KITCHEN DELIGHTS

BY SEAN VARONE

Panko Crusted Redfish

Spring brings smaller redfish to coastal rivers, bayous, and creeks to hide from larger redfish and to find prey. The best baits for catching them are live shrimp, pin fish, fiddler crabs, and finger mullet. The best lures for catching redfish are three to five inch white or gray paddle tail with a 1/8 to 1/2 ounce jig head or a seedless gold spoon worked slowly near the bottom of the water column. When you hook one, be ready for a fight, as these fish are very strong and don’t give up easily. Slot limits on redfish vary from state. In Mississippi, redfish must be between 18 and 30 inches to be legally harvested; the daily bag limit is three redfish per person. Alabama has a range of 16 inches to 30 inches with a daily bag limit of three fish as well.

There are so many ways to prepare and cook redfish because its meat is thick and firm, lending itself to beautiful presentation as well as flavor. Give this bright, tasty recipe a try the next time you bring home a fresh catch!

1. 4 redfish filets

2. 2 eggs, beaten

3. 1 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs

4. 1/2 cup all purpose flour

5. 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

6. 1 tsp granulated garlic

7. Oil for frying

HERE’S WHAT YOU DO

1. Add 1/4 inch of oil to a shallow frying pan and bring to 350 degrees

2. Dr y filets with paper towels and season well with salt and pepper

3. Mix panko, Parmesan, and garlic in a bowl and set up your breading station. One bowl for panko mixture, one for flour, one for eggs

4. Dredge each filet in flour, then egg, finish with panko mixture

5. Fry each filet 2-4 mins per side, depending on thickness, drain on paper towels

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6. Serve with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce and polenta rounds or grits.

Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

1. 2 tbsp olive oil

2. 4 cloves garlic, minced

3. 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved (feel free to use more)

4. 3/4 cups heavy cream

5. 2 tbsp concentrated tomato paste (squirt tube)

6. Handful of basil leaves

Heat oil in skillet or small saucepan

1. Add tomatoes and cook til blistered

2. Add tomato paste and cook for 30 secs or so

3. Add garlic; cook til fragrant

4. Reduce heat to low, add cream and simmer for 15 mins stirring frequently

5. Toss in torn basil and season with salt and pepper

6. Ser ve with panko crusted redfish, or anything because this simple sauce is delicious

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May is usually the best fishing for Specs and Reds on Mobile Bay until the fall. This year is off to a good start. Water temps are in the low 70’s and the water is clearing up from the rain in April. So far this year we are down a few inches. In May, specs should be scattered out from Point Clear to Daphne and all along the ship channel into the Mobile River. The water will be in the 70’s and hopefully stay clear for May. Look for clear salty water. Shrimp should be showing up off Fairhope and Daphne late in the month. Small baitfish started showing up in mid April. So, try to find some clear water and work the docks along the bay. Specs and reds will be looking for a meal. For the live bait fishermen, try a shrimp under a popping cork. Artificial guys can work a soft plastic on a jig head, top water plug, or a mirrolure suspending bait like a catch Jr. or a catch 2000. Away from the docks, look for birds working and you’ll find specs. The action is fast so approach them from up wind and drift down casting soft plastics on jig heads. My favorite colors are root beer/chartreuse, natural shrimp, white/chartreuse, and chartreuse/ red on a 1/4 or 3/8 oz jig head. Try North Pass and the other cuts thru the causeway for reds, as we head into June.

Flounder should start showing up along the western end of the causeway. Look around sandy points that face into the current. Another good place will be in the pilings of the docks along the bay. A bull minnow on a carolina rig is the best bet. A soft plastic on a jig head is a good bet for the artificial fisherman. I like a curly tail or shrimp plastic.

Get out and get it while the water is in the 70 to 80 degree range. By mid June the water will start to get warm and slow the trout fishing down for the summer