Category: Recipes

Delicious Fish Taco Recipe

By Capt. Andy Martin – Without a doubt, fish tacos are one of the most popular dishes to enjoy freshly caught rockfish, lingcod, surfperch or halibut. Nearly everyday on our charter boats, we hear “That will make a taco,” or “Fish tacos tonight!” Customers love fish tacos, our crew loves fish tacos, and visitors to the Oregon Coast love fish tacos.

There are countless ways to prepare fish tacos. Some people beer batter pieces of fillets, smother in tarter sauce, and wrap a tortilla around it. Others fry their catch in panko, and serve with cabbage, salsa and sour cream.

Fish tacos with baked rockfish, lime and a delicious crema sauce.

Fish tacos originated in Baja, Mexico. Early versions were fish fillets coated with tempura and fried, served in a warm corn tortilla. The Tipai-Ipai Indigenous people of Mexico are believed to have discovered the tasty combination of fish and stone-ground tortillas.

Fish tacos later became popular in San Diego, and then spread throughout the West Coast.

One of our favorite ways to enjoy fish tacos is seasoning small pieces of rockfish or surfperch fillets, drizzling with olive oil and baking or grilling. When my daughter was young, it was often difficult to get her to eat fish. She would have friends over, and I would make a platter of tacos, not telling them they were made of fish. She and her friends would eat them up faster than I could make them.

Freshly chopped cabbage, red onion, tomatoes and cilantro are a key ingredient to delicious fish tacos.

Today, my captains and deckhands share recipes daily with our charter customers. This baked fish taco is delicious, quick and easy to make, and leaves little mess to clean up.

The colorful combination of purple cabbage, red onion, cilantro, avocado, tomato and feta or cotija cheese make these tacos look, and taste, absolutely amazing. A key ingredient is the crema sauce. The fact the fish is baked, or grilled, instead of fried makes them a healthy alternative to the deep fried fish tacos many people are accustomed to.

A simple mixture of salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and cumin make a perfect fish taco seasoning.

This recipe is incredible with fresh rockfish or surfperch, but frozen fillets also will work. Pacific cod also can be used.

Baked Fish Tacos

Fish Taco ingredients

12 small corn tortillas

1 pound fish fillets, cut into small pieces

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

Fish Taco toppings

1 avocado, sliced

Cherry or roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1/2 cup purple cabbage, shredded

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup cotija or feta cheese, grated

1 lime, cut into wedges

Crema sauce

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 tsp Sriracha sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with wax paper, and coat with cooking spray.

In a small dish, combine cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and cumin.

Place the seasoning in a shaker bottle and sprinkle on both sides of fish, or add a small pinch of the seasoning to the fish (don’t apply too much, a little goes a long way!)

Place the fish on the baking dish and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees to 12 to 20 minutes.

While fish is baking, combine the taco sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. The sauce can be spooned onto the fish tacos, when ready, or applied with a squeeze bottle.

Toast the corn tortillas in a large skillet over medium-high heat, 20 to 30 seconds per side.

Place a couple small pieces of fish in each tortilla, and assemble the tacos with the cabbage, onion, cilantro, avocado, tomato, cheese and lime juice, and top with the crema sauce.

Season the fish fillets, and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake the fish at 375 degrees for 12-20 minutes.
Serve with quickly toasted corn tortillas.
Perfect rockfish or lingcod fish tacos.

These fish tacos are sure to be a favorite of even the most picky eater, and are one of the healthier versions of fish tacos you will come across. Served with cole slaw, black beans and/or spanish rice.

To catch a limit of rockfish or lingcod to make your own fish tacos, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.

Deckhand Chris holds a pair of black rockfish, the perfect ingredient for delicious fish tacos.

Seafood Bisque great way to enjoy rockfish, crab

The delicious combination of Oregon Coast rockfish, crab and shrimp in a thick, creamy soup will have your family coming back for seconds, and friends or co-workers over for dinner impressed. Seafood Bisque, which resembles clam chowder – but without the clams, potatoes and bacon – is surprisingly easy to make, yet rivals the menu of an elegant French restaurant.

The combination of fresh rockfish, crab and shrimp make this creamy soup a home run.

Capt. Andy of Brookings Fishing Charters has cooked up several variations of seafood bisque recipes. This is his favorite, in part because it is simple and quick, yet incredibly delicious. This recipe is perfect with rockfish, lingcod or halibut, combined with shrimp (either large shelled and deveined shrimp or Oregon Coast salad or cocktail shrimp), and fresh crab meat. Just rockfish and crab, or fish fillets and shrimp meat will work with the recipe, although all three give it a 10 out of 10.

The Louisiana twist to the recipe – with cajun seasonings – gives it a unique flavor that complements Pacific Northwest seafood.

Seafood Bisque takes just a few minutes to prep, and is ready to serve in 45 minutes.

Seafood Bisque is a great way to enjoy the rockfish caught on our charter boats.

Rockfish and Crab Bisque

1 pound rockfish, lingcod or halibut fillets, cut into small chunks

1/2 pound crab meat

1/2 pound shrimp meat

2 cubes unsalted butter

1 bunch green onion, chopped

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups half and half

1/4 cup white flour

1/2 can creamed corn (optional ingredient)

1 tsp cajun seasoning

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Melt butter in a large pot, and saute green onions.

Sprinkle flour over the melted butter and onions, and stir well.

Add heavy cream, half and half, seafood, seasonings, and if desires, the half can of cream corn. Stir continuously as the bisque is brought to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. The raw fish will quickly cook, and add an incredible flavor to the creamy soup.

Garnish with fresh parsley. Serve with sour dough or french bread, and white wine.

Melt butter in a large pot, and saute chopped green onions.
Once the onions are cooked, add 1/4 cup flour.
Add heavy cream and half and half, seafood, cajun seasons, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, and Old Bay.
This creamy soup is ready to serve after simmering for 40 minutes.

To book a charter to catch your own rockfish or lingcod, visit www.brookingsfishing.com or call (541) 813-1082.

Grilled salmon healthy, delicious and easy

When preparing ocean-fresh salmon, or chrome-bright kings from the lower Chetco, Smith or Rogue rivers, simpler is better. There is no reason for fancy marinades or elaborate sauces, as fresh salmon from the ocean, bay or tidewater are already full of flavor. Grilled salmon is healthy, delicious and easy to prepare.

Applying a dash of salt, squeeze of lemon juice and dash of dill weed is the most popular way to prepare salmon fillets or steaks for grilling. There are also numerous other ways to season fresh salmon before setting it on the barbecue. Capt. Andy of Brookings Fishing Charters and Wild Rivers Fishing has a unique twist to grilled salmon to keep the fish moist, and not detract from the great taste ocean-fresh fish have because of their higher fat and oil content.

Aside from being a thrill to catch, ocean-bight salmon, like this beauty caught on the Miss Brooke, are also extremely tasty.

Popular with chefs who prefer to cook salmon over a cedar plank, brushing a mixture of melted butter, brown sugar and white vinegar keeps the fish moist while cooking, and adds just a tiny bit more flavor to an already delicious cut of king or coho.

Grilled Salmon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons melted butter (unsalted)

1 tablespoon white vinegar

salt, to taste

Cut the salmon into smaller strips, or steaks. Heat grill to 350 degrees (medium-low). A Camp Chef or Traeger works great for this recipe with the added smoke. Stir brown sugar with melted butter, and then add the vinegar, mixing well.

Add a dash of salt to the fillets, and place skin-side down on the grill. Brush the tops and sides of the salmon with the melted butter mixture. Grill for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the fish reaches 120 degrees (this is another reason a Camp Chef or Treager work so well).

Serve with rice and coleslaw. Tastes great with a little tarter sauce, barbecue sauce, or squeeze of lemon.

Add brown sugar and white vinegar to melted butter.
After salting the salmon, brush on the butter mixture.
Place on grill, skin-side down.
Grill at 350 degrees until internal temperature reaches 120 degrees.
Tastes great with rice and coleslaw.

To catch an ocean-bright king, book a fishing charter with Brookings Fishing Charters, www.brookingsfishing.com, or call (541) 813-1082.

Parmesan Rockfish tasty way to enjoy catch without frying

Fried fish and chips is a delicious way to enjoy a day’s catch of rockfish, lingcod or halibut, but baked fish is a tasty alternative to deep fried fillets. Aside from being healthier, baked fish, when cooked properly, tastes great, is easy to prepare and clean up, and adds variety for anglers who enjoy weekly servings of their catch. Parmesan Rockfish is also a lower sodium alternative to fish and chips, since it tastes great without adding salt.

Fish with white fillets, such as rockfish, lingcod and cabezon, like these caught last summer aboard the Kraken, taste great baked with a mixture of parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

Parmesan Rockfish requires just a few ingredients, and since it’s baked, several portions may be cooked at once. Delicious when served with baked potatoes, rice, or pasta, along with coleslaw. This recipe tastes great with rockfish, lingcod, halibut, surfperch (which can sometimes flake apart when fried) or Pacific cod. Serve with lemon and tarter sauce.

Parmesan Rockfish

1-2 lbs. rockfish (or other white fish) fillets (works great with whole fillets, or fillets cut into smaller pieces)

1/3 cup bread crumbs or panko

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 or 3 eggs, beaten

1 lemon, sliced into wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine parmesan cheese, bread crumbs or panko, basil, thyme, onion powder and black pepper. Dip fish in egg wash, and then coat with breading. Place on a baking sheet (use a nonstick cooking spray). Bake for 10 minutes, or until fish easily flakes with a fork.

Combine bread crumbs or panko, parmesan cheese, thyme, basil, onion powder and black pepper.
Dip fillets in egg wash and then coat with breading.
Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
Serve with coleslaw, lemon and tarter sauce.

To catch a limit of rockfish or lingcod to enjoy this delicious recipe, contact Brookings Fishing Charters at (541) 813-1082 or visit www.brookingsfishing.com.

Mediterranean Baked Rockfish, Lingcod and Halibut

A fresh, delicious way to enjoy the Oregon Coast catch of the day, bursting with citrus flavor, easy to make, and a breeze to cleanup is Mediterranean Baked Rockfish, Lingcod and Halibut. This recipe is perfect for anyone seeking a healthy alternative to fish and chips, or those counting carbs. It is especially good after picking up fresh produce at the many farmers’ markets on the coast during the summer, or vegetables from your garden.

Mediterranean Baked Rockfish, Lingcod or Halibut is a great way to enjoy the catch of the day from the Oregon Coast.

Versatile, Mediterranean Baked Fish is equally good with rockfish, lingcod, halibut or even salmon, or a combination of them. The unique taste is worth baking up a few times each season, and may become a favorite way to enjoy the catch from our charter boats. Perfect with a side of rice, pasta salad or green salad.

Fresh vegetables make this a delicious and healthy alternative to fish and chips.

Mediterranean Sauce

Zest of 2 lemons

Juice from 2 lemons

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons dill weed

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

Fish and vegetables

1-2 pounds rockfish, lingcod or halibut fillets, sliced into thin pieces

1 pound cherry tomatoes

1 pound fresh green beans

1 large yellow onion, sliced into half moons

Also works well with sliced zucchini, sliced bell pepper and/or asparagus

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. In a bowl, combine lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dill weed, oregano, coriander, salt and pepper. Whisk the ingredients together.
  3. In a large bowl, add the vegetables, coat with sauce and stir. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the vegetables to a large baking sheet. Layer half the baking sheet with a thin layer of the vegetables.
  4. Add the fish fillets to the bowl, mix well with the sauce, and transfer the fillets to the other half of the baking sheet. Pour any remaining sauce on the fish fillets and vegetables.
  5. Lightly season the fish and vegetables with salt and pepper, or lemon pepper, or seasoned salt.
  6. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then place on top rack of oven and broil for an additional 3 minutes, or until the cherry tomatoes begin to pop under the broiler.
Combine lemon juice and zest, olive oil, seasonings and herbs.
Add sliced vegetables to bowl, and stir in Mediterranean sauce.
After transferring vegetables to baking sheet, slice fish fillets, coat with sauce and add to baking sheet.
Pour remaining sauce over fish and vegetables. Bake for 15 minutes.
Finish off by broiling on top rack of oven for 3 minutes.
Mediterranean Baked Rockfish, Lingcod or Halibut.

To catch a limit of Oregon Coast rockfish or lingcod, book a charter with Brookings Fishing Charters, www.brookingsfishing.com

Rockfish Puttanesca

By Capt. Andy Martin – One of the perks of running a charter boat on the Oregon Coast is an ample supply of rockfish and lingcod fillets to enjoy with our families and try new recipes with. One of the captains who runs out of the Brookings Fishing Charters office, Capt. Rich Signorello, says his favorite way to enjoy rockfish is Rockfish Puttanesca, a delicious twist to a classic Italian dish that will have you coming back for seconds.

Start by finely chopping garlic and parsley.

Pasta Puttanesca is a simple, tasty alternative to traditional spaghetti with meatballs. Adding rockfish fillets makes the dish burst with flavor and appear much more elaborate, worthy of a spot on the menu of an expensive seafood or Italian restaurant. The recipe is actually quite simple, and costs less than $15 to make a meal for the entire family.

Capt. Rich says Rockfish Puttanesca is his favorite way to enjoy rockfish.

When Rich described his homespun recipe for Rockfish Puttanesca I was intrigued, and after experimenting a little, came up with this version. It is worth trying, and may become one of your favorite recipes for enjoying Oregon Coast rockfish.

Rockfish Puttanesca

2 to 6 rockfish fillets. Smaller fillets work best.

1/3 cup olive oil

5-6 cloves minced garlic

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 flat anchovy fillets (2 ounces)

2 14.5-ounce cans crushed tomatoes (finely diced tomatoes will can be substituted)

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted

1/4 cup capers

1 bunch chopped parsley

salt, garlic salt and pepper to taste

1 package (14-16 ounces) spaghetti

Parmesan cheese

Finley chop the garlic and parsley and set aside. Rinse rockfish fillets.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook garlic for 1 minute, then add crushed red pepper and anchovy fillets. The anchovy fillets will break up. Cook for 1 more minute, and add olives, capers, parsley and crushed tomatoes. Add salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste. Bring to a boil, add rockfish fillets, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Just after adding rockfish fillets and covering, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti for 9-10 minutes. By the time the spaghetti is cooked and drained, the sauce will be finished. Removed cooked rockfish from sauce and place on a separate dish, then combine sauce and spaghetti and mix well.

Add a rockfish fillet to each serving of the puttanesca. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Saute the anchovy fillets, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic.
Add olives, parsley and capers.
Add two cans crushed tomatoes. Stir well.
After bringing sauce to a boil, add rockfish fillets. Cover, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
The rockfish fillets will cook in the sauce.
Once the rockfish is cooked, remove from sauce and set aside.
Toss pasta and sauce.
Serve a rockfish fillet with each portion of puttanesca.

To catch a limit of rockfish to make Rockfish Puttanesca and other tasty seafood recipes, book a trip with any of the Brookings Fishing Charters charter boats. Learn more at www.brookingsfishing.com.

Brown Sugar Cured Smoked Salmon or Steelhead

Smoking salmon or steelhead is one of the most popular ways of enjoying the highly prized Oregon Coast fish. While there are dozens of great recipes for smoked fish, our favorite involves a quick and simple dry cure that is both sweet and salty, but not too much of either. Brown sugar cured salmon or steelhead is a tried and true smoked fish recipe that has regained popularity in recent years.

Chetco River steelhead smoked after being cured with brown sugar and salt.

The fish is cured with a dry cure. No brine is involved. The end result is smoked fish with all of its flavor, and the perfect texture. This recipe is especially popular for steelhead and coho salmon, which have more of a mild flavor compared to king salmon, but it works great for all species of salmon, including those caught in the ocean or river.

The dry cure is simple. Four parts brown sugar (light or dark may be used) and one part non-iodized salt. For a single coho or steelhead, two cups brown sugar and a half of cup of salt work. For multiple fish, or a large king salmon, use four cups brown sugar and one cup salt. Mix the brown sugar and salt in a plastic bag.

Steelhead fillets cut into small pieces for smoking.

Cut the salmon or steelhead fillet into smaller pieces. The smaller pieces will cure more evenly, and smoke better than larger fillets. For best results, remove the rib bones, although they can be left if desired. Leave the skin on the fillets, as they will be smoked skin-side down.

Cure the fish in a large glass baking dish. A large plastic bowl also will work, or even a bucket if you have several salmon to cure and smoke.

The brown sugar cure over the steelhead fillets.

Layer the bottom of the baking dish with the small pieces of fillets, skin-side down. Place a single layer on the dish. Apply a generous amount of the brown sugar and salt mixture over the fish. Add a second layer of fish, skin-side down, over the initial layer, and then another coat of the brown sugar cure.

The second layer of salmon fillets.

Continue to add layers of salmon or steelhead, and the brown sugar cure. After just a few minutes, the dry cure will begin to pull the moisture/liquid from the salmon or steelhead fillets. Cover with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator or a cool area (the garage) for three or four hours.

After just a few minutes, the sugar and salt will begin to become saturated with moisture from the fish.
The cure dissolves as it pulls the moisture from the fish.

After an hour, the sugar and salt will be completely dissolved as it pulls the moisture and liquid from the fish. After three to four hours of curing, stir the fish by hand to ensure all the fillet pieces are covered with the cure.

Stir the fillets to make sure they are completely exposed to the cure.

Cure the fish for 12 to 24 hours. Smaller pieces will cure quicker. Larger king salmon may need the total cure time of 24 hours, or longer. The fish will take on a brighter color, and the meat will be firmer once it is cured.

When its ready to smoke, remove it from the cure, shake or wipe off the remaining cure and place on the smoke trays or screens to air dry. Do not rinse.

The fillets will be bright and firm once cured.
The unrinsed fillets are allowed to air dry.

Once the fillets have air dried and are firm and tacky, season to taste with garlic powder, black pepper, dill weed and lemon pepper. Some people simply add a little black pepper and no other seasonings.

Once the fillets are tacky, season and begin to smoke.
Use apple, cherry or alder chips.

Smoke the fish for 6 to 12 hours. Use three pans fulls of chips, and then simply use the heat from the smoker. Continuing to add chips/smoke after the first 1 to 2 hours can give the fish a bitter taste.

The Big Chief Smoker doing its thing.

If you like sweeter smoked fish, add a small amount of honey to each fillet halfway through the smoking process.

During the winter months, or on the coast during cool, foggy weather, sometimes it is necessary to finish the fish off in the oven. If necessary, finish cooking the salmon at a low temperate (175-200 degrees) for 20 to 30 minutes in the oven.

The finished product.
King salmon caught on the Miss Brooke of Brookings Fishing Charters.

Southen Fried Rockfish

By Capt. Andy Martin – Years ago I enjoyed the chance to spend a week fishing in Venice, Louisiana. We spent a few days fishing for redfish in the Mississippi Delta, and some time in the Gulf of Mexico, catching yellowfin tuna near the offshore oil rigs. On the final day, the lodge I fished out of had a giant fish fry. The shrimp boil was amazing. The fried redfish and speckled trout also was good. I thought “frying Oregon Coast rockfish this way would be great.”

Cornmeal coated rockfish is easy to make, and delicious.

Nothing against catfish, or what locals in the Gulf Coast refer to as trout, or redfish, but anglers who get to fish the Oregon Coast are spoiled by the great-tasting rockfish, halibut and lingcod we get to catch. Pacific coast rockfish are among the best-eating fish around, and can be cooked a variety of ways. The firm, flaky, white flesh makes some of the best fish and chips anywhere.

Oregon Coast rockfish are fun to catch, and taste great.

In much of the country, a cornmeal-based breading is the typical way to fry fish. West Coast anglers are more accustomed to beer batter or panko breading. Rockfish coated in cornmeal, with some cajun seasonings, also are delicious.

Cornmeal coated rockfish

2 pounds rockfish fillets, each cut in half or thirds

1 cup milk or buttermilk

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup frying oil

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cornmeal can burn over higher heats, and shallow pan frying generally works better than deep frying with a cornmeal coating.

In a bowl, combine milk (or buttermilk) and lemon juice. Allow rockfish fillets to soak for 5 to 10 minutes while oil heats. This will serve as the binder for the cornmeal coating and the fish.

In a separate bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, creole seasoning and salt and pepper. Mix, and then place in a paper bag. (A large Ziplock bag also will work).

Place two to four of the rockfish fillet pieces in the bag, shake well, and place in the hot oil. Cook until golden brown, usually 4 to 5 minutes per side.

The key to this recipe is a medium to medium-high heat to make the fish crispy. Too hot and the cornmeal will burn. Too low of a temperature and the fish will not be as crispy. Cut larger fillets into three or four pieces so the fish cooks evenly and quickly. Allow to drain/dry on a wire rack instead of on a paper towel over a plate for crispier fish.

The paper bag makes for an easy cleanup. Simply discard the bag after the fish are fried.

Homemade tarter sauce

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup chopped dill pickle

1/4 cup finely chopped white or yellow onion

2 teaspoons chopped capers

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste.

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Manhattan clam chowder a tasty, low-carb altenative to traditional chowder

By Capt. Andy Martin – Growing up on the Oregon Coast, traditional New England clam chowder, and other seafood dishes, were readily available. We ate seafood several times a week. A dish my family never enjoyed is Manhattan clam chowder. The thought of a tomato-based clam chowder just wasn’t appealing.

I first made Manhattan clam chowder a few years ago while looking for a keto-friendly, low-carb version of clam chowder. The results were surprising. Manhattan clam chowder is delicious, easy to make, and much lower in carbs than cream- and potato-based chowders. The following recipe is more of a traditional Manhattan clam chowder – to reduce carbs, simply reduce or eliminate the potatoes, use less onion and forgo the carrots. Zucchini may also be substituted for potatoes.

Manhattan clam chowder is a simple, delicious alternative to New England clam chowder.

Ingredients

4-6 slices bacon

1 small onion, diced

1-2 carrots, chopped

2-4 medium potatoes, diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped, or 2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup white wine

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

2 cans (14.5 ounce each) chicken broth

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes

1 bottle (8 ounces) clam juice

2 cans (6.5 ounces each) diced clams

1 can (6.5 ounces) minced clams

1 cube (8 tablespoons) butter

1/3 cub fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh potatoes, carrots, onion and celery makes this a wholesome meal.

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat, add a small amount of oil, and cook bacon. While bacon is cooking, chop the potatoes, onion, celery, garlic and carrots.

Remove cooked bacon. Lower heat to medium low and add potatoes, onion, carrots, garlic and celery to bacon grease. Chop bacon and add it to the vegetables. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the wine, cover with lid, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato paste, bay leaves and thyme.

Add tomatoes with liquid, chicken broth and clam juice. Heat to a boil at medium high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Return heat to medium high, add clams with juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer again, add stick of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Once butter is melted, stir in parsley. Serve.

(Capt. Andy Martin owns and operates Brookings Fishing Charters. When he is not running charters aboard the Nauti-Lady, Miss Brooke or Kraken, he enjoys cooking).

Grilled lingcod simple and delicious

Lingcod are one of the most delicious fish caught on our charters. Known for their firm, tasty fillets, lingcod are most often pan fried or deep fried. The fillets also are great when grilled. Here is a favorite grilled lingcod recipe from Capt, Andy that is incredibly simple, yet delicious. The recipe also works great for rockfish and halibut.

Grilled lingcod is simple and delicious.

Ingredients

Lingcod fillets

olive or vegetable oil

lemon pepper

salt

salted butted

fresh lemon

Preheat your grill to 350-375 degrees. To make cleanup simple, add a sheet of aluminum foil with a small amount of cooking oil to prevent lingcod from sticking to the foil.

The combination of butter and lemon pepper give the lingcod a delicious flavor.

Generously season the lingcod fillets with lemon pepper and sea salt. You may want to add a little garlic as well. Top each fillet with a slice of butter.

The melting butter keeps the fillets firm and moist.

Cook the fillets for 8 to 10 minutes without turning. Thicker fillets may take longer. The fish is done when the inside has an opaque color and the fillets easily flake apart.

The fillets are done in 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve the fillets with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Grilled lingcod or rockfish also make excellent fish tacos. Add homemade pico de gallo and a combination of shredded cabbage and crema. Serve with flour or corn tortillas.

Grilled lingcod or rockfish make great fish tacos.
Homemade pico is a key ingredient.
Make a Mexican crema sauce by combining mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, Sriracha and garlic powder.
Combine the cabbage and crema sauce.
Grilled lingcod tacos!
Lingcod are fun to catch and taste great.

To book a lingcod trip, call (541) 813-1082 or visit www.brookingsfishing.com.