Snakehead Shiso Wraps
If there is one activity that defines our summers, it’s snakehead fishing. A close second to that would be gardening. We spend the majority of our free time during the hottest part of the year cruising around the shallows and grass beds of tidal creeks looking for snakeheads, but when we’re not fishing, we’re fussing with our garden.
Rachel has helmed our garden from the start, and we’ve gone from a few containers scattered around the back yard to converting the majority of our yard into dedicated beds. What Rachel decides to plant each season changes, but we have always grown shiso.
Shiso, also known as perilla and sesame leaf, belongs to the mint family, and is native to China and India. We started growing it solely because we like to have it with our pho but since then, it has become a staple in our garden beds. It’s an attractive plant, with a neat-but-lush appearance and vibrant green, toothed leaves that have a pleasing rounded shape and intricate veining. The flavor is fresh and green, with a subtle herbal flavor that is somewhere between mint & basil. The leaves have a little more structure to them then most herbs, which make them perfect for using as wraps. The shiso always peaks during our hottest months of the year, which makes it the perfect addition to all kinds of mid-summer fare, snakehead included.
This recipe is simple: cook the fish and wrap in shiso leaves. We add a little bit of cucumber-onion salad to give it some crunch and a touch of acidity. You can cook the snakehead however you want, though we recommend grilling or pan roasting to give it some extra texture and char.
These wraps are great finger food, perfect for summer cookouts or a dinner on the patio overlooking the garden.
Snakehead Shiso Wraps Recipe
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 1-2
Ingredients:
1 snakehead fillet, approximately 8 ounces
12-24 large shiso leaves
Onion-cucumber salad
Sesame oil
Onion-Cucumber Salad:
½ red onion, sliced thin
½ cucumber, seeded, sliced thin
2 tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
½ tsp red pepper flakes
Combine sugar, salt, vinegar and pepper flakes. Stir to dissolve. Combine with cucumber and onion, mix to evenly coat.
Method
Preheat oven to 375F. Season the fillet with salt and pepper. On the stovetop, preheat a lightly oiled heavy bottomed pan to medium high heat. Cook the fillet for two minutes, until golden brown, and then flip it and cook for another minute. Move the pan to the oven to finish- about another 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.
Remove fish from the oven and cut into ½ inch by 2-3” pieces.
Place a piece of cooked snakehead on one end of shiso leaf, then top with a small amount of onion-cucumber salad.
Fold the outside edge inwards, then fold bottom edge upwards. Continue to roll from the side.
Serve with sesame oil with fresh cracked black pepper.
Bluefish cakes are a perfectly tasty way to preserve some bluefish in a near-fresh quality.
Got more bluefish than you know what to do with? This classic preparation is what you’re looking for.
Crispy wok-fried Chesapeake Bay soft shells coated in a sticky, spicy, gingery sauce are a perfect storm of hyper-regional ingredients and imported techniques. This is what food is all about: blending cultures, time and places.
These wraps are great finger food, perfect for summer cookouts or a dinner on the patio overlooking the garden.
If you’re from the camp that thinks the only good thing to do with bluefish or mackerel is smoking it and making dip, this might change your mind.
The method for grilling softshell crabs is simple: high heat to get the shells crispy, seasoning & some fat. You can use any fat you want, but the butter added a bit of welcome richness, I highly recommend it. As for seasoning, salt and pepper if you want to keep it minimalist. Old Bay if you know what's up.
White perch are a lot of fun to fish for and some of the best table fare there is. They're abundant and aggressive, and once you find them, you can pile them up.
This green curry recipe has become a recurring dish after long and hot days on the water. It’s spicy, creamy without being too heavy, and refreshing yet comforting.
Tempura fried and rolled with cucumber, avocado, and old bay mayo, these soft shell crab rolls were light, with a filling crunch, and the most satisfying thing I’ve eaten this June.
Soft shell crabs might be nature’s most perfect food. Fried up, with a slice of ripe tomato and crispy bacon, it’s the essence of summertime on the Chesapeake.
This recipe riffs on the classic clams oreganata, but with the twist of country-style Virginia ham.
Somewhere between anchovies and parmesan- salty and full of umami, but with a distinct oceany flavor. Use them in everything.
If you’ve never eaten shell-on shrimp, it's kind of like a softshell blue crab. And if you haven't had softshell crab, well, you're missing out.
The fact that salt crusted fish comes out more evenly cooked and with better moisture retention is almost second to the drama of the presentation.
For all the bluefish you can’t eat fresh- a great addition to dips, flaked into hash and omelets, and anywhere else a salty and smoky touch of flavor is needed.
Kamaboko- you might not have heard of it, but I guarantee you’ve tried it. These are as good, if not better, than the kamaboko you can buy in asian grocery stores.
The fine texture, color and richness of snakehead roe is exceptional. Flavor-wise, it is mildly briny and not fishy at all, with an eggy richness that you only find in good fish roe.
Bottarga, essentially, is a salt cured roe sac. The result is something similar to parmesan cheese, but with an eggy-briny flavor.
Handling and preparing the tastiest ‘trash fish’ in the bay