Gone Fishing!

I spent the last few days outside Boston with great friends. We took in two fantastic concerts, but best of all we went fishing. Since my friend use to live the the Hudson Valley, it was appropriate that we start our day of adventure with some Hudson Valley Sparkling Wine.

We started the day with Mimosas made with Clinton Vineyards Sparkling Wine and went on the hunt for Tuna. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful, so we heading to find some Striped Bass. Paul and Sharon were successful. I was not.Sharon sent me home with the Striped Bass, a recipe and the weekend catch. I did alter the recipe a bit and paired it with a 2008 Millbrook Vineyards Tocai Friulano, Estate Bottled, Hudson River Region.

The Tocai had some citrus on the nose, with kiwi and grapefuit on the taste. Clean mineral finish. Of course a little wine for me and a little for the dish.

I have to be honest here. Some dinners suffer great tragedies. This was one of them. The garlic bread. I got sidetracked after putting it in the oven, the next thing I knew there was a strange burning smell. The fire alarm went off and we had to call the security company to tell them not to send the fire department. I am sure I was the laugh of the evening. That garlic bread would have been great dipped in the dish!

Here is the recipe I used and dinner was great despite the burned garlic bread. Thanks Sharon!

Striped Bass with Clams, Shrimp and Chorizo

2 tbs olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 cup diced fennel
6 ounces cooked chorizo, thinly sliced
1 tbs fresh chopped oregano
1/2 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 lbs skinless boneless striped bass fillets
15 uncooked shrimp, peeled
10 littleneck clams, scrubbed and rinsed

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, fennel, chorizo, and oregano and saute until veggies have softened. Stir in wine and deglaze pan. Stir in garlic and tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.

Arrange striped bass fillets over tomato mixture and season with pepper. Add shrimp nad clams and braise over medium-low heat until the clams have opened. About 10-12 minutes. Spoon into dish and serve.

Would taste great with a piece of garlic bread on the side:)

If you find yourself in Massachusetts, the Sharon B does fishing charters. They leave from Green Harbor, MA. You will be in great hands with Captain David DeCastro