Yellowtail Green Chili Cheese Burger. It's As All American As You Get!
The game is still on with yellowtail. However, last week I fumbled the ball. I panicked when the fish I hooked-up started pulling me right towards a packed sports boat. I put too much pressure on the fish trying to stop it, and ping, my knot gave...
The cool thing is this: All my friends are scoring yellowtails, including Brian who took his daughter kayak fishing for the first time in La Jolla. He hates guiding, but he got her on a fish. He could hear her calling out, “Dad, am I being pulled by a bus?”
Then there's Paul and his buddy, Ted. Ted was asking me about yellowtail recipes on the water. Later on I find out they both nailed nice yellowtails. Ted has never caught one from a kayak. The photographed smile across his face is priceless.
Let's not forget Andy the Iceman. Where he finds the time to run a business and not miss his weekly fishing trips, I'll never know. How about Chris and Mikey--both relatively new at this game--they've been nailing multiple fish with each outing.
Lastly, Tony and Greg, their low profile approach keeps them under the radar. When you see them on the water, get as close as you can, you might be surprised to find what's lying on their decks.
This week's recipe is as all American as my fishing buddies. It's a chili cheese burger with yellowtail instead of beef. I suggest you gather your fishing buddies on a warm summer afternoon, heat up that grill and make some of the most unusual and tasty burgers around:
The Yellowtail Green Chili Cheese Burger!
Yellowtail Green Chili Cheese Burgers (makes 3 fishburgers)
1lb of yellowtail fillets chopped into small cubes
3 hamburger buns
1 tomato sliced into rounds
Iceberg lettuce
3 slices of cheddar cheese
½ onion grated
1 whole onion quartered
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons sweet relish
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 lemon
3 anaheim peppers
2 pablano
2 jalepenos
1 pound tomatillos
3 cloves of garlic
Bundle of cilantro chopped
3 green onions chopped
1 tablespoon of dry chicken stock powder
2 teaspoons of sugar
½ cup of water
Kosher salt
Coarse black pepper
1. In a mixing bowl add the cubed up yellowtail, 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, grated onion and pinch of salt and pepper. Mix and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
2. To make the secret burger sauce, mix 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, ketchup, and sweet relish in a small bowl. Then add the juice of ½ lemon and mix. Refrigerate until needed.
3. To create the chili verde, heat a skillet, then add the anaheim peppers, quartered onion, garlic cloves, and tomatillos. Turn and roast the vegetables until softened and caramelized (don't allow the garlic to burn, remove if necessary). At the same time, place the pablanos and jalapenos over a flame on the cook-top stove. Char the outer skins then place into a plastic bag. Tie a knot in the bag and allow the peppers to steam for 15 minutes. Strip the skin off the peppers using a paper towel. Remove the pepper's stems and seeds.
4. In a food processor, add the caramelized quartered onion, anaheim peppers, tomatillos, and garlic. Now add the skinned roasted pablanos and jalapenos. Add the sugar, water, salt, black pepper, dry chicken stock powder and the juice of a half lemon. Finally add the chopped cilantro and green onions and blend. (Note: You will have extra green chili verde left over, it will last in your refrigerator for 2 weeks or in your freezer for until 6 months.)
5. Place the blended chili verde mix into a pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. To make the yellowtail patties heat two tablepoons of oil in a frying pan. Remove the yellowtail from the freezer, wet your hands and form three patties. Fry the patties for 3-4 minutes on each side. Before the final minute of cooking add the slices of cheddar cheese on top of the patties, then place a cover over the frying pan to melt the cheese.
7. Toast the buns.
8. To assemble the yellowtail burgers lather the bottom bun with the secret burger sauce, add the lettuce and a slice of tomato. Now add the yellowtail patty with the melted cheese on top of the tomato. Dollop some chili verde on top of that, then finally, place the top bun and bingo--you're ready to eat.
