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| http://www.4x4wire.com/4x4/outdoor/trailbites/seafood/ | Short Cuts | ||||
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By: Mark M. DeNittis - 2/2003
The Cape Cod Years
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| Official Upper Cape Trails, See link below for more detailed information. |
On this snow laced New Years Day 2003 in Denver, Colorado I can’t help but reflect on years past… specifically summers spent down on the “Cape”: Cape Cod, Massachusetts that is. Every summer my dad, like many others in the New England area, would head down to the Cape Cod National Seashore to obtain an “Over-sands Permit”. We would go down every weekend of the summer to jig for squid off the pier in Provincetown, and head out to Race Point or Woods End to fish for Striped Bass and the exciting surf cast rod fighter, the migratory Blue Fish. Unfortunately today’s area of beach and dune trail systems has deteriorated due to many factors including; environmental protection (nesting Terns and beach grasses), dune erosion (natural and human induced), and in part the role “weekend warriors” played in tearing up dunes, leaving empty beer cans etc. (irresponsible off-roaders) in the 70’s and 80’s.
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| Dig those groovy “specs”. |
Being landlocked nowadays, a nostalgic air of summer salty breezes spent out on the dunes remind me of some of my favorite beachside recipes, stirring up fond warm memories of days gone by and my…have they gone by!
| Packed for the Weekend |
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| Packed up tight for some trail cooking. |
The general mode for a weekend down the Cape would be to pack up my Bronco with some basic equipment, after work and head out (the simpler days of road-trip vehicle packing): (see rules and regulation on Over-sands Permit with Cape Cod National Seashore at one of the links below):
The public beach area (non-SUV tourists area) had showers for a quick freshen up.
I would pull into “P-town” around 11:00pm and head straight for the pier as jigging for squid was best during late and early hours. Usually a trip down the Cape involved a stop in Buzzards Bay to get the scoop on fishing conditions and a stop for good ‘ole cup of Wendy’s Chili (thanks Dave may you rest in peace). I recall one time filling up both 48quart coolers with squid in just about an hour’s time. What to do with all the squid you may ask… some I sold to fishermen for $1.50lb for bait and to make some gas, steak and cold refreshment money for the weekend, some I kept for my own bait for the big fish, some to bring back home to family and friends, and of course some for:
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| Cleaning squid with Dad and Tina out by the Race Point Lighthouse on Fathers Day Weekend 1990. (Extreme tip of the Cape) |
Tailgate Calamari with Lemon-Garlic Butter
Serves 2
1lb. Squid Cleaned Tubes (bodies) cut into 1/2inch rings and Whole Tents (Tentacles)* See below for
cleaning instructions.
5 Tbs. Butter
1 Tbs. Garlic, Minced
2 Lemons, Juiced
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a small skillet heat up 1 (one) Tbs. of butter, let melt but not brown. Add in the squid and garlic. Just cook through until the squid begins to turn whitish in color and the tentacles begin to curl. Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice and let simmer for 1 minute. Add the rest of the butter to finish the sauce by swirling until a “creamlike” consistency is obtained.
Variations of this would be to: add chopped parsley, substitute some of the lemon juice with white wine, and serve over steamed rice. Squid tends to be delicate to cook; timing is of the essence, too long and it will be rubbery.
| The Big Game: |
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| Cleaning the Big Catch. |
After a good or bad roundabout with catching squid, it was time to venture out to Race Point and the dunes. A prerequisite of course was to air down the tires to 8psi as the sands of Cape Cod were granular and extremely soft. Even softer than what one might experience in the Glamis Dunes or the Anna Borregas of Southern California such as at the annual Tierra Del Sol event. Usually I’d get to my destination spot around 3:00am and set up the surf cast rods, hooked squid bait, and PVC pipe in the sand. More often than not Striped Bass upwards of 65lbs. and Bluefish upwards of 35lbs. were not very active at this time in the morning. In order to avoid being kicked off the beach it was necessary to have a “line” out in the water, as camping was not permissible with Beach Patrol of the National Seashore unless in a self contained unit (see regulations). So a blown up large inner-tube made a great snooze…. I mean sitting spot to ensure if a fish “struck” it was easily hooked and brought in of course.
Bluefish, a great fighter, tends to be an oily fish that lends itself best to being grilled and eaten A.S.A.P.
It tends to have similar color and texture of fresh Ahi Tuna dark reddish meat.
You might be able to acquire Bluefish through your local supermarket fish manager, otherwise you may
be fortunate enough to have buddies on the East Coast share their catch, or you go catch ‘em yourself.
During the hot and humid months of summer there is nothing more refreshing than grilled fish with a
chilled garden vegetable salad such as:
Lemon-Rosemary Marinated Grilled Bluefish with Chilled Green Beans & Potatoes
Serves 6
6 each Bluefish Steaks or Filets 8oz. Each (larger if your appetite deems necessary)
2 Lemons (1 Juiced, 1 Sliced or wedges)
1 teaspoon Rosemary Dried or 1 Tablespoon Fresh
4 oz. Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Course Salt to taste
Cracked Black Pepper to taste
Mix the lemon juice, rosemary, and olive oil together.
In a non-reactive container (Rubbermaid “thingies” or Zip-Loc bags) place the Bluefish and the
marinade in the bag and let sit for one hour.
Get the grill fired up and HOT as a steaks would stick to a cold grill.
Season each piece with salt and pepper and place on grill, to cook for about three minutes on each side.
Chilled Green Bean and Potato Salad
Serves 6
Can be made ahead of time at home, trust me on this one, sand in salad = no bueno.
3/4th lb. Green Beans (pre cooked until crisp and bright green)
3/4th lb Red Potatoes med or large (cut into wedges, pre-cooked to fork tender and cooled)
2 oz. Red Onion- Cut into thin strips or Julienne for you fancy-pants-foodie-types.
1 each Tomato-Seeded and chopped.
3 oz. Olive oil
1 oz. Red Wine Vinegar
Kosher Course Salt to taste
Cracked Black Pepper to taste
Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well, adjust seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.
Place in container until chow time.
This salad can be made upwards of 2 days in advance for your greater eating pleasure.
Striped Bass, although normally reserved for the guys that had boats and access to slightly
deeper waters just out of the surfcasters reach, could be caught from shore. It was imperative
that they were a minimum of 36 inches in length to be considered a keeper. If the beach patrol
caught you with Bass below the 36-inch size limit you could face fines, jail, confiscation of
vehicle and/or all three. They may have lowered or increased the size limit since the summer of
1990, so be sure to check with the Cape Cod National Seashore and Department of Wildlife offices
for any permits, accessible beach entry and boundaries and size or catch limits of fish you may
be going for. See below for links to info. Striped bass is a wonderful firm yet flaky white
fleshed fish, although it could be grilled, seared or roasted I found that placing it in
heavy-duty foil and steaming it over the fire was best and easiest for the moment.
White Wine Steamed Striped Bass with Onion, Tomato and Basil
Serves 6
6 each Heavy Duty foil 12 inch squares
6 each-8oz.Striped Bass or Chilean Sea Bass Filets
2 Pints Pearl Onions, any color, peeled, left whole
2 Pints Cherry Tomatoes, halved
6 each Garlic Cloves* left whole
1 Cup White Wine, cheap jug or box wine such as Mountain Chablis or Chardonnay works well, as
there is enough for the recipe and still plenty for the Chef. Come on now, those of you that
grew up back in the day catching a few Julia Child or Jaque Pepin episodes now and again know
what I mean.
1 each Lemon Juiced
Kosher Salt to taste
Cracked Black Pepper to taste
6 each lager Fresh Basil leaves
In each foil square place a Bass filet, equal amounts of pearl onions, tomatoes, 1 clove garlic,
sprinkle each with white wine and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and place one basil
leaf on top of each filet. Fold and seal the foil into little pouches and place on grill with
med-high heat. Let cook for 6-8 minutes take off of grill and let sit for an additional 2 minutes
before serving. As you open the pouches a wonderful aroma will permeate into your nostrils
enticing you to dig in. Enjoy, kick back in the ole beach chair and watch the sun set.
The garlic clove will aid in keeping mosquitoes and any vampires in the area away.
What would travel to Cape Cod be without a “Chowdah” recipe that is of course “whik-ed” good (said with a “hahdy” New England Accent). This is a recipe I found from one of those touristy “post-cahds”.
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| The Florida Keys Road Trip: |
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| Southern Most Point. |
There was one time during the winter of 1993-1994 that I drove down through the Keys from Palm Beach. I threw a sleeping bag, bag of charcoal, guitar, and fishing pole in the back of the Bronco. I mostly ate whatever fish I caught along the way, unseasoned just grilled. Various parks and public beaches have little Hibachis that lend well to a hungry, broke (just enough for gas and liquid breakfasts, lunches, and dinners) traveler like myself. Being a line cook at a major resort does not provide fame and riches…that comes much later.
Keys Grilled Fish with Doritos: (about a step above edible road-kill)
1 Fish-any type or size caught, gutted, grilled until flesh is flaky and cooked throughout.
1 bag Big Grab Doritos, any flavor (I prefer Chile Verde flavor, although I do not recall that they had that flavor back then).
Enjoy, eat well, wheel well, and always have a “Put it in four-low and get over it!” attitude…responsibly and while Treading Lightly of course.
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