Fish Sticks

Remember fish sticks? I do. My wife really does. I don't think I know a person who doesn't like them. Fish Sticks was an awesome meal as a child. But fish sticks are not just for kids. They are just as tasty as you remember, especially when you make them yourself.


Sure, it is really easy to buy a box of Van De Kamps, turn up the oven and have no-labor fish sticks in 20 minutes.

That actually reminds me of a story...

I am not sure who or when this happened, or if it is, in fact, a made up story, but here it goes: there was once a boy. His parents went out one night, and left him to fend for himself for dinner.

"There are fish sticks in the freezer!" said his mom as she locked the front door.

Mmm, I do like fish sticks, thought the boy. I have made them before, and it was easy! The boy took out a large cookie sheet, and dumped the entire Van De Kamps box onto it. He turned the oven on, and tossed the fish sticks in. He set a timer for 20 odd minutes, and the fish sticks were golden perfection.

He grabbed a bottle of ketchup, dumped the fish sticks out on a large platter, and hit play on his favorite show, Star Trek. He poured the ketchup into a huge glob in the center of the platter, and dove right in.

45 minutes later, Star Trek was over, and the boy had eaten all of the fish sticks. He was sick for the rest of the night.

The boy learned a very valuable lesson. Fish sticks are terrible! The boy was scarred for life, and never touched fish again.

So, lesson learned? Probably not. Fish sticks, just like everything else one learns as a child, is best in moderation. Also, why bother with the frozen stuff when it is so much better to make it yourself?

That is what I decided to do. It is actually not that difficult, and the results were probably the best fish sticks I have ever had. I didn't even need any ketchup.

This recipe comes from Serious Eats via the cookbook Canal House Cooking Volume No. 6 by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton.

 

A couple notes to share: Season the flour, egg and panko with something. It gives the fish sticks a little edge. I used cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper. Make sure your oil isn't too hot. I don't have a meat thermometer, so after the first batch came up extra crispy, I turned it down quite a bit, and the rest of the batch was perfect. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups panko
• 1 cup flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 pound cod filet, preferably center cut
• Salt and pepper
• Canola oil

Pulse the panko in a food processor until the crumb is fairly fine, then transfer it to a wide dish. Put the flour in another wide dish. Beat the eggs in a third wide dish. Set aside.

Cut the fish into fat, evenly thick sticks about 3/4 inch thick by 3 inches long. Season them all over with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish, one piece at a time, first in the flour, then in the eggs, then in the panko.

If you like, set the fish sticks on a wire rack to rest as you bread them, up to an hour before frying them.

Add enough oil to a large cast-iron skillet to reach a depth of 1–2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until it is hot but not smoking, ideally to a temperature of 350°F (use a candy thermometer to check the temperature). (Please, make sure to do this. My first batch was WAY too hot, and got very brown. I turned the heat down, and the rest ended up perfect)

Working in batches to avoid crowding the skillet, fry the fish sticks in the hot oil until golden brown all over, 5–6 minutes. Transfer the fish sticks with metal tongs or a slotted spatula to a wire rack set over paper towels to drain. Season with salt while still hot. Serve with lemon wedges and/or tartar sauce.

Pour Me: The Wheat Beer Chronicles - Sunshine Wheat

Since I decided to embark on my wheat beer adventure, I thought I would "punch it up" a little with a new title. Nothing says commitment like a expanded title. Much like The Empire Strikes Back, or The Next Generation, this will be a continuation of a journey. A journey through the wheats.

You all know that I am especially fond of New Belgium. Fat Tire was my gateway drug of alcohol (What? That doesn't make sense!) to the land of craft beer. Sunshine Wheat has been around for quite a while. I am not exactly sure, but I know that is has been around long enough to be ubiquitous. Sunshine Wheat can be found alongside the staples of Fat Tire, Abbey and Trippel. Why have I not reviewed it before? Well, that is a good question, and one that I seriously need to ask myself. The reason, as far as I can figure, is that my first Sunshine was just not that good. Granted, it was probably my first real wheat beer, but it was just nothing like I had ever tasted before. So, I just abandoned the whole "wheat beer" thing.

How times have changed.

Just three and a half short years ago, I fell in love with New Belgium's hometown rival's (at least I like to think Odell is their rival) Easy Street Wheat. It was an awesome, awesome beer. It was crisp, cool and so refreshing. Plus, it had directions on how to pour it out to mix the yeast in! Amazing! Well, in Texas, I cannot find Easy Street Wheat, or any other Odell brews. So sad. When we moved, I substituted out Easy Street for Shiner Hefeweizen. That summer, so, so many were drank that I grew sick of it, much like Shiner Bock. So, being turned off of Hefeweizen, and unable to find a real, American wheat beer, I just gave it up. Until this past weekend, when I wanted something cool, crisp and refreshing that wasn't an IPA, pale ale or lager. So my adventure started with Wasatch. It continues with Sunshine Wheat.

Sunshine Wheat is a pretty good beer. It is balanced, I should say. There is no real "stand out" flavor while drinking it. The malts are there, and there are certain spices, but nothing really pops. This lends itself to be an easy drinker. Being an easy drinker, it is a good thing the ABV is a paltry 4.8%. This is a summer beer that you could drink without remorse. Sunshine Wheat is a real pleasure to drink. Though, it is not quite up to par with Easy Street.

Pour Me: Wasatch White Ale

Summertime is in full swing. Plenty of 100+ degree days, balmy 80 degree mornings, and nary a drop of rain since last summer. That means it is time to break out the summer beers! I have a fondness for dark, stout beers, but, let me tell you, it is tough to get any kind of real refreshment from one. Yeah, a nice, crisp beer will do the trick. So, while I was staring down the beer refrigerator at the grocery store, the thought hit me: why not find a good wheat beer? Sure enough, I hadn't had a wheat beer in over a year.

Now, a little about wheat beers. In my opinion, hefeweizen's and wheat beers are different. I do not particularly care for hefs, mostly because they need a spritz of citrus to really bring out the flavors. If I wanted to do something like that, I would rather have a Negro Modelo. I guess I prefer the Belgian style of wit beer of the German style. It is a pretty interesting read on Wiki. Perhaps I enjoy the raw, unmalted wheat of the Belgian style over the malted wheat of German. Well, regardless, the best wheat beer I have had was, and is, Easy Street Wheat from Odells. Enough history, lets talk Wasatch.

Utah, surprisingly, has some excellent breweries. I think it has to do with the climate. Wasatch is a brew pub, that has one some awards, according to the beer cooler dude who told me to check it out. So I did. This white ale is pretty potent. It is 6% ABV, so there is quite a kick to it compared to traditional, American wheat beers (4.5-4.8%). I found this beer to be quite crisp and refreshing. It was a very hot day, and this was just what the doctor ordered. In an iced glass, it was quite easy drinking. Perhaps too easy... White ale is a perfect descriptor because this is damn pale. Wasatch White Ale drinks smooth, and has a crisp, citrusy finish. The flavors of spices are present, and very noticeable. If you don't enjoy a heavy handed amount of spice in your beer, it would be best to stay away. Personally, I do not have a problem with it. This beer is great, and at $9.99 for a sixer, a pretty decent value, if you are splitting it with a Belgian beer pal. Sadly, I don't think I will pick this up again. It just wasn't exactly what I was looking for in a wheat beer. Perhaps the next wheat beer I pick up will be "just right."

Lastly, check out the Wasatch website. While the website itself is, uh, not pretty, the beer names are awesome. I would drink the Polygamy Porter without hesitation.

Grilled Green Chile Chicken

 Do you know about green chile? It is one of the best things in the world. Seriously. Green chile can top anything, and make it eleven times better. Stuff one with cheese, batter it and deep fry it, and you got yourself a meal to truly behold. Green chile is a great way to modify any recipe. Spaghetti? Green chile goes in the sauce. Eggs? Green chile on top. Steaks, burgers, chicken? Green chile gets slathered on top.

I honestly feel bad for New Mexican transplants who cannot get any green chile. When you grow up with it, it is hard to find a replacement. Sure, there are other chile peppers out there, but none pack quite the punch as New Mexican grown green chile. Especially from the Pecos valley (Hatch is way over-hyped). I consider myself fortunate to have found actual Bueno Green Chile in the freezer section of several grocery stores and liquor emporiums. Sure, they only carry Red, Organic and Hot, but it is much better than nothing (I would buy extra-hot and autumn roast all the time if I had the option). Since we consider it more of a treat than a staple, I decided to make green chile chicken on the grill. It was awesome.

The cheddar that I used melted nicely over the green chile, and really could have been a meal unto itself. The chicken was just extra protein. Honestly, green chile can salvage some shitty cuts of steaks, and make them awesome. It is that good.

If you cannot find legitimate green chili, an Anaheim will work. Just roast it until the wax is charred, then toss it in a paper bag. Let it steam for 15 minutes. Scrape off the char, and, like magic, you have a roasted green chile. Split it in half, and top your chicken, steak or porkchop with it.  

Grilled Green Chile Chicken

2 boneless chicken breasts
4 slices good cheddar (enough to cover the chicken)
3-4 tablespoons green chile (assuming you can find it)
Salt and pepper
pinch cumin
pinch cayenne
pinch paprika

Start the grill, and set to medium to medium-high heat

Season the chicken on both sides with spices, salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill, and cook for 7 minutes, then flip over. After another 10, top the chicken with the cheddar and green chile. Let grill until the cheese melts, and remove from the grill. Let rest for a few moments.

Serve with a glass of milk if the crowd cannot take the heat (cowards).

Pour Me: Shiner Ruby Redbird

Bottled Meh

Ruby Redbird has been recommended to me by a great many people. "It is really good; haven't you tried it?" No, I hadn't, mostly because I have had way too many Shiner Bocks in my life, and now can barely stand the taste of it. You see, when I was young, my friends and I would drink Shiner like there was no tomorrow. It was basically our replacement for Bud or Miller Lite as a cheap, decent quality beer. One summer, we went through quite a few twelve packs. A day. Needless to say, I grew quite burned out. So, it is with the rarest of occasion that I choose to drink Shiner Bock, or any related products. But Ruby Redbird was supposed to be awesome! So I tried it out.

Cracking one open, and taking a sip, I am bizarrely reminded of Mountain Dew's Code Red. It has something to do with the bite of it. Ruby Redbird tastes of regular Shiner Bock mixed with some grapefruit rinds. Redbird is citrusy bitter. The bottle notes that there is ginger in addition to the grapefruit, but I could not discern it. The citrus could be grapefruit, but I could not tell. When I think of grapefruit, I think of a flavor that really pops on the tongue, but Redbird does not. It just fizzes. The aftertaste lingers for quite a while. The flavor that is left is a dense combination of Bock and dense citrus, Overall, the flavor is not what I expected, and not something that I care for. I do like my beers toward the porter and stout end of things, but I like the occasional light beer. However, this is not one I could recommend in good consciousness.

Fish and Chips: Meltzer Uptown Pub

I was tempted to title this "Fish and Failure," but decided to play nice. 

Usually, as a general rule, I like to wait at least a year to try new places. I know that is not giving them much benefit of the doubt, but more often than not, there are a lot of issues to be addressed in the first year. It does seem that every new place that has opened up that I have tried without giving the grace period is pretty bad. Bad service, mediocre food, expensive dishes. All of these are kinks that will get ironed out, to be sure, so that is why it is well advised to wait a bit.

Metzer is one of these places. I do not think, however, that it will actually make it. And that is good for Austin. Now, I know that we should all be thankful for the full variety of food options we have in the capital, but there are some places that just deserve to die. This makes way for new blood, and the opportunity to learn from mistakes. Does Austin really need another "pub?" Not like this. If they perhaps brewed their own beers, maybe, but I just don't see the need for another overpriced joint off of the interstate.

So, let me get to the review. We went for lunch, and after checking the menu out before hand, I knew I should try the fish and chips (I really should have looked at the Yelp reviews instead). The menu looked solid enough at just 2 pages, and offered a fair amount of good-sounding pub food.

Location is a fairly important part of the whole restaurant thing, and this places location is not great, to say the least. At one of the most confounding intersections in Austin, you really have to know where it is, otherwise you will end up doing several U-turns. I know much better than to judge a book by its cover, but this place looked pretty bad. Sprayed white, with black accents, it was one of the ugliest places I have seen lately, and I live in Austin, where funk comes to party. Well, who am I to judge. It did draw my attention as we flew by it on the wrong overpass.

We walked in, and there was no host/hostess, just some dudes sitting on a couch, waiting for a table. We look around, and see no one. There are only 2 tables with people at them, in this vast, vast restaurant, complete with lots of Hobby Lobby's kitchy stuff. Anyway, a moment goes by before we see someone emerge from the back. We are seated straight away, and much to our shared disappointment, the booth has not been bussed. Maybe it was bussed, but not thoroughly. I slide my rump over cast-away crackers and my friends wipe salt and sugar from their seats. Promising, right? Considering there were at least 30 other booths and tables to sit, I am surprised we were seated here. Our drink orders are taken, two waters and a iced tea, and they arrive quickly, which is good, because we are all parched from the drive in the heat. It takes some moments of studying the menu for my compatriots to decide, and our orders are placed: two fish and chips, one with no coleslaw, and one chicken fried steak. Our waiter than disappears for an astounding amount of time. Our drinks are all gone, save one water, which "tastes like diaper." Well, we flag down another waiter(? I am not even sure who this guy was) and he brings us refills, and a perfectly good substitute for diaper water, Dr. Pepper. 

Our waiter shows up after about 10 more minutes, with our "miso salad." Now, I don't know what made it a "miso salad," but it did tide us over between our waiters next disappearance (it could be the mayo-based dressing). About 15 minutes after the salads arrived, our waiter has 2 fish and chips, both with coleslaw. He tells us that he is terribly sorry, but a large 8 top had their order in, and the kitchen doesn't prioritize orders, so everything is coming out at the same time. Also, he is taking care of that 8 top, hence his disappearances. My compatriot that ordered the fish and chips sans coleslaw sends it back, and our waiter vanishes again, apparently going to take care of this 8 top that we do not see. The fish and chips comes with nothing. No tartar sauce. No malt vinegar. Actually, I am wrong, it does come with the most pathetic slice of lemon I have ever seen. There are 2 decent sized pieces of cod, and a load of fries frites, but the plate is huge, so it looks like only half the plate is used for food. We wait patiently for the chicken fried steak to show up before tucking in, only snacking on some delicious frites.

Now, I have a big problem with this. Seriously, who are you trying to fool? You might as well call them Freedom Fries instead of french fries. Also, how the hell do you pronounce that, anyway? Fryts? Freetes?

Anyway, a manager showed up shortly after we received our fish and chips, and asked if there was anything that we needed. I asked for tartar sauce, and my compatriot asked for malt vinegar. The friend that had the chicken fried steak asked for a chicken fried steak, much to my amusement. The manger comes back with a huge ramekin of tartar sauce, and a bottle of malt vinegar, and tells us that the chicken fries steak is right behind him. Sure enough, the chicken fried steak is there.

So, we all start in. The fish itself is unremarkable, and the batter is kind mushy at the bottom, and crisp only on the top. The tartar sauce is terrible, being sickeningly sweet with the kick of mayo. Gross. The lemon slice helps a bit, and the malt vinegar does too, but the fish is just a greasy disaster. The chips fries frites are very delicious, and really help the meal out. However, fries are only one component to fish and chips, and even the most delicious fries cannot save bad fish. The coleslaw is pretty bad too, mostly due to the excessive use of mayo. On the whole, it is a pretty awful meal. The check arrives after another long wait, and the mystery waiter that I am unsure about asks us to fill out a comment card. "You get half off appetizers, dollar Lone Stars and other stuff when you come back!" Yeah, like that is a great deal. Needless to say, we didn't fill it out. Maybe I should have, but I would rather detail what they did wrong here, to you, dear reader.

The price was reasonable, at only $9USD for the fish and chips for lunch. However, for dinner it shoots up to $13. For what you get, and, moreover, the service we had, I do not think that is a fair deal. The service was the worst I have had in a long, long time. The food was unremarkable, and was nothing to look at. The price was okay, but not any kind of value. Sincerely, I would never recommend Meltzer to anyone. There are many, many other pubs with much better food, and many more beers on draft. Oh, did I forget to mention that? Meltzer does have a decent number of taps, but none were beers that hold any interest for me. Needless to say, I will not be back.

Grilled: A Saga

So, it all started 2 years ago. My wife and I finally made the big transition from apartment living to an actual duplex with an actual yard. That meant I could get a real life, big boy grill, powered by propane! I was thrilled.

The day we moved in, I bought a grill without doing any real research; I decided that a Wal-Mart special would work out just fine. Instead of the base model, I bought the next one up, because I didn't want to appear to be cheap. So, for just under $200, I had a nice grill, cover and propane tank. I assembled my grill that day, and although some parts did not make it into the final assembly (Ed: yeah, a lot, actually) it was together, and grilled like a champ. That night we had hamburgers, and they were awesome. My grill was awesome.

Then came Emma.

Emma is the sweetest puppy you will ever meet. Just keep her away from the grill covers. About 6 months or so of having this little puppy, she was big enough to be outside while we were at work. The first week or so went by splendidly, and she was very responsible. Then she gnawed on the grill cover. I assumed she was bored with the back yard, so I tossed out a few of her toys to keep her occupied. She did not like her toys as much as the grill cover. Emma pretty much shredded it. She also went on a rampage in the garden, eating a whole chili plant, but that is anecdotal to this tale.

Another grill cover was purchased, and this one lasted about a month. Emma apparently gains superdog climbing powers, and scaled a fence that we established to keep her in the back of the yard. She destroyed the new grill cover, and ate some more plants in the garden. So, that was when I decided to give up on the grill cover. I mean, how bad could it be in sunny Austin?

About a year after I bought the grill, the innards started to rust. The grill plates began to break down, and there were sizable holes between the grates. Sliced eggplants were lost into the void. Then, the igniter stopped functioning. This was a big hindrance to the grilling operation. I bought one of those long lighters, and used that to light the propane. Indeed, that was frightening. Cranking on the tank of propane, then striking the lighter and flinching at the whoosh of flame. It was very, uh, visceral. But still, it grilled away. Burgers, fish, pork tenderloins, naan pizzas and steaks all came off the grill, and they were all very tasty, with few exceptions.

Still, the grill got worse and worse. The insides grew even more rusted, and eventually, I had to start replacing pieces. The one piece that I could not replace was the grill plate, because Wal-Mart did not sell any replacement pieces for my grill. So much for that. So, I decided to find a new grill, online.

The online search for a decent grill was tedious. After many hours of Craigslisting, I decided that I needed a Weber grill. I found several, but alas, they were all natural gas, and not propane. Part of me was tempted to just get a nice charcoal grill, but I am such a fan of the "instant on" of gas that I decided charcoal would be a last resort.

Finally, I found the grill I wanted. I emailed the guy about it, and determined that it would work. I was midway thought another email to the guy saying that I would meet him half-way (he lived about 30 miles north of where I worked) when he emailed me back, saying it was sold. Damn. It was such a good deal too. I should have just told him I would buy buy buy instead of trying to con him into accepting less than he wanted.

So, that is when my search got desperate. I bought the first Weber grill on Craigslist. I didn't even negotiate a better price. The grill was $80, and I told the guy I would pick it up in the morning. No hesitation. I went out, cash in hand, and bought the grill, loaded it up, and brought it home. The grill was in bad shape. No worse than the one I currently had, by any means, but at least the Weber was salvageable. I cleaned it up, hooked up the propane, and fired it up. And it worked! I felt a wave of relief. My purchase was not in vain. Although my wife was not that impressed with my purchase, mostly because the aesthetics were not too pleasing. It had a fair amount of rust, and the "flavorizor" bars were shot, but I replaced them with a part from the old grill, and it was pretty much good as newly used.

I rolled the old grill out to the curb, knowing that some scavengers would be very interested in it. I mean, it still worked as it should, just not that well. In less than an hour, the grill was gone, and I was pleased that it was gone from my life.

The new Weber works well, although it doesn't get as blisteringly hot as the old one, it cooks food evenly, and doesn't require constant monitoring. Nothing has been lost to the void, either.

So, for several weeks, this new grill worked like a champ, and the old grill was nothing but a distant, terrible memory. It was with some dismay that I woke up one recent morning to discover the old grill, standing peacefully next to my truck. I was walking out to head to work, and was flabbergasted by the sight of it, turning up like a bad penny. I did not have time to wheel it into the back yard, so I left it at the curb all day, secretly hopping that it would be taken again by scavengers. Apparently, the word got out that my old grill was shit, and it was still there when I got home from work. I am unsure what I should do with it now. Should I wheel it back out to the curb, and hope that some bum will pick it up? Should I dismantle it, and throw it all away?

This is my grill saga. There are lessons to be learned from it.

Pour Me: Super Cru

You know me, right? Any new New Belgium beer that hits the shelves, I will try. What can I say? I am a glutton for punishment DELICIOUS BEERS. When I saw this at the local liquor emporium, I knew I had to try it. Sure, it was about 9 bucks for the bomber, but that is about average for the 22oz beers that are special releases, that I enjoy so much. Sure, I would rather pay that much for a six-pack, but the 22oz bomber is a better way to gauge a beer. If you are stuck with a six-pack of beers you don't enjoy, it is a chore to drink them (looking at YOU Ruby Redbird). However, Super Cru was pretty damn delicious.

Super Cru is New Belgium's 20th anniversary special release. It starts with the backbone of Fat Tire, then adds double malt and hops. Drizzle in some Asian pear juice, dash in some Saison hops, and voila! Super Cru. The alcohol content is a stout 10%, making this beer one to pace yourself with.

Super Cru is complex; sweet, savory and strong. The sweetness comes from the Asian pear juice. The savory comes from the double of malt and hops, but it does not have the toasty, biscuit flavor that Fat Tire has. The strong, well, it might have something to do with the 10%ABV. The bouquet is strong with pear and hops, and presents itself quite robustly. The color of this beer is the spitting image of Fat Tire: a deep amber, with a light and creamy head. Super Cru has a flavor reminiscent of clipped grass, and the general flavor is malty. The strong malt flavor is balanced well by the pear juice. There is an interesting tangy flavor on the end note.

All things considered, Super Cru is very, very good. Probably not $9 good, but if I could find this on tap, I would not hesitate to have a pint.