Wahoo Chili
Fish Chili
I just finished eating a pot of my new recipe, fish chili with wahoo. It was so good... Why wahoo chili? This fall I've had lots of requests for wahoo recipes. And, one came from a good kayaking buddy, Rick Dahl. We met years ago at Salt Creek while fishing for halibut. Ever since then, it's been a special friendship.
Rick's been a big time Fisherman's Belly fan from day one. So, when he offered me some fresh wahoo he caught in Baja, I just had to come up with a really good recipe to share with good buddy! Since it's been the perfect weather for fish soups and stews, I'm sharing my fish chili recipe. Like I said, it's so good!
How about a wahoo fish curry? Easy to make and very traditional. It's a perfect winter time fish stew.
Rick's Wahoo Tale In Rick's Own Words...
Each year, me and a buddy head down to Mag Bay for a wahoo trip. And, it's a hardcore trip that is not easy to do, nor, is it inexpensive. For us, wahoo are the most challenging fish, and one of the tastiest. That makes it all worthwhile when you finally get one!
So, the trip involves leaving the small town of Lopez Mateos through the “entrada”. The entrada is an extremely shallow waterway to get in and out of the bay. It runs for over a mile, with waves breaking the entire stretch. And, you need a good captain to anticipate where the waves will break, so you can dodge them as you go. Sometime, there are days when you cannot get out because of the high surf. Without fail, I pucker up a bit, every time I think about it. Once through, you have a 3 hour ride to the sea ridge, the final destination.
Usually, we start by trolling huge jigs at about 8-10 knots. Sometimes no bites all day, and other times, bites, but hook ups. Even more frustrating, is having them bite through your heavy wire leader and leave with your $50 lure. On this trip, that happened to me 3 times.
And, the craziest thing is having them strike, and fight without the hook even in their mouth's. So when we'd reach out to gaff them, and they just open their mouth as if to say f___ you! But, we got our revenge. In the end, we came home with plenty of wahoo, with our average fish at 40 pounds. I was lucky enough to get a 106 pounder. Which was my fish of a lifetime. And, I can’t wait to do it again next year.
Wahoo Fish Chili & Beans (serves 6)
2 ½ pounds wahoo, skinned and cubed
40 oz canned pinto beans, and its juice
28 oz petite diced canned tomatoes
3 pablano peppers medium dice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 onions, medium dice
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup of vinegar
4 tablespoon of olive oil
4 cups of unsalted chicken stock
1 bundle cilantro
4 stalks of green onions chopped
½ cup of sour cream, 1 dollop per serving
Kosher salt
Coarse black pepper
3 tablespoons chili powder, mild or hot—it's up to you
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoon of masa flour (or general all purpose flour)
Make The Fish Chili
1. Start by heating the olive oil, over a medium heat, in a large stock pot. Then add the onions with a pinch of salt, and pepper, then saute for about 5-7 minutes. Add the chili powder and paprika, then the garlic. Stir, and continue to saute for another 5 minutes.
2. Next, add in the pablano peppers, tomato paste, and petite tomatoes. Cook down the mixture for 10 minutes and then add the unsalted chicken stock. Finally, continue to cook the mixture for 10 minutes at a simmer.
3. Now, add the fish, then whisk in the masa (or flour). Next, add the vinegar and pinto beans with its juice. Cook for another 10 minutes, then add the chopped cilantro. Serve with a dollop of sour cream topped with green onions and black pepper. Enjoy.
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KITCHEN GADGETS & INGREDIENTS FOR THIS RECIPE 🌶 ➤ Large 10.5-quart Aluminum Soup Pot w/Lid
http://amzn.to/2CJLAfy ➤ Commercial Plastic Cutting Board 24"x18"
http://amzn.to/2COJkom ➤ Ex-Large Bamboo Cutting Board 18"x14"
http://amzn.to/2EXy1uL ➤ Porcelain Ramekin Pinch Bowls 6-ea https://amzn.to/2IaIE2E ➤ Morton Kosher Salt 3lbs
http://amzn.to/2AiewJN ➤ Adjustable Pepper Grinder, Clear
http://amzn.to/2AsoiZG ➤ Spicy World Black Peppercorn 16-oz bag
http://amzn.to/2CTif3a ➤ 12-inch Chef's Knife
http://amzn.to/2CnQuyw ➤ Wusthof Pro Cook’s Knife 12-inch
http://amzn.to/2CCoOGg ➤ Cuda 10" Fillet Knife
http://amzn.to/2qtueSB ➤ Multi Length 8-piece Wooden Spoons
http://amzn.to/2CUR20e ➤ Whisk set 12",10", 8.5"
http://amzn.to/2CCaySf ➤ Professional Stainless Steel Soup Ladle
http://amzn.to/2Gmypnf ➤ Measuring Cups, 4-Piece Set, Stainless Steel
http://amzn.to/2CTM6Zg ➤ Set of 4 Large Porcelain Soup Bowls
PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT USED 🎥 ➤ Canon EOS 70D Food Photography & Video https://amzn.to/2Ib1yGF ➤ GoPro HERO4 Black http://amzn.to/2md2DzF
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