glorious!!!!
Entree:
I served it with Linguine and Clam sauce.
-Cpt. Richard Brock
-By Captain Richard Brock
Abalone Adventure
So in good Fashion, I wanted to get out to the NOR CAL Coast and Try my hand at AB Diving! Did pretty good got my limit in ABs and was a little hairy out there! These NOR CAL Divers are pretty intense. You have to brave the Cold 50 or so Degrees AIR and 50 +/- Water!!! (No Tropical dipping here).
You scale the cliffs or Make it to the "Secret" entry of your choice and try to find the Oasis of the Red Abalone. This turned out to be quite an adventure. I compare it to searching for a string of Conch in the Bahamas (but difficulty level much higher). These NOR CAL Rules and Regs. also make it harder, because you can't go under Air (No SCUBA) also be careful to use Exactly the right measuring tools and follow them to the letter.
Now factor in the 9 mil Wetsuit to keep you warm enough--So Now you are free-diving with a Floaty-Parka on! Wrap a ton of Weights around you to just get under the surface--and then kick like hell to get to that perfect AB (Camouflaged in kelp and the rocks). Once you get there--the current and surges make sure you hold on tight to the rocks below. Now the Sneak attack: Ok so this Abalone --Or Basically a Big Bicep has made years of sticking to Rocks for it's life and you have to scoop it unexpectedly -- Right... You have to use a Pry-Tool that slides between the Creatures Foot and the Rock (And Try not to hurt the meat) then Wrench on it like a Son of a Gun!!! Now grab that AB, make sure you have a clear shot outta kelp to the Surface and you're good.
Now that you've succeeded in un-Rocking this AB we had AB-Floats (Inner tubes with Pouches for our equipment and ABS). We all popped up onto these Tubes and took out time kicking across the Cove back to the shore---> Great part here...
Ok back up now...to the point where we were talking to the Fish and Game guys that morning and they were telling us of "Ol Whitey" yeah, you can hear the music in your head (Duh nuh, Duh nuh...). So this F & G Officer proceeds to give us the stats on Whites and our curiosity of course makes us ask more questions...where, how big, etc...
So now floating on 30 ft deep water, crossing the Cove, listening to the barking of the sea lions on the rocks on shore...the part that Pops into my head while I’m looking into the 10 foot viz water below me is the Stats -->"Over 30 foot your chances of Ol Whitey increase exponentially to 1 in a 100." Right then I thought to myself boy I must look just like a slow-moving plump juicy baby sea lion from below!
Advice. Next time you are going into the Deep blue...Pass on Jaws or Open Water the night before!
Ok we get back to shore and tag the ABs--All above 8-9 inches (A very respectable size for free-diving ABs).
Alive. And in One Piece. Phew!
-Cpt Richard Brock
-By Captain Richard Brock
Tips and Preparation
So just like catching a new species of fish warrants the question "how do I cook this thing?" Likewise for ABs. During our Adventure we met a bunch of awesome NOR CAL folks that had all sorts of recipes. However, they all began with the same process...Cleaning and Preparing the AB first.
I personally enjoy the Dissection and Cleaning of all my prey and this was even better, because this Old Salt came up while I was sharpening my fillet knife. He pulled out a thin leather necklace that had and assortment of beautifully colored pearls. He proceeded to educated me on Abalone Pearls and they were extraordinary. There were all colors from deep purples to Onyx Black. They have a huge $ value as well running hundreds of dollars a piece. He said "When everyone else throws the dirty guts away, he takes them as bait and sifts through the waste (no worse that the stomach of a black Sea bass).
Lesson: Feel for the Pearls in the Poop!
Ok so No Pearls for me on this cleaning run. But I did enjoy the Anatomy and Foot of the AB. Basically same as a Conch. They have an Exterior thick skin and Suction Foot that you must remove and remain with the Leftover Body/or Muscle.
Now the Pounding! Anyone who's dealt with ABs will tell you the Butt-Kicking you must now give the AB. Like I said Before--This ting has been Flexing/Sticking to a rock for years! So I had to beat this thing for a good 10 min with the pry tool (heavy and Flat at the end). Once it's the Firmness of a Raw Rump roast you’re now ready to Cook!
SCIENCE/Chemistry and Cooking:
I'm always trying to find the best way to Cook and prepare things. It seems that Science and cooking has made my cooking life easier. Like using acids to neutralize and breakdown meats I tried to find a way to make the process of Tenderizing these Abs easier...without success. No one could give me an Answer (An Please Do I'm ready)
But I did find an answer (After the first go at it).
Ok So We made and cooked the First AB. But I still had 2 more (Limit 3). As with Fish it’s best to Freeze them with heir Skin on and Vacuum seal them. So I Pooped the ABs into Bags, Vacuumed and FROZE them. There's your AB Secret! FREEZE them.
Only after I thawed and them Cleaned the Second One did I notice that it was totally tenderized throughout. No Beating Your AB necessary!!! It then hit me: Science...The AB sucks in as much Salt Water as it can when you grab them. They think they are caught in Low tide and They Hold onto the Water to wait for next high tide (Not coming this time!). This Water then Hydrates and filters through the AB.
When you freeze the AB--POW! Water in a Crack right! The Water Expands and breaks the muscle micro fibers and now you have Unbeaten (Which the Activists have gotta love) ABS!
Ok, Seriously--I should sell this idea!
-By Captain Richard Brock
Adventure and Recipe Rating
RATING (5/5)
Ok here I go...
1.) The Meat itself was a cross between Calamari and Sturgeon.
2.) The Final Dish came out with just enough flavor and spice so I could eat allot of it and not get tired of it (And the guys/Girls who ate it agreed-good for company)
3.) Crispy Batter added contrast to the slow chew of the meat.
4.) Biggest Factor--I scaled Cliffs, defied frigid temperatures, overcame the kelp forests, Played Surgeon, got scientific and Faced my Greatest fear of Becoming JAWS' Bumble Gum!
Overall I give Abalone a:
-5/5 Rating for Interesting Preparation
-5/5 Rating for Eating Pleasure
-5/5 Rating for Adventure Satisfaction
--By Richard Brock
-By Captain Richard Brock
