A vacation in Outer Banks means fresh fish on table
Pittsburghers sure love the shore despite it being almost a day’s drive to get anywhere near the Atlantic Ocean. If all those black-and-white OBX stickers you see on the back of cars are any indication, we’re particularly fond of the Outer Banks, a 200-mile-long chain of barrier islands separating the Atlantic from the North Carolina mainland.
You may not want to cook while on vacation, but a new cookbook by North Carolinian Debbie Moose, “Carolina Catch,” may convince you otherwise.
It can help you figure out not only what fish to choose, but also what to do with your fresh catch once you get it in the rental kitchen.
Many people, she writes, are afraid of over- or under-cooking fish “or just plain messing it up.” It doesn’t have to be so. The book offers helpful tips on selecting and handling good-quality fish and shellfish along with basic cooking techniques. And many of the recipes are extremely easy, with suggestions for fish alternatives if, say, wild-caught dogfish, triggerfish, croaker or sea mullet (all popular Carolina species) don’t catch your fancy.
When it comes to the catch of the day, simple can be best. Ms. Moose’s recipe for “vacation fish” is a prime example. Simply place your favorite fillets on a pan lined with foil, shake a few glugs of olive oil over the top, season with salt, pepper and marjoram, and then sprinkle some slivered garlic over it all. Top with lemon slices, then fold the foil over into a package. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 15 minutes and voila! In the time it take to pour a glass of wine and toss a salad, you’ve got dinner.
And if you’d rather go with shellfish? The following recipes are also pretty vacation-friendly, too. They require just a handful of ingredients and almost no preparation time. You’re at the beach, after all. Your time is better spent outdoors.
PG tested
Shrimp often is boiled, broiled, fried or sauteed. But it also is pretty easy to bake.
Take a sniff before you buy shrimp; if it smells like ammonia, the shellfish are spoiled. I used shrimp that was already headed, split and deveined — the shells add flavor and are super-easy to peel. For this recipe, make sure you have plenty of napkins. ½ cup beer ¾ cup (1½ sticks) margarine
2 tablespoons crab boil spice (such as Zatarain’s) ½ teaspoon dried basil 2 teaspoons chili powder 3 medium cloves garlic, crushed 1 thick lemon slice ½ teaspoon dried thyme ½ teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco or Texas Pete) or to taste
1½ pounds medium or large shrimp in the shell
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place large saute pan on medium heat and add beer, margarine, crab boil spice, basil, chili powder, garlic, lemon, thyme and hot sauce. Heat mixture until margarine melts and it comes to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.
Place shrimp in a 9-by-13inch baking pan. Pour beer mixture over shrimp, making sure all the shrimp are covered. Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Stir once about halfway through the cooking time.
Serves 4 to 6. — “Carolina Catch: Cooking North Carolina Fish and Shellfish From Mountains to Coast” by Debbie Moose (University of North Carolina Press, April 2018, $35)