Smoked Mullet and Baked Okra

Smoked Mullet and Baked Okra

I dry brined the mullet and smoked it on my Anuka smoker.
Meanwhile I baked the okra tossed in olive oil for 30 minutes.
I made up a remoulade of ricotta and gochujang.
This made for a nice light lunch on a humid and rainy day. 

Smoked Mullet Fillets

 

Smoked Mullet Fillets

Make a batch of homemade old bay seasoning which consists of:

Allspice
Celery Seed
Cloves
Cardamom
Cayenne
Cinnamon
Dry Ginger
Mace
Paprika
Black Pepper
Sea Salt

I make up the seasoning mixture by eye, mostly the paprika, pepper and salt and a dash or more of all the rest. Stir up the seasoning so it's all blended. Place your fillets on a sheet pan and pat the fillets dry on both sides. Next sprinkle the seasoning on the flesh side of the fish and rub it in gently. I tried to communicate I wanted to keep the skin on the fish, but the translation wasn't comprehended by the fish monger so he didn't keep the skin on, which I would have preferred.

Put fillets in a room with a fan or good air circulation. I have an overhead fan in my kitchen, which is controversial, but I am glad I had it installed. Let fish rest at room temperature till it starts to look shiny and sticky, about an hour. This withdraws the moisture to the surface of the fish and helps develop a pellicle which allows the smoke to penetrate the fish much better. I used apple wood chips to smoke the fish. Not the prettiest plate above because I dropped the racks but tasty none the less. All turned out well, so now we're snacking on smoked mullet fillets.

Baked Branzino over Roasted Tomatoes

Baked Bronzino over Roasted Tomatoes

Just cut up the tomatoes and roast for 20 minutes.

We were so hungry I forgot I made some rice for

under the tomatoes and bronzino.

No worry we had seconds, lol.

Shrimp Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

 

Shrimp Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

2 halves of portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed
1/2 onion chopped fine
2 garlic cloves micro-minced
10 - 12 red pepper roasted
1 tablespoon white vinegar
dash of agave syrup
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
12 ounces of medium shrimp
12 roasted cherry sized tomatoes
2 green onions sliced very thin for garnish

My idea was to stuff the mushrooms with chopped shrimp and place them on a bed of roasted red pepper sauce. Remove stems and gills from mushrooms and set aside. Roast your peppers in a 400 F oven till blistered. Remove skins when peppers are cool enough to handle. Add tomatoes to same pan and roast till softened. Set tomatoes aside. Sauté onion in a bit of olive oil and add minced garlic for the last minute. Add the vinegar, agave syrup, cayenne, salt and pepper. Cook till flavors are melded. Puree the pepper mixture.

Next chop all but 8 shrimp into medium sized pieces. Toss shrimp with chopped mushroom stems and gills, salt and pepper mixture, and add mixture to the caps of the portobello mushrooms. top mixture with the whole mushrooms and bake mushrooms in a 400 F oven for 20 minutes. Spoon pepper sauce on a plate and gently place the shrimp stuffed portobello mushroom on top. Sprinkle the roasted tomatoes and sliced green onions for a garnish. It's kind of difficult to see the shrimp stuffing, but it's in there. The roasted pepper sauce was the star of this recipe.