Welcome to Seasoned Cooking and to Phil's International Flair! July is a special month along the coast in Northern and Central California because the salmon in the ocean are getting ripe for their annual fall migration into the Sacramento River system to spawn. Ocean salmon at this time of the year are generally fat, feisty and feeding heavily on anchovies, sardines and krill. Fish taken at this time of year are of the finest quality, rich in flavor and deep in color.
Besides salmon, the summer months also offer other species of fish along the California coast. Striped Bass is one species that are voracious in their eating habits and clever in their pursuit of baitfish. Stripers will corral the baitfish into harbors, jetties or the beach and forage on them in tremendous quantities. Feeding activity like this is most often spotted by watching the birds who also feed on the baitfish that are frantically trying to avoid being eaten by the large stripers. Summer stripers can easily reach 50 to 60 pounds in weight and are excellent table fare. Most are caught from the shoreline by adventurous surf fishermen who often venture out onto rocky points where the stripers can corral baitfish. Successful fishermen can easily take 30 to 60 pounds of fish in a matter of hours if they happen to be in the right place at the right time.
When the weather is favorable and not too windy, party boats will take 20 to 30 anglers out into the ocean in pursuit of summer fish. Ling cod, halibut, rockfish, shark and many other species are fair game at this time of year. In my opinion, there is no better food than fresh fish. This month, I am presenting a few recipes that should enhance your repertoire of fish recipes. Enjoy!
The recipes presented this month are from my yet to be published cookbook, Phil's Family and Friends Cookbook. Feel free to email me at with your comments and requests. Be well, and good eating!
Now, on to the recipes!
Welcome to Seasoned Cooking and to Phil's International Flair! July is a special month along the coast in Northern and Central California because the salmon in the ocean are getting ripe for their annual fall migration into the Sacramento River system to spawn. Ocean salmon at this time of the year are generally fat, feisty and feeding heavily on anchovies, sardines and krill. Fish taken at this time of year are of the finest quality, rich in flavor and deep in color.
Besides salmon, the summer months also offer other species of fish along the California coast. Striped Bass is one species that are voracious in their eating habits and clever in their pursuit of baitfish. Stripers will corral the baitfish into harbors, jetties or the beach and forage on them in tremendous quantities. Feeding activity like this is most often spotted by watching the birds who also feed on the baitfish that are frantically trying to avoid being eaten by the large stripers. Summer stripers can easily reach 50 to 60 pounds in weight and are excellent table fare. Most are caught from the shoreline by adventurous surf fishermen who often venture out onto rocky points where the stripers can corral baitfish. Successful fishermen can easily take 30 to 60 pounds of fish in a matter of hours if they happen to be in the right place at the right time.
When the weather is favorable and not too windy, party boats will take 20 to 30 anglers out into the ocean in pursuit of summer fish. Ling cod, halibut, rockfish, shark and many other species are fair game at this time of year. In my opinion, there is no better food than fresh fish. This month, I am presenting a few recipes that should enhance your repertoire of fish recipes. Enjoy!
The recipes presented this month are from my yet to be published cookbook, Phil's Family and Friends Cookbook. Feel free to email me at with your comments and requests. Be well, and good eating!
Now, on to the recipes!