Fish Boil

Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
408
The wife is gone so I took the opportunity to do a fish boil for supper today. (she doesn't like fish except for sticks or salmon on the grill). Growing up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula I used to hear about them because my grandfather was a commercial fisherman but mostly you'd hear about them from Bayfield, Wisconsin or down by Door County Wisconsin. We had a package of rainbow trout left in the freezer from last fall so I figured I'd do them up. The only spices are canning salt and Old Bay Seasoning. I got the recipe a number of years ago and adjust it to my tastes. I use fresh celery, sliced garlic cloves, small white onions, new red potatoes, fresh corn on the cob and of course the fish. As I said today I used rainbows (you steak them and leave the skin on so the meat doesn't fall apart) (you could use filets but you'd have to put them in a cheesecloth bag to keep them all from falling apart to nothing). The recipe calls for whitefish but I have had it with trout and salmon. I imagine others would work too. I had to do it in the garage because of the rain. I use my turkey fryer. Yeah I know, not supposed to use them indoors. Well with a pot of water, if it overflows it just puts the fire out. Not like oil when frying a turkey. I stayed with it too! I threw a few pics of my yard/lake in the rain. Also my fire pit. The wife gave it to me for my birthday last year. A welder friend made it. It's stainless (mostly). Now lets see if I remember how to attach the photos. Oh yeah, you drizzle melted butter over each plate before serving the food (fish and veggies).

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Good eatin' all around!
 
Mmmm. Fish boil is some good stuff. The wife and I spent a week camping in Door County and had it a couple of times. That was a great vacation.

That fire pit is awesome as well.
 
fish boil huh, so you're using water not oil? how long do you cook the vegi's vrs the fish?:cool:
 
Ahhhh - But you need a real fire so you can toss the kerosene in for the boil over at the end!!!:D :thumbup:

Been to a few fish boils over the years (family originally from Door County) but I still prefer the lefse and BEER over the other stuff... Of course some Door County cherries in a home made Cherry Pie does help one clean up the plate!!

Good times for sure - regardless!!;)
 
You add the salt and seasoning to the water, bring it to a boil, then add the potatoes, onions, garlic and celery. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, add the corn on the cob, then about 5 to 7 minutes later add the fish. The fish should be cooked 7 to 10 minutes. This will depend on how hot your burner can go (mine is 170,000 btu's). Also on how big a batch you make. The fish is done when it is flaking and falling apart. The veggies finish with the fish. It's at a rolling boil all the time. I don't know if I mentioned it in the first post but you drizzle melted butter over the fish and veggies before serving! Man is it good!
 
TurnerIII, sounds like you've "...been there, done that!" That's the way to do it with the wood fire! Awesome looking when they do it. It boils the fish oil over the side of those big cast iron pots! It's funny, Door County you get cherry pie, Bayfield you get apple pie or something else with apples.
 
TurnerIII, sounds like you've "...been there, done that!" That's the way to do it with the wood fire! Awesome looking when they do it. It boils the fish oil over the side of those big cast iron pots! It's funny, Door County you get cherry pie, Bayfield you get apple pie or something else with apples.


Apple or Cherry - whatever is local and fresh I guess! The Rainbows sound like a nice addition - over the more traditional lake whitefish. :thumbup:

Must have been a great time - esp with the Rolling Rock along to help you watch the fire!!:thumbup: ;)
 
Fish boil???? You in-landers. It's a CLAMboil. You FRY or bake fish. Not boil it. ;)

Clamboil is close to that. Clams on teh bottom, taters near the top, onion on top and when the onion is cooked, all is well.

The truly French and/or Portagee in this fair region put hotdogs, chorico (pronounced sha'reece - basically linguica), eye-talian sausage and occassionally BREAKFAST sausage in the pot. Over the clams, under the taters.

Garlic is for sissy-girl inlanders. ;)


Clam-boil is the home-version of the on-the-beach clambake. Clambakes are a lot harder and too much danged work. As shown above, turkey-fryers are great for 'boils.
 
You had me SALAVATING over that delectable looking fish and scrumptious red potatoes.

then i saw that picture of Rolling Rock. How can you drink that pee? Its FOSTERS or nothing.:D
 
Try this out next time:
CAJUN CRAWFISH BOIL
This recipe is by Maurice Tate, Jr. from Mamou, Louisiana, who says it's "an old and tried recipe for boiling them 'tings!"

Here are instructions and requirements for approximately 100 pounds crawfish to feed approximately 30 people.

The number of people is based on 30 people eating an medium average of 3-1/3 pounds of crawfish (heads on) each. If guests are heavy eaters use 4-1/2 pounds per person and for lite (polite) eaters, 2-1/2 pounds per person to calculate pounds of crawfish required. For heavy eaters increase average vegetables and spices by a factor of 1.36 And for lite reduce by a factor of .75. If crowd is mixed, then medium will probably work OK.

Ingredients:

* 3 x 35 pound bags crawfish
* 25 pounds red potatoes
* 2 pounds garlic
* 25 ea fresh corn cleaned and broken in half.
* 10 pounds salt
* 96 ounces vegetable cooking oil
* 1 8-ounces bottle Rex or Zatarain's Crab & Shrimp Boil liquid concentrate
* 20 ounces red (cayenne) pepper
* 20 ounces black pepper
* 4 ea box (bag) rex (or equal) crab & shrimp boil
* 32 ounces powdered louisiana (or equal) crab & shrimp boil

* 2 bottles 12 ounces catsup
* 2 bottles 12 ounces tabasco sauce
* 1 bottle 12 ounces horseradish
* 2 bottles squeeze butter
* 1 douncesen lemons
* 4 ea large yellow onions
* 8 ea rolls paper towels
* 4 ea old newspaper to spread on tables
* 2 ea tables
* 2 ea 39 gal garbage cans with 39 gal plastic bags.
* 1 ea 60 qt cooking pot w/cooking basket
* 1 ea propane gas burner w/stand

To do this right, it has to be done in several batches, starting with the vegetables.

Batch #1: 25 pounds red potatoes & 2 pounds garlic

* 2 ounces red (cayenne) pepper
* 2 ounces black pepper
* 16 ounces salt

Using a 60 qt pot fill with water half full, add seasonings and bring to boil. Add potatoes and garlic. Cook ~1 minute per pound of potatoes. Control heat to prevent boil over.

Remove from water and drain over cooking pot. Place in container (cardboard or styrofoam box) and include 25% with each crawfish batch.

Batch #2: 25 ears fresh corn, broken into 2 pieces

* 2 ounces red (cayenne) pepper
* 2 ounces black pepper
* 8 ounces salt

Add seasonings and bring to boil. Add corn and cook between 12 and 15 minutes.

Remove from water and drain. Place in container and include 12 pieces with each crawfish batch.

Batch #3: 25 pounds crawfish

* 8 ounces powdered "crab & shrimp boil"
* 4 ounces red (cayenne) pepper
* 4 ounces black pepper
* 24 ounces salt
* 32 ounces liquid "crab & shrimp" boil (with 8 ounces liquid concentrate "Crab & Shrimp Boil" make a one (1) gallon batch )
* 3 ounces Tabasco sauce or your favorite Louisiana hot sauce
* 24 ounces vegetable cooking oil
* 1 bag Rex or Zatarain's "Crab & Shrimp Boil"
* 2 lemons cut in half. squeeze into seasoning pot throwing reins into pot.
* 1 large yellow onion cut in half.

Bring water to slight boil. Spray down crawfish to clean off any mud residue. Put 25 pounds crawfish (70% of 35 pound bag) in and bring to fast boil. Add water if necessary. Make sure all crawfish are below water line. Control heat to prevent boil over. Cook for about 10 minutes, 15 max!!

Remove from water and drain. Spread equally on two tables (covered with plastic or newspaper) along with potatoes, garlic and corn pieces.

Provide each table with squeeze butter for corn. Provide each table with 2 bowls of "hot sauce mix" for dipping crawfish tails.

Hot sauce mix consist of 24 ounces catsup, 12 ounces tabasco sauce and 12 ounces horseradish. Mix together and split into 4 bowls.

Stand there and eat crawfish until you're full. Provide 2 rolls paper towels per table and replace as needed.

Provide area with paper towels, liquid soap and lemons cut in half to wash hands. To wash, first squeeze lemon on hands and rub. Rinse with water then add liquid soap, rub hands and rinse.

Batches #4,5, & 6
Repeat batch 3. If there is some concern that batches 5 & 6 will be too spicy, reduce red and black pepper amounts for these batches by 1 to 2 ounces.

I like to throw sausage and mushroom in the mix also
 
Try this out next time:
CAJUN CRAWFISH BOIL
This recipe is by Maurice Tate, Jr. from Mamou, Louisiana, who says it's "an old and tried recipe for boiling them 'tings!"

Here are instructions and requirements for approximately 100 pounds crawfish to feed approximately 30 people.

The number of people is based on 30 people eating an medium average of 3-1/3 pounds of crawfish (heads on) each. If guests are heavy eaters use 4-1/2 pounds per person and for lite (polite) eaters, 2-1/2 pounds per person to calculate pounds of crawfish required. For heavy eaters increase average vegetables and spices by a factor of 1.36 And for lite reduce by a factor of .75. If crowd is mixed, then medium will probably work OK.

Ingredients:

* 3 x 35 pound bags crawfish
* 25 pounds red potatoes
* 2 pounds garlic
* 25 ea fresh corn cleaned and broken in half.
* 10 pounds salt
* 96 ounces vegetable cooking oil
* 1 8-ounces bottle Rex or Zatarain's Crab & Shrimp Boil liquid concentrate
* 20 ounces red (cayenne) pepper
* 20 ounces black pepper
* 4 ea box (bag) rex (or equal) crab & shrimp boil
* 32 ounces powdered louisiana (or equal) crab & shrimp boil

* 2 bottles 12 ounces catsup
* 2 bottles 12 ounces tabasco sauce
* 1 bottle 12 ounces horseradish
* 2 bottles squeeze butter
* 1 douncesen lemons
* 4 ea large yellow onions
* 8 ea rolls paper towels
* 4 ea old newspaper to spread on tables
* 2 ea tables
* 2 ea 39 gal garbage cans with 39 gal plastic bags.
* 1 ea 60 qt cooking pot w/cooking basket
* 1 ea propane gas burner w/stand

To do this right, it has to be done in several batches, starting with the vegetables.

Batch #1: 25 pounds red potatoes & 2 pounds garlic

* 2 ounces red (cayenne) pepper
* 2 ounces black pepper
* 16 ounces salt

Using a 60 qt pot fill with water half full, add seasonings and bring to boil. Add potatoes and garlic. Cook ~1 minute per pound of potatoes. Control heat to prevent boil over.

Remove from water and drain over cooking pot. Place in container (cardboard or styrofoam box) and include 25% with each crawfish batch.

Batch #2: 25 ears fresh corn, broken into 2 pieces

* 2 ounces red (cayenne) pepper
* 2 ounces black pepper
* 8 ounces salt

Add seasonings and bring to boil. Add corn and cook between 12 and 15 minutes.

Remove from water and drain. Place in container and include 12 pieces with each crawfish batch.

Batch #3: 25 pounds crawfish

* 8 ounces powdered "crab & shrimp boil"
* 4 ounces red (cayenne) pepper
* 4 ounces black pepper
* 24 ounces salt
* 32 ounces liquid "crab & shrimp" boil (with 8 ounces liquid concentrate "Crab & Shrimp Boil" make a one (1) gallon batch )
* 3 ounces Tabasco sauce or your favorite Louisiana hot sauce
* 24 ounces vegetable cooking oil
* 1 bag Rex or Zatarain's "Crab & Shrimp Boil"
* 2 lemons cut in half. squeeze into seasoning pot throwing reins into pot.
* 1 large yellow onion cut in half.

Bring water to slight boil. Spray down crawfish to clean off any mud residue. Put 25 pounds crawfish (70% of 35 pound bag) in and bring to fast boil. Add water if necessary. Make sure all crawfish are below water line. Control heat to prevent boil over. Cook for about 10 minutes, 15 max!!

Remove from water and drain. Spread equally on two tables (covered with plastic or newspaper) along with potatoes, garlic and corn pieces.

Provide each table with squeeze butter for corn. Provide each table with 2 bowls of "hot sauce mix" for dipping crawfish tails.

Hot sauce mix consist of 24 ounces catsup, 12 ounces tabasco sauce and 12 ounces horseradish. Mix together and split into 4 bowls.

Stand there and eat crawfish until you're full. Provide 2 rolls paper towels per table and replace as needed.

Provide area with paper towels, liquid soap and lemons cut in half to wash hands. To wash, first squeeze lemon on hands and rub. Rinse with water then add liquid soap, rub hands and rinse.

Batches #4,5, & 6
Repeat batch 3. If there is some concern that batches 5 & 6 will be too spicy, reduce red and black pepper amounts for these batches by 1 to 2 ounces.

I like to throw sausage and mushroom in the mix also

MMMM!
that's some good eatin' Gravelface! :cool:
Lots O Salt too! ;)

Oh BTW, great pics and thread puukko! :)
 
Dennis in MA.....Inlanders? Inlanders? Have you ever been on Lake Superior? Largest freshwater lake in the world! Storms out there will match anything on the salt water!

I do like your idea of the clam boil tho! Will have to try it sometime.:thumbup:
 
pukko is not kidding on the lake scene. Spent a good many summers on Lake Michigan and she is another "inland ocean" !! One to be respected and and damx cold even in August!!

But GFs Mud Bugs are a real treat! And you gots to have lots of beer with dem!! It is meant to be Cheir....No? :thumbup: :D
 
Oh stop. Buncha inlanders. ;) If it ain't no tide, it ain't no ocean. And it's gotta be that corrosive SALT water stuff. LOL

I'd not wanna be on the Lakes in a storm either. It ain't the period, it's the frequency that'll kill ya.

But ain't never heard of a fish-boil. Of course, the clamboil looks different b/c you don't use nearly as much water. Most of the stuff just steams.
 
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