This concept of cooking Red Drum has been a game changer for us. Growing up as a Carterican kid, Puppy Drum were ate primarily two ways. Cubed and fried, or minced in a stew. 🤮
Not that they are terrible, but to me left much to be desired. Some years ago a long time friend who had spent much time in the low country fishing Redfish tournaments enlightened me. So very glad he did. It has been a revelation, to say the least.
Now I have a Hatteras island cook book that has Drum stew recipe in it, never tried that exact one. As you read through this you'll see the recipe I included. I would recommend two variations of this. One, leave the skin and scales intact on the fillets for cooking on the grill. Get your grill hot, 350°-380ish get the smoke going and place the fillets skin down never turning them. I prefer to use a brush to apply my butter. I use only genuine butter, perhaps you can substitute for olive oil if necessary. I apply the butter thoroughly, then the blackening. I will reapply the butter throughout cooking to the edges but not usually the seasoning. When the meat begins to flake up from the skin about two-thirds to the thickest part, I pull them off the heat.
Now the other recipe is as read, but leave the skin on after removing the scales. It is recommended to use a real Cast Iron skillet for blackening. It holds the heat much better and holds up phenomenally to the rigors from the high temps. I have been told this the authentic cajun style of blackened redfish.
All I can say is this, once you have tried this you will be amazed! The texture of the Redfish's meat makes it the perfect candidate for blackening. Same can be said of Sheepshead or Black Drum.
Chef Paul put Redfish on the map with this in the late 90's when he put this recipe together. Funny how some things change a fishery forever. So much so it placed them on the gamefish list in many States including NC. I myself have shared this recipe with hundreds of clients, so many of which have sent me pictures and gratitude for passing it along. Infact, it was some clients of mine that gave me the idea to do a little post about it.
This technique has made itself so popular at home that my wife, a West Texas native and not a fish craver has not only asked me to cook it, but also told me once it was better than her Angus beef fillet I had cooked. Trust me there are few things that woman loves more than her Beef. Thanks for reading and tight lines! 🤙
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