Mike Kuckelman, corporate chef for Bush Brothers Provision Co., slices yellowfin tuna during a recent
fish-cooking demonstration at the Boynton Beach Fishing Club. Kuckelman, an avid ocean angler,
also shared tips for frying and smoking fish.
Willie Howard/The Coastal Star
By Willie Howard
Many experienced South Florida anglers have become proficient at catching ocean fish that make excellent table fare.
Mutton, mangrove and yellowtail snapper, dolphin fish (mahi mahi), wahoo, pompano and cobia all get invitations to dinner at my house, assuming they’re of legal size.
But sometimes so much effort goes into catching fish that anglers don’t do the fish justice when it comes time to serve them at the dinner table.
Mike Kuckelman, offshore angler and professional chef, is talented at catching and cooking wild ocean fish.
A corporate chef for Bush Brothers Provision Co. in West Palm Beach, Kuckelman shared some of his fish-cooking secrets at the Sept. 23 meeting of the Boynton Beach Fishing Club.
Fishing club members enjoyed samples of Kuckelman’s mouth-watering smoked fish dip, fried fish and seared yellowfin tuna over sautéed Chinese vegetables.
Here are a few fish recipes that Kuckelman was kind enough to share:
Smoked fish dip: Start with kingfish or Spanish mackerel fillets, soaked overnight (in a refrigerator) in a brine solution consisting of water, non-iodized salt, brown sugar, honey and molasses. After brining, dry and smoke the fish at about 220 degrees using wet pieces of white oak or maple wood (or a smoking wood of your choice) to produce the smokey flavor. Flake the smoked fish and fold in Hellmann’s mayonnaise and lemon juice. Add a dash of salt and black pepper, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and a drizzle of hot sauce. Mix with clean hands. The smoked fish spread should be sweet and smoky. Serve with crackers and a bottle of your favorite hot sauce.
Fried fish: Use a light, white fish such as scrod. Dip the fillets in flour, then egg wash, then breading (Drake’s Crispy Fry Mix). Refrigerate the breaded pieces for half an hour, then fry them in hot oil (canola or peanut oil). The fish pieces float when they’re done. For a beer batter, use a warm beer and whip it until the beer goes flat, then add the Crispy Fry Mix.
New England tartar sauce: Hellmann’s mayonnaise mixed in a food processor with white onion, capers, dill pickle relish, salt and pepper and a hot sauce such as Cholula. Let it stand for six hours before serving.
Bahamas-style fried lionfish: First, don’t forget that lionfish have 18 venomous spines on their bodies and must be cleaned carefully. Rinse the fillets in cold water. Lightly flour them, dip them in egg wash, coat them with cornflake crumbs and fry them at 350 degrees until golden brown.
Dipping sauce: Equal parts mayonnaise and ketchup with a dash of hot sauce, mixed well.
Seared sesame seed tuna over Chinese ginger vegetables: Buy or catch fresh yellowfin tuna. Coat the tuna in sesame oil, then roll it in sesame seeds. Sear the tuna in an iron skillet holding hot vegetable oil. Leave the fish pink in the center. Sauté the vegetables in a separate skillet holding a combination of sesame oil and vegetable oil. Kuckelman uses bok choy, matchstick carrots, white onion, snow peas, strips of red bell pepper and Napa cabbage. Leave the vegetables crunchy. Add fresh-grated ginger, a pinch of salt, a shot of soy sauce, a splash of rice vinegar and a dash of ponzu sauce at the end. Slice the tuna and serve it on top of the sautéed vegetables.
Darrell Frey (left) and his father, Darrell Frey Sr., both of Lake Worth, won $500 for spearing the most lionfish
during the eBoatListings Lionfish Derby held Oct. 18 at Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park in Boynton Beach. The Freys,
representing the Old Key Lime House Dive Team, caught 114 lionfish.
INSET BELOW: Kelly Schnute of Cooper City (left) and Heather Schaefer of Tamarac show the tiny lionfish they caught.
Photos by Willie Howard/The Coastal Star
Darrell Frey and his father, Darrell Frey Sr., combed the reefs north of Boynton Inlet on Oct. 18 to spear 114 lionfish, more than any other dive team in the eBoatListings Lionfish Derby.
The Freys, both of Lake Worth, were diving with electric scooters from their 20-foot boat. They won $500 and lots of bragging rights.
Only one lionfish behind the Freys was their friend and frequent dive partner Christian Rouleau of Hypoluxo, whose Reel Impatient team finished with 113 lionfish. The Reel Impatient team also won the prize for the smallest lionfish, at 90 millimeters (about 3.5 inches).
The Freys speared the longest lionfish of the tournament, 389 millimeters (about 15.3 inches). But because teams could only win in one category, the prize for largest lionfish went to the Wet Pleasures team, with a lionfish measuring 386 millimeters (about 15 inches).
Nine dive teams participating in the Oct. 18 derby harvested a total of 406 lionfish. The non-native fish with venomous spines degrade Florida reefs by eating native fish and stealing their food.
No fishing license is required to harvest lionfish using a net, pole spar, Hawaiian sling or other spearing device designed for taking lionfish.
The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) encourages divers to report harvests of lionfish. Use the Report Florida Lionfish smartphone app or report them online at: www.myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/lionfish/report.
The 55th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show opened Oct. 31 and continues through Nov. 3 at seven locations along the city’s waterfront.
A wide variety of boats will be on display — from mega yachts to runabouts, skiffs, inflatables, dinghies and kayaks — along with fishing and diving equipment, nautical clothing and marine electronics.
Show hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. except on Nov. 3, when the show closes at 5 p.m.
Tickets cost $22 online or $24 at the show. The online ticket price for ages 6-15 is $7. Children under 6 are admitted free.
A photo ID is required for admission to the Broward County Convention Center.
For tickets and parking information, go to www.showmanagement.com or call (800) 940-7642.
As the weather gets cooler, more manatees are expected to move into South Florida waters from points north.
Seasonal manatee speed zones for boats take effect Nov. 15 and remain in effect through March 31.
In cold weather, the endangered marine mammals are often found the near the warm-water outflow of Florida Power & Light Co.’s Riviera Beach power plant (south of Peanut Island). Common feeding areas include the waters inside Boynton Inlet and Lake Wyman in Boca Raton.
In addition to obeying speed zones on the water, boaters should wear polarized sunglasses, watch for large, circle-shaped tail swirls and snouts on the surface and stay in marked navigation channels as much as possible. Slow to idle speed in shallow water, especially around sea grass beds where manatees feed.
To report a sick, dead or injured manatee (or a suspected violation of boating laws), call the Wildlife Alert Hotline at (888) 404-3922.
Tip of the month: Fish offshore for dolphin. November generally brings a fall run of dolphin fish (mahi mahi) to the Gulf Stream waters off Palm Beach County. Start by talking with other anglers to find out how far out weed lines and dolphin are being found. Easterly winds are best.
Search for floating mats of sargassum (tan-colored weeds) and objects floating in the ocean, such as logs, pallets or boards. Floating objects attract small fish, and small fish attract big ones.
The best dolphin action tends to be in clear, blue Gulf Stream water. Watch for birds such as frigatebirds, which can indicate dolphin below.
Troll with rigged ballyhoo, rigged squid, lures or bonito strips behind sea witches. Keep spinning rods ready to pitch baits to dolphin that follow others to the boat. Minimum size: 20 inches to the fork. Daily bag limit: 10 dolphin per angler. Boat limit: 60.
Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat capatain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.
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