Cooking our Catch

Cooking Your Sunfish Catch

Now that you have your sunfish filleted, washed and chilled it is time to cook a meal.
I usually serve a dinner of sunfish, potato and cornmeal muffins.

Because of the cooking time I usually get the muffins into the oven first. Here is the recipe:
1 cup regular flour
1 cup fine yellow corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup Canola oil
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees while you are mixing the dry ingredients with a wire whisk. In a separate container mix the eggs, milk and Canola oil. Whisk well. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients. Pour into muffin tins greased with spray Pam and bake for 14 minutes in the 425-degree oven. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes and then remove them from the pan. Run a knife around them if they try to stick. Serve the muffins with honey and butter or margarine.

　
The potato can be either French fries or potato salad.

To prepare the French fries cut large potatoes into strips 1/4 inch thick by 3/8 inch wide. Heat an iron skillet filled with at least one inch of Canola oil. Carefully drop the potato strips into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Be careful not to break the fries while stirring. Remove the fries from the hot oil with tongs and drain into a paper towel. Pat the fries dry with the paper towel.

If you have to watch your cholesterol then substitute German potato salad for the fries. The potato salad can be made from fresh potatoes or Hungry Jack dried potato flakes. There is little or no difference in taste.

Here is the recipe:
3 cups mashed potatoes prepared from fresh boiled potatoes or potato flakes per the carton instructions
1/2 cup Vlasic brand sweet relish
1 tablespoon French's yellow mustard
While the mashed potatoes are still warm mix the ingredients thoroughly. Adjust the mustard to taste. Serve the salad warm.

Spread the sunfish fillets on a piece of wax paper. Then add seasoning to your taste. I spread the fillets with yellow mustard and sprinkle with black pepper. If you are allowed salt then salt lightly. There are all sorts of seasoning available. If you have a favorite seasoning use it instead.

Use the same pan and oil you prepared the fries in. Roll the fillets in corn meal and drop them into the hot oil. Cook until golden.

By the way, I tried one fish just scaled and gutted. It was not a happy experience. Although the tail tasted good like a crispy chip, I got a mouthful of fine bones when I tried to eat the fish. Advocates of "cook 'em whole and eat them all" may be able to eat the bones, but I am afraid of getting one lodged in my throat or stomach. I think I will stick with filleting.

Serve the meal with Lipton's ice tea and a home made cobbler. This one is from blackberries from my berry patch. We also raise peaches so sometimes it is a peach cobbler.