BBQ Life: 5 Days to Go
5 days to go until the Hudson Valley Ribfest.
When we last met, I posted my then current state of mind about the contest and it wasn't good. Since then the team's talked quite a bit and it things are looking much more positive. We've all come to agreements on the visitors, attitudes and levels of commitment. This contest will be a lot of fun and the team is beginning to gel.
Today, I thought I'd play around with Tilapia. I'd cooked this firm white fish before, but this is the first time I cooked it on the grill. We still haven't decided what fish we're cooking on Saturday, so I was combing the cookbooks for a new idea.
I settled on the recipe for Beer-Brined Smoked Catfish by Hill Country's Elizabeth Karmel that was published in Mike Mills' Peace, Love and Barbecue on page 234. Elizabeth has a great reputation and her food at Hill Country is fantastic. I was really looking forward to trying this fish. I didn't have catfish but I've substituted tilapia for catfish successfully before, so I didn't think it would be an issue here.
Boy was I wrong. This was the worst fish meal I've ever had. The brine took all the flavor out of the fish and left it a salty, albeit flaky, slab. UGH. No one, including me could eat more than one bite. I'd put up the recipe, but I don't want you to suffer like we did. Do yourself a favor and stay away from this one. This is the first time I've thrown away something I cooked since I was 18. Someone owes me $14.
2 Comments:
So sorry to hear this recipe wasn't a success for you. I've made it twice and liked it both times... although I wasnt making it for a meal, I used it for the pate recipe on the next page. I'm not sure why yours tasted the way it did... I'm going to have Elizabeth get in touch with you about that!
Amy Mills Tunnicliffe
Wow. Amy. I'm touched and humbled that you read my blog.
I'd love to talk to Elizabeth about the recipe. I wonder what I did wrong. For the first time in a long time, I actually followed a written recipe step by step.
Maybe the processing the fish into the pate negates the salt?
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