The latest fish we tried from Shelley's Seafood in Homosassa is sheepshead fish. (photo courtesy of wikipedia). Yummy. A little more firm than other soft fleshed fish, which I like because it doesn't fall apart when I serve it. I took the fillets, patted them dry with a paper towel, sprinkled them with thyme, chives, paprika and a light dusting of sugar and set them aside. Yep, it was sugar I used, please keep reading to see why I've used sugar.
Meanwhile in a small saucepan I melted some butter and sauteed my standby shallots and fresh ginger. When those were softened and just browning on a medium high heat I gently placed the fillets of sheepshead fish in the pan browning them on one side and then gently turning them over to brown on the other side. A minute or so later I lightly sprinkled some soy sauce over the fish. As the soy sauce hit the pan and mixed with the sugar it started to caramelize and thicken, that's why I used the sugar. When a fork inserted in the fish goes in easily the fish is cooked through. Serve immediately with your favorite side dishes; we had a baked sweet potato with the fish which was delicious.
Meanwhile I have a bisque cooling down. I finally fired the large sunburst platter I made months ago; hope it doesn't slump or warp. Also firing the bucket pot I had to rip the paper template out of, hope the seams hold. Plus other experimental pots are in there too. I might have enough pots ready to do a raku firing, can you please send me some raku courage for my first firing? Thanks for reading and for all your comments.
That fish recipe sounds delicious, although I doubt we'll be able to get sheepshead fish, I'll try it with an alternative.
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about firing pottery so I am thrilled to be learning a little of the process. Courage is being sent forthwith! Fingers are also crossed.
Hi Elaine, thanks, we are lucky to have a great fish market near us with the freshest fish I have ever eaten. I'll know this evening if everything fired ok, then I'll do a glaze load and some will go into the raku kiln, hope to get a propane tank today to do the firing soon.
ReplyDeleteAny firing is a crap shoot. Roll a 7.
ReplyDeleteWow. that fish recipe sounds delicious and I love the way to write your recipes, so conversational. Raku courage, on it's way. Love it.
ReplyDeleteHi Dennis, thanks, a crap shoot, I like to count the odds before I fire, Ha.
ReplyDeleteHi Teresa, thanks, the recipe is good and easy too, changing it up a little to stimulate the taste buds. I used the same ingredients with shrimp too and that was just as good.
Thanks for the recipe...gonna try it using tilapia. Love these little packages of fish I found. Sending some good vibes for your raku fire...
ReplyDeleteLove that fish recipe....and the shrimp sub.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dennis....any firing is a crap shoot. However, it does help prewarm the pots and make sure the glaze is absolutely dry. We used to prop them on top of the kiln while others were firing.....one of our group used to preheat his pots in his gas grill....sorry I don't remember the particulars...I haven't done raku for more than fifteen years. Toes crossed for a good firing!
hi linda, sounds yummy, i guess there are advantages to living near the big blue sea. the platter looks like a winner, should make it through the bisque fine don't you think?
ReplyDeletesending big raku courage your way! i can't wait to see photos & stories.
ReplyDeletelike Suzie said, warm your pots after glazing... we put them on top of the kiln as it preheats. we also keep the garden hose nearby, along with a fire extinguisher for safety. A flashlight is good for shining through the peep hole when the kiln is close to temperature to see if the glaze has melted completely.
those are my tips for the day... now go out there and raku fire!
What an odd way to make teriyaki sauce! Lol. I love it and will try it that way soon. Thanks for the idea.
ReplyDeleteLiving in the Midwest, I'm not much of a seafood eater. Your recipe does sound good, though. I wonder if the soy sauce and sugar wouldn't work on other recipes as well.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that you take advantage of your locale.
ReplyDeleteThat is a new fish to me. Looking good.
well yum Linda! Ginger and soy! Pots should be great!
ReplyDeleteIt's great to have a good, fresh seafood market nearby. I practically live at mine. That fish sounds and looks delicious, especially the sauce! Good luck with the firing!
ReplyDeleteHi Turquoisemoon, thanks, it's easy to do and tasty yummy, about the saltiest dish I've had in a while since I rarely use salt.
ReplyDeleteHi Suzi, thanks, warming them up what a good tip, thanks,
Hi Jim, thanks, yes the fresh fish, the beach, and the warm weather are advantages, but not all the snowbirds who clog the area in winter, lol, that platter takes up a lot of room, not sure what to glaze it with though.
Hi Michele, thanks, am I missing something, warm the pots, but wouldn't I put them in the kiln and then fire it up? I better do some reading on raku. oh a flashlight, good one.
Hi Gigi, thanks, stay tuned I made my own teriyaki sauce today for water chestnuts wrapped in bacon.
Hi Ms. Sparrow, thanks, yes I think you could use it on chicken or pork or vegetables or any number of things.
Hi Patti, thanks, we are amazed each time we go to the fish market.
Hi Meredith, thanks, yeah there's only one soy that is gluten free so we stick with that.
Hi Marguerite, thanks, we could eat fish every day of the week if we could afford it, lol.
i can't remember what style your kiln is but ours is a converted electric kiln with a hole cut in the lid for a "chimney". while the kiln is preheating we put the pots waiting to be fired on the top of the lid... we then take them off, open the lid and put them inside.. the temp at that point is anywhere for 400 to 600 degrees. if you glaze the day before and the glaze is dry, there isn't a need to warm up your pots... you can put them right into the kiln during the warm up
ReplyDeleteHi Michele, thanks so much, my kiln is an olympic gas raku kiln but not the rolling up type which I wish it was., I just looked up on ceramic arts and there was a post about using and electric kiln set on 212 F to heat them up, I may just do one firing at first.
ReplyDeleteOne thing is I have never seen what the glaze should look like when it is melted, do you use pyrometer?
I will glaze the day before and then cover them with plastic so dirt doesn't get on them, better safe than sorry. Ha.
we use a pyrometer... cones aren't accurate for raku because the temperature climbs too quickly. the pyrometer is a gauge as to how fast the temperature is climbing and when you should start watching the glazes inside. a clear face shield is good to have to protect your face from the heat when looking at the glazes. the welders shield with the protective coating doesn't let you see the glaze well enough (we use one of those for wood firing and checking cones in the gas kiln).
ReplyDelete