Collecting Ingredients

[matt fraser]

I think it is because My Kitchen Rules is on at the moment, its been making me hungry every night, and keen to try some new flavours and experiment in the kitchen.

I tried fancying up some chicken wednesday night, wasn't too bad, they thusday night (Valentines Day) instead of taking my wife out to dinner I made her Confit Salmon, on creamy garlic mash pototoe and baby peas with Dill. It got me a 10 out of 10! and the kids liked it too.

Saturday arvo I took a mate down the Nerang, in search of ingredients, and fun! We dropped a few pots then I showed him how we spin up bream in the canals on Berkley Fat Dogs. He got his first fish on a lure, and we ended up with about a dozen, even got a double hook up at one stage.

The rain was on and off, so we raincoated up as required. I cast net some mullet and biddies before dark, and then we went and anchored up, and set some rods for bait fishing. It was getting towards the end of the runout, and the bream were pretty keen on our cut baits, but most too small for our hooks.

Just after dark it bucketted down, and we saught refuge under a bridge. We kept fishing there, and got a bit more bream action, then Adam got a nice 40 plus cod. The tide eased and so did the rain, so we repositioned. Things went dead on the slack water, but as it picked up, and we changed the direction we were fishing Adam got hit hard and was onto something serious, it angled for the rockwall beside us, as he cranked it it. A red fish emerged and was netted! Adam was stoked as it was his first ever - on his first jack trip btw!

It went about 43cm, and went in the livewell with the cod and one bream from earlier. We had put together enough ingredients for one course.

We fished on and there was a bit of action for the first hour or so of the run in. Adam got another jack hit, but missed it. The cut baits were getting all the action. I had a live mullet out on one rod all night and the only action it got was one small cod. I had a few savage bream/jack? bites but the hook couldn't find their mark.

Then the bites dropped away to nothing by mid run it. So we stowed rods, and went to recover pots. Every pot had at least one crab, some had two or three, within the mix of jennys and undersized, we scored three legal bucks, and one was a cracker! We had a fun time wrestling them into submission to get them home. I'd forgotten how strong and hard they are to handle in comparison to sandies.

Home time was sometime after midnight, so we were pretty wet and weary by then, but happy with our efforts.

Next morning the boat was a mess, between cast netting, crabbing and bait fishing, there were scales, leaves, mud and crap everywhere. it was a solid two hour clean up. Plus and hour or so to clean the 'ingredients'.

I went to IGA for an extra few ingredients. That night Adam and his family came over for dinner, and we had a great night. Fish and chips for the kids, and the same plus salad and chilli crab for the 'grown ups'.

It tasted pretty damn good! But I'm keen to collect more ingredients, and see if I can improve it next time.

Cheers,

Matt

[Bazil Brush]

You are killing me Matt, what a feed, the only ingredient's i can get down here are Craybob's & Redfin (but they cook up pretty good) not as good as a muddy though.
Baz

[Peter4]

Very nice Matt - I now want fish and chips for tea!

[BR65]

mmmmmmmmmm, mud crab........mmmmmmmmmm

[kingcray]

what a great looking mix of seafood. 1 of those crabs looks like an absolute ripper