Springtime & Fried Onions
Crispy Fried Fish with Crispy Fried Onions Caramelized
28 May 12-26 , 2017 VOL . 36 • ISS . 11
INGREDIENTS
• 2-3 Fish fillets ( rockfish , snapper , etc )
• 1 C mayonnaise
• 1 / 2 tsp . sweet & hot mustard
• 1 / 2 Can French ’ s Crispy
Fried Onions Caramelized
• 3 Tbsp . butter
• 1 / 4 tsp Lawry ’ s California Onion Powder
• 1 Tbsp . Kraft grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil spray
COOKIN ' YER CATCH by Paulette
FRESHWATER
Nor-Cal Guides And Sportsmen ’ s Association Striper Derby Produces Big Numbers Of Bass
Ihad the pleasure of spending Saturday April 22 on the Feather River with Captain Manny of MSJ Guide Service , his deckhand Justin and clients James Chabiel and his two sons Dom and Kaleb .
James and the boys were participating in the Nor-Cal Guides And Sportsmen ’ s Association ( NCGASA ) Striper Derby while I was along to document the trip with photos and video .
When we arrived at the Yuba City launch ramp to drop Manny ’ s big jet boat into the Feather , there was quite a line of rigs ahead of us , but most of them were pro guides . As a result , things went smoothly and we were soon in the water motoring up river with a bunch of shiners in the live bait tank and stripers on our minds .
The river was running big , somewhat muddy and cold with a temperature in the lower fifties . I knew that there were lots of fish in the system , but the conditions weren ’ t yet optimum .
While most guides had been getting limits and near limits , the wide-open striper after striper action that we often experience during the month of April had yet to materialize . That sort of action is going to take place once the water temperature inches up into the upper 50 ’ s .
Captain Manny knows his stuff and has an intimated knowledge of the river . When confronted with sluggish , scattered bass he always seemed to be one step ahead of the fish .
The focus was getting Dom and Kaleb on their first ever stripers and in the end , they landed plenty of them . Kaleb lead off with a shaker and a keeper before Dom
The rains this year sure have been something else ! Wow ! Our local creeks swelled up and took grand chunks of the hillsides away with them ; yet , now here in spring time , I ’ m delighted by the abundance of wild plants .
I was delirious with joy to see two Killdeers returning to the gravel where the city tore down a pre-fab office that had chased them away for a couple of years . My clematis vines and roses are going wild and I just planted some tomato and Fresno pepper plants . ,
As a child , I remember walking over the Oroville Dam , wondering why they had to build it . Why did our favorite spot by the river up near Paradise have to be 20 feet underwater now ? But , as time went by , I got used to it .
Imagine our surprise when we heard recently that our “ tallest dam in the United States ” was not only shoddily built ; but some of our towns almost got washed away this past winter . I think of that
got in on the action too . After that we picked away at a variety of different spots , landing a mix of keepers and shakers and James even got in on the action , landing a 23 inch bass that proved to be our big fish of the day .
It was a pleasure watching those boys introduced to the great game fish known as the striped bass and it was satisfying participating in an event focused on enhancing our fisheries . We ended the day with 5 quality keeper bass and probably brought two dozen fish to the boat throughout the trip .
I ’ ll be out with Captain Manny soon , and I ’ m looking for some readers to join in on the fun . I ’ ll talk more about that upcoming trip at the end of this piece .
The first annual NCGASA striper derby was a target length affair with a top prize of $ 1,500 . The target length for the day was 26.5 inches .
Darrin Deel took the top spot , Tim Thomas anchored second and Jeff Weber filled out the top three finishers .
About The NCGASA
The NCGASA is an organization that brings guides and sportsmen together to protect and increase hunting and fishing opportunities in Northern California ! They work closely with many other conservation organizations to make sure our children and grandchildren have more fish and game .
The organization acts as a powerful voice to represent all people who use Northern California ’ s waterways and lands . Fishermen who use our rivers have the
Springtime & Fried Onions
song “ Louisiana ” by Randy Newman . “ They ’ re trying to wash us away .”
Jerry Brown ’ s dad was governor in 1961 , when they first broke land on the dam ; and , now , Governor Brown wants to divert water to Los Angeles through his tunnels plan . Like the pre-fab , I hope that plan goes away .
I was at the store the other day and this young man was making tuna sandwiches as part of a display . Was he trying to sell French ’ s Crispy Fried Onions ?
I don ’ t know .. But , it worked ! I was hungry and he said , ‘ Yes mam ! These onions add a real nice crunch to this here tuna , mayo , and Dijon mustard .”. I felt inspired . I grabbed myself a can and now I made some recipes using them . He ’ s right . They do taste good in mayonnaise and with fish .
James Chabiel and sons Dom and Kaleb spanked a bunch of Feather River stripers while fishing the NCGASA derby on May 5 . Photo by CAL KELLOGG , Fish Sniffer Staff most experience and knowledge on what ’ s truly happening to our rivers and lakes . Hunters who use our lands daily have the most knowledge on our lands and it ’ s needs . Together , NCGASA represents the voice of all northern California hunters and anglers .
The Fish Sniffer Magazine has joined the organization and I encourage all of our readers to do so as well .
To joint up or for more information go to NCGASA . Net
Crispy Fried Fish with Crispy Fried Onions Caramelized
INGREDIENTS
• 3 / 4 lb very thin and small size fish fillets
• 1 egg , beaten
• Lemon pepper & favorite fish seasoning
• 2 C French ’ s Crispy Fried Caramelized onions , crushed
• Oil for frying
DIRECTIONS
You can take a large piece of wax paper and a rolling pin or use a food processor or blender to crush the crispy onions . Lay out another piece of wax paper and dip each thin fillet into the egg ; let drip ; then , lay it onto the crushed onions , pressing the onions into the fish so it sticks .
Heat the oil to medium high in a skillet and quickly brown each side . The crumbs will brown quickly ; so , this is why I highly recommend very thin fillets . I wouldn ’ t use this with thick fish ; although , if you oven fried it , that might work out fine . Serves 2
Broiled Fish with Crispy Fried Onions Caramelized
Join Cal Kellogg For A Spring Striper Adventure
Fish Sniffers ! Based on what I saw last Saturday , the striper fishing in both the Feather and Sacramento Rivers should do nothing but get better and better for the next several weeks .
Captain Manny and I have looked at our schedules and we are going to join up for a striper trip on Friday , May 5 . The fishing promises to be outstanding . We ’ ll be drifting minnows and / or casting lures , based on the conditions .
DIRECTIONS
Heat a broiler . Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave . Then , sprinkle in the Kraft parmesan cheese and the onion powder and stir in . Spray the broiler pan with olive oil spray . In another bowl , combine the mayonnaise wit the mustard and gently fold in the onions .
Lay the fish fillets on the pan and brush with half the butter solution . Run the fish under the broiler for a couple of minutes . Then , turn over , brush again and run under broiler for another minute .
Remove and spoon the mayonnaise mixture on top of each fillet and run back under the broiler until the topping has browned and melted ( but , isn ’ t burning ). Remove to plates and enjoy . Serves 2 .
If you have any questions , comments , recipes or cooking tips to share , feel free to contact Paulette or Cookin ’ Yer Catch ; C / O The Fish Sniffer ; PO Box 776 ; Colfax , CA 95714-0776 or email me at cookcatch @ gmail . com .