Lake Hermitage Marsh Creation and Grilled Herb Butter Redfish

There's nothing like catching and/or growing your supper.

It's not necessarily less expensive than going to the store, but it's guaranteed to be fresh.

Like the redfish a few weeks ago, this  Grilled Herb Butter Redfish was prepared "on the half shell" (with scales and skin left intact), making the fish more suitable for grilling.

(Speaking of grilling, excuse the condition of the grill.  

We recently got a new one since the one above was falling apart.)

The fish fillets were basted while grilling with a butter and herb mixture.  I used basil, garlic chives, thyme, and oregano, but any mixture of herbs you have will work.

The redfish I've been cooking with lately were caught in the Lake Hermitage area.

In October, my dad took me to see the Lake Hermitage Marsh Creation project.  I took many pictures of this dredge project.

This past spring, my uncle and I talked about coastal erosion and wetland loss at a family gathering (yeah, we're real party animals).  We got to talking about diversions vs. dredging,* so he took me out to see the site of the dredge project again.

*  Dredging: sediment is dredged up from the Mississippi River, pumped through pipes, and deposited in areas to create marsh.
Diversions: (also called sediment diversions)  divert fresh water from the Mississippi River into marshland.  The water carries sediment, which is deposited in the marsh.  A picture of a diversion can be found here.

I was amazed to see definite progress.

Land being built..and staying put.

There was no mistake that more land exists now than before, created by river sediment being pumped in and delivered by these pipes.

This project seeks to create marsh that was lost due to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in 2010.

It's very strange to see so much heavy equipment out in the marsh--where I've sunk up to my thighs many times.  But it's working.

Print It!

 Grilled Herb Butter Redfish
1 1/2 lbs redfish fillets (prepared on the half shell)
6 TBSP butter
1 TBSP chopped fresh basil
1 TBSP chopped fresh garlic chives
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2-3 pinches black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika

Heat a grill to medium.  Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan.  Add the herbs, lemon juice, pepper, and paprika and simmer for about 2 minutes.  Reserve about 2 TBSP of the butter for serving.

Place the fish skin side down on the grill and baste with the butter mixture.  Continue basting periodically while grilling until the fish flakes and is cooked through.  My fillets took about 12 minutes and were about 1" thick.

Drizzle the fillets with the reserved butter and serve immediately.

More herbs...

In the past...

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A Little Cheese Please {Rice with Cheese}

The title of this recipe makes me laugh.
Yes, this is rice with cheese.

But it's also rice, in the form of risotto, with herbs...parsley, dill, basil, green onion.
And cheese, in the form of mozzarella, topped with breadcrumbs.

The title is an understatement, to say the least.

Review:
Nigel Slater's Rice with Cheese could work as a meatless main dish as well as a side.  The flavors can easily be changed by using different combinations of herbs.  I think baby spinach would also be a good addition.

The real stand-out part of this dish is the cheese topping.  Sprinkling breadcrumbs (I used panko) over the cheese before baking (I also drizzled with a little olive oil for browning) is the thing that takes this from a reserved dish to a bold one.

The recipe can be found at The Guardian.

Linking with I Heart Cooking Clubs.

Check out some more Cheesy dishes.

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup & a Sweet Potato Round-Up

Since the first Thanksgiving I can remember (way back when), we've had sweet potatoes on the table.

Every year I try to think of a new way to serve them.

 

Baked.  Roasted.  Mashed.  Pie.  Bread.  Biscuits.
This year it dawned on me that the Thanksgiving sweet potatoes could be served as a soup course.

But they won't.
Because we don't have a "soup course."
And because we always have the same sweet potato casserole every year.
So this exercise is totally pointless.

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup is not pointless, though.  My husband made this soup one day for lunch.  Just whipped it up using whatever he could find.  I appreciated having lunch made for me and that it was made using what we had.  What can I say?  I'm a cheap date.

Over time, sour cream and Parmesan crisps were added to dress it up.

Dressy enough for Thanksgiving?

More Sweet Potatoes...

Clockwise from top left:
Sweet Potato Bread w/ Praline Butter  |  Praline Yams  |  Roasted Parsnips (and sweet potatoes) w/ Caper Vinaigrette  |  Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Onions with Rosemary and Parmesan  |  Sweet Potato Cakes  |  Bacon, Sweet Potato, & Sage Baked Risotto  |  Sweet Potato Crunch  |  Fall Sweet Potato Toss

Print It!

Roasted Sweet Potato Soup
olive oil
5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 medium onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
6 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth, or a mixture of both)
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish
1 heaping tsp herbes de Provence

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Place the diced sweet potato on a large baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.  Pat the sweet potato cubes into one single layer and season with salt and black pepper.  Roast potatoes for about 35 minutes, or until just starting to brown on the edges.

Meanwhile, add 2 tsp olive oil to a soup pot and heat over medium.  Add the onions and saute until the onions have caramelized.  Toss in the garlic and saute a few minutes more.  When the sweet potatoes are done, add to the pot along with the broth.  Stir in the rosemary and herbes de Provence.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Puree with an immersion blender and serve topped with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of rosemary leaves, and Parmesan Crisps (below).

Parmesan Crisps

1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese per crisp (do not use finely grated or Parmesan from a can--neither will melt correctly)

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Place a silicone baking mat on a large cookie sheet.  Spoon Parmesan onto the silicone mat by the tablespoon, flattening the cheese slightly with your fingers.  Place about 1" apart.  Bake for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.  Transfer to paper towels to drain, cool, and harden.


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