when we caught fish, we'd haul them up the hill to the cottage, but gram would never let us clean them inside. oh, no. the designated fish cleaning area was at the water pump. the water pump is a hand pump, on a large cement circle. underneath the water pump is a well. you'd lift up the cover, and someone could drop down in and fix the pump (or cool a watermelon). next to the pump is a trough, covered with roof siding. when cleaning a fish, you put a wooden board on top of the trough, and go to it. grampa and dad showed us how - knock the fish over the head to stun it, chop the head off, cut down the middle, clean out the guts, defin it, scale it, and then get out the bones (i am not sure this is in order, i am going entirely on memory here and not recent experience). if you needed to rinse the fish, board, or hands, you'd ask a brother or cousin to pump the water for you. totally gross, yet fascinating to young kids.
i have never been one for much fishing, since then. i have my own rod and reel, and enjoyed being out in the early mornings - creeping out of the boathouse (where us kids slept) at the crack of dawn, getting into the canoe, and heading out in the mist. it is your own world, there. lovely, peaceful, calm. but to actually CATCH a fish? yikes.
about 5 years ago, when we lived in minnesota, i headed out to our dock to fish - i needed the soothing rhythm of casting my line. within a few minutes, i had caught a REALLY big fish. unfortunately, the hook had caught on his gill and he was bleeding. i couldn't unhook it, and wasn't sure what to do. i knew if i threw him back (as i usually do), he wouldn't live long. so i called to ed for reinforcements.
he came down. it was dusk. if you've been in minnesota in the summertime, you know that the mosquito is the state bird. we were getting bit - a lot. i put a board on the cement blocks bordering the fire pit, and laid the fish out. he was flopping like there was no tomorrow (prescience?). we kept trying to bop him on the head, to no avail. the hits never knocked him out. freaked out by the longevity of this fighting fish, i called my dad. he fell out laughing. i carried the portable phone out to the yard, and asked for directions. by this time, the neighbors had come out for the show, too. with a whole peanut gallery watching, we tried valiantly to get this fish subdued. my dad was chuckling the whole time. the neighbors were calling suggestions. we felt like complete idiots. i mean, who lives on a lake and can't even kill a fish?
finally, we just got the head off (and not in one try. sigh). the mosquitoes were hovering in a black cloud, zooming in for more and more nourishment from us. we quickly scaled the fish and ran inside, to escape the mosquitoes (and heckling neighbors). i finished the fish on the kitchen counter, with my dad on the phone providing directions.
too tired to eat, but wanting to honor this fish, i dipped it in flour and pan fried it. yuck. it tasted like muck (and a lot of struggle). i took one bite and couldn't eat any more. ed's reaction was similar. we bagged the rest of the fish and put it in the fridge (to be given to the neighbors the next day, to their great delight). since then, i haven't gone fishing. i should have been casting without a hook. i love the rhythm of casting, and the peace that ensues. but to actually catch a fish? no thanks.
now, on the rare occasions we want fish, we buy them in the store. in the latest issue of saveur, there's an article about fishing in cornwall, and some great recipes. i love cornwall. my mouth started watering. we headed to meijers and got some fish - the recipe called for cod, but the sale this week was on whitefish. so whitefish cakes it was. they were delicious! lillie even ate TWO. that's a lot of fish for a little girl. i made some coleslaw to go on the side.
i adapted the fish cakes recipe from the may 2006 issue of saveur. the coleslaw is my own. here are the recipes. enjoy!
fresh fish cakes
2 pounds of fresh fish, with skin on (cod, whitefish, etc)
2-3 potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed with a little butter and milk
1 large onion, minced finely and sauteed in 2 T butter
2 eggs
2 T milk or buttermilk
salt/seasonings
panko (japanese bread crumbs), or 2-3 slices of bread, shredded in the food processor
put the fish in a pot and cover with water. bring to a boil. boil for 8 minutes on medium heat. drain and let the fish cool. then pick off the skin and any errant bones. put into a bowl with the mashed potatoes. add the onions. mash and stir around. add some seasonings - i put in mama garlic, and some cape cod dill seasoning. form into 8 patties.
whisk the eggs with the buttermilk. put the panko into a dish.
melt a few T of oil in a frying pan. dip each fish cake into the egg mixture, then the panko mixture. make sure the panko is completely covering the fish cakes (that's the best part). then put it into the pan. if you have a large enough pan, you can do it in one batch. otherwise, cook them in 2 batches. cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until you have a crispy brown coating. serve hot, with some garlic mayonnaise (chop up garlic minutely, add to mayo with a little lemon juice). YUM!
cole slaw
1/2 to 3/4 head of cabbage, shredded
a few carrots, shredded
a small daikon radish, shredded
1/2 c mayo
1/2 c buttermilk
2 T each lemon juice and white vinegar
1/3 c sugar
spices (i use mama garlic and celery seeds)
mix wets well, add shredded veggies. chill for at least an hour before serving.
copyright 2006, jessica voigts
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 26
I have to make these fish cakes. They look delicious!
i just want to BE on water, or IN the water, not hauling food from it. argh!
we have people sitting on buckets by the road, fishing the channel of our lake. i don't get it. mosquitoes, weeds, cars zooming by, etc.
lillie loves 'em though, so they will continue to be made. thanks for sharing your fish stories!
But you do have to soak them overnight, and that takes more planning than I am willing to commit. Probably easier to chop off the fish head.
easier to chop off the fish head - yes. just CLOSE YOUR EYES. haha.....
stephen - you could whip up a bunch of these for the party you've been having at your house the last few days. men will go to a party if there is good food there, don'tcha think? plus, think of all us girls that are there, too. :)
kevin - knew you'd laugh!
Thanks for the Savvy recipe. Frying is good because fish is too damn good for you. You need to make it less healthy some how, no?
I hope you never had to pith a live frog in high school biology. ;-)
the frying isn't THAT much grease. now, if you used fat free mayo, i'd have to split.
where DO you find fresh fish? heh heh
Usually in the minimum-security aquarium.