TWO GREAT-TASTING, FISH RECIPES TO SHARE WITH FAMILY

Jack Hennessy

By: Jack Hennessy

Photos by: Jack Hennessy

Over the past couple years I have started taking my oldest daughter, now almost 8, with me fishing occasionally. I am trying to instill both a love of fishing and eating our catch, but also an appreciation for healthy living—not just in the food we eat, but how we choose to spend our time, as these moments outdoors are when we feed our hearts and souls and grow closer together as a family.

CAPTION: The author’s oldest is learning to appreciate the pond-to-plate experience.

In keeping with the theme of wellness, I remain mindful of what I feed them. Nutrition void of artificial additives is the mission. Freshly caught fish is a great starting point.

CAPTION: Got crappie? We got recipes below.

Recipes:

Air-Fried Crappie: The healthy, delicious Alternative to Grandpa’s Favorite

Ingredients:

Crappie, either skin-on or off, quartered
Favorite spice mix
Cooking spray
Salted butter
Fresh lemon slices

Directions:

Either keep skin on or remove. (Remember to scale if keep skin on.)
Lightly season fish 2-3 hours prior to cooking and leave uncovered in fridge so meat can dry. (Dry meat leads to better sear.)
When ready to cook, set up air fryer to “air fry” setting, which should be 400 F.
Spray tray with cooking oil and space out crappie on tray.
When the air fryer is ready, add crappie. Flip after 3-5 minutes, when the topside is firm.
Air-fry for another 3-5 minutes, until fully cooked. Remove and add a bit of butter and freshly squeezed lemon.

Crappie Pasta Primavera: Perfect for Spring

Ingredients:

Crappie fillets, skinned and quarter
16 ounces of farfalle or penne pasta, cooked al dente
Favorite crappie seasoning
Sliced red onion, caramelized
Fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
Fresh sugar snap peas
Yellow zucchini, halved and sliced
Fresh kale, stems removed
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Fresh basil, cut chiffonade (into strips)
Olive oil

Beurre Blanc:

Beurre blanc: 1 cup dry white wine, 2 teaspoon freshly minced garlic, dusting of kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, juice from 1/4 lemon, 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 sticks salted butter,
Cut vegetables and in a large (preferably cast-iron) skillet, add a thin layer of olive and heat to 375 F.
First add the red onion slices and lightly salt and pepper.
Stir until slightly brown then add sugar snap peas and asparagus. Once sugar snap peas and asparagus is seared, add a bit more olive oil along with sliced zucchini and a dusting of salt and pepper.
After a couple minutes, stir in the kale and add the tomatoes.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and boil pasta until al dente, then drain water in colander and set aside.
To make the beurre blanc, using a medium saucepan, add the white wine, freshly minced garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice, kosher salt, black pepper, and turn the burner heat to medium.
Once the white has reduced to half the original amount, add the heavy whipping cream and continue to stir as it reduces.
Once the liquids are thick and approximately one-third the original amount. Turn off the burner below and a few pats at a time, add and stir in the butter. Leave heat off as the butter melts.
Prepare crappie using any of the cooking methods described earlier.
To serve, add pasta and vegetables to a bowl, top with crappie and beurre blanc sauce and add fresh basil as garnish.

Thoughts or questions? Reach out to me on Instagram (@WildGameJack) with any questions or comments.

Get Cooking!

As always, good luck this fall everyone and remember to send any success pictures or stories from the field to [email protected] and you could be featured on our website or in our magazine. If this article or any of our articles have helped you become a better hunter or conservation steward, consider becoming a member of the Mule Deer Foundation for only $35 dollars a year. Click here to join: https://muledeer.org/product-category/membership/

Jack Hennessy:

Jack Hennessy grew up south of Chicago, started hunting at the age of 26 when attending graduate school in Spokane, Washington. Since then he has combined his love of cooking with the outdoors. He lives in south-central Kansas where he hunts whitetails and chases roosters with his Wirehaired Vizsla, Dudley.