# Pan Seared Redfish Cooking Demo



## LittleDrummerBoy (Jul 22, 2016)

I doubt I'll ever be as good a cook as some of you guys, but I get so many questions about cooking the reds we catch that I made a video.

I'm sure I'll learn a lot from your feedback and suggestions on cooking fish, just as I have on catching and cleaning fish.

Bon appetitte.


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## LittleDrummerBoy (Jul 25, 2016)

Feedback or suggestions for improvement?


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## trout fisher (Jul 25, 2016)

Looks really good to me. Was wondering though, with all that acid in the marinade, aren't they pretty well cooked before you heat the pan?


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## LittleDrummerBoy (Jul 27, 2016)

trout fisher said:


> Looks really good to me. Was wondering though, with all that acid in the marinade, aren't they pretty well cooked before you heat the pan?



Not at all.  These only marinated for 3 hours or so.  Older redfish have pretty firm meat.  I'm giving some thought to increasing the marinating time or poking the meat a bit to increase penetration.

If you find it too much, it is easy enough to reduce the time or reduce the acid in the marinade.  But I'm actually thinking it may help to increase the time and/or penetration.

But I like the lemon flavor and I think there would be more benefit to a more tender finished product.


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## FSU Turtle (Jul 31, 2016)

Looks a little similar to how I usually cook mine with MH heat to get a good sear without too much smoke in the house. We have a 27" limit on reds in FL, so we don't keep the big bulls. I usually don't actually marinate mine, I just rub with olive oil and then add seasoning and let sit for 20 - 30 minutes. One thing I do is add a little butter to the olive oil in the pan. It helps brown the meat and gives a little extra flavor. It's a little less healthy, but you really don't need much.


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## Nannyman (Aug 18, 2016)

Im also at a loss as to why one would eat the Bulls when the smaller taste better and bulls are our breeders.


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## LittleDrummerBoy (Aug 20, 2016)

Nannyman said:


> Im also at a loss as to why one would eat the Bulls when the smaller taste better and bulls are our breeders.



Louisiana has plenty of bull reds.  So many bull reds the blue crab population would be in danger without some harvest.

It's about balance.  Management is based on science to create balance.  It is not based on fear.  

Conservation is not just about conserving the fish, it must also concern itself with habit and what they eat.  Just as deer can be overpopulated in some areas, any species of fish can also be overpopulated.  Bull reds have few natural predators other than man.

Louisiana waters have so many redfish, anglers can harvest some bulls.  My family prefers eating the bulls.  Your family may not.  If the science says it is OK, isn't freedom to choose better than fear based rules?


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## LittleDrummerBoy (Aug 20, 2016)

FSU Turtle said:


> Looks a little similar to how I usually cook mine with MH heat to get a good sear without too much smoke in the house. We have a 27" limit on reds in FL, so we don't keep the big bulls. I usually don't actually marinate mine, I just rub with olive oil and then add seasoning and let sit for 20 - 30 minutes. One thing I do is add a little butter to the olive oil in the pan. It helps brown the meat and gives a little extra flavor. It's a little less healthy, but you really don't need much.



Great idea with the butter.  You don't have to eat too many 36"+ bulls to realize that they can be a bit tough wothout marinating them.


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## Big7 (Aug 20, 2016)

Try putting them in an oiled bag or between two plastic sheets..
Season like you have, except the lemon and beat them out a little with
the smooth end of a meat pounder.

That will do a couple of things:
Get the seasoning INTO the meat.
Break down the tissue to make it tender.

Put the lemon at the end.. as in, finished cooking
while still in a hot pan. Works on the grill too..

I've done this with all kinds of Drum, including Reds, along with 
something as tough as Amberjack, Mako and Black Tip.

Enjoyed the video..


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## LittleDrummerBoy (Sep 9, 2016)

Big7 said:


> Try putting them in an oiled bag or between two plastic sheets..
> Season like you have, except the lemon and beat them out a little with
> the smooth end of a meat pounder.
> 
> ...



Great tips.  Thanks.


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## jdgator (Sep 15, 2016)

great video.


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