Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart. Click the button below to access the recipe.
Credit: David M. Russell
GRILLED WHOLE SCUP WITH SUMMER VEGETABLES
Recipe courtesy of Jason Timothy for a Cook a Fish, Give a Fish class. Click the button below to access the recipe.
scup brining
PAN FRIED FISH: CHINESE WHOLE FISH RECIPE
Recipe courtesy of the Woks of Life. Click the link below to access the recipe.
This recipe is great with scup, black sea bass, tautog, acadian redfish, sea robin, or any other whole local fish.
Roasted Scup with Briny Herb Sauce
Recipe courtesy of Edible Boston magazine. Click the link below to access the recipe.
Photo by Michael Piazza
FRIED FISH WITH PLANTAINS, CABBAGE SALAD, AND PICO DE GALLO
Recipe courtesy of Alba Rabe and 41ºN. Please click the button below to access the recipe.
Recipe may be applied to any kind of fish small enough to fit in a baking pan or wok. Try it with local species such as scup, herring, whiting, mackerel, sea robin, sea raven, or small black sea bass.
FISH ESCABECHE
Recipe courtesy of Alice Rivera and 41ºN. Please click the button below to access the recipe.
Recipe may be applied to any kind of fish small enough to fit in a baking pan or wok. Try it with local species such as scup, herring, whiting, mackerel, sea robin, sea raven, or small black sea bass.
BAKED FISH WITH TOMATO SAUCE
Recipe courtesy of Gonya Jangaba and 41ºN. Please click the button below to access the recipe.
Recipe may be applied to any kind of fish small enough to fit in a baking pan or wok. Try it with local species such as scup, herring, whiting, mackerel, sea robin, sea raven, or small black sea bass.
STEAMED WHOLE SCUP WITH GINGER AND SCALLIONS
Recipe courtesy of Hiro Uchida via New England Seafoodies
RECIPE
One jumbo scup. Good quality scup, or any fish for that matter, won't smell fishy and this one certainly did not!
Cut a few slits on one side and tucked in some ginger slices for aroma (if the fish smells, this really helps). A few slices are thrown inside the belly too.
You will need a steamer big enough to fit the fish.
Place a sheet of parchment paper. This will be a great help when taking out the fish when it's done. And the fish won't stick to the pot.
There goes the fish! No seasoning needed at this point. The fish is quite squeezed in here, but that's OK -- they don't usually complain.
In the meantime, heat up 1/4 cup or so of vegetable oil. Here I used the canola oil. Heat it up until it just begins to smoke.
Steamed and placed on a plate! This was a jumbo scup so I steamed it for good 10-12 minutes. You can't really over-steam a fish (to an extent) so if in doubt keep it in the pot a bit longer.
Not shown: sprinkle some green onion, scallion, chives, or something similar.
Click on the image to watch video. Pour heated oil over the fish and scallions. That sizzling sound is what you want to hear! But not really part of cooking the fish per se.
The usual soy sauce will do, but this one really does the magic! The English label says "seasoned soy sauce for seafood" but the Chinese characters above suggest that it is particularly suited for steamed fish. Some grocery stores may have it; Asian grocery stores will definitely do.
Done! No cutting fish or filleting involved and ready in no more than 30 minutes. Bones will come right off so no hassle there either. Don't forget to eat the cheeks too!
HOW TO PREPARE A WHOLE SCUP
Courtesy of Cathy Pedtke, Eating with the Ecosystem
Cathy is our board vice president and she is also a chef and recipe developer! We asked her for some help with producing a few how to guides for the home seafood cook.
WHOLE SCUP FOR GRILLING OR BAKING
Servings: 2 Total time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
1 whole scup
0.5 lemon (fresh or preserved)
1 cup herbs (Use what you have: chives, thyme, rosemary, parsley or basil all work great!)
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp oil
DIRECTIONS:
Clean and scale your scup, trimming off top and side fins but leaving tail and head intact (Many fishmongers will do this step for you)
Rub the scup inside and out with salt - use finely ground salt for best results
Open the scup belly and fill with sliced lemon, herbs, and mashed garlic. Use a knife to cut further down the belly to make a little more room if needed.
Press the fish closed and brush the outside with olive oil. If you’re grilling the fish, add extra oil and lightly grease the grill grate as well to prevent sticking. This is less of a problem if baking the fish.
To grill, lay fish on the grill grate over low heat and cook 6 to 8 minutes per side, until fish is firm and flakes easily. You can also wrap fish in a single layer of foil to make it easier to maneuver on and off the grill, but this will prevent the skin from charring and lessen the smoky flavor.
To bake, lay fish in a baking dish and bake at 375 for 10 to 15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily. Carefully flake meat directly off the fish bones with a fork: scup has lots of small bones, so be wary while eating. Serve with rice and steamed or grilled veggies, and top with extra lemon juice and herbs!
SCUP WITH COCONUT AND POBLANO SAUCE AND GRILLED CUCUMBERS
SCUP WITH COCONUT AND POBLANO SAUCE AND GRILLED CUCUMBERS
courtesy of chef Andrew McQuesten, north
“Scup (porgy, sea bream, or whatever you want to call it) is a fish that is dear to me. It’s something I remember using as bait as a kid fishing with my father and uncle and as a professional chef I’ve cooked scup in a litany of ways. The main thing that impresses me with such a “lowly” fish is its versatility. Between raw applications, whole roasted, grilled, or taking filets like in this recipe and roasting them in a pan with butter, scup can hold up to most flavors and not be overpowered but also not be “fishy” (as is the common misconception). Scup will forever hold a place in my heart and because of that I am happy to share the way that we prepare it at north. Feel free to give it a try at home and also don’t be afraid to try this as a whole or raw preparation. The accompanying sauce will pair well with any version of scup, and also with a tart white wine or a bold tequila cocktail.”
RECIPE
Drink pairing: Pair with a tart white wine (think pinot grigio) or a bold tequila cocktail.
Ingredients
2 larger scup, can be prepared filleted as per the instructions (or ask your fishmonger to fillet it), raw, or whole
1 can coconut cream
½ can coconut milk
1 tsp salt
Generous pinch of black pepper (15 turns if using a pepper grinder)
4 tsp sugar
3 poblano peppers
1 English cucumber or 3 small cucumbers
2 tbs pickle brine
2 tbs lime juice
Instructions for the fish
Filet the scup (or ask your fishmonger). Filleting scup is much like any other round fish (see our guide to filleting round fish). Start by making a cut just behind the head and going down past the gills and out through the belly. Continue by making an incision at the dorsal fin toward the head and with gentle downward pressure and using the length of your knife, slice until you reach the spine. Turn fish and slice from the tail up to the spine in the same way on the bottom of the fish. Use kitchen shears to cut through the ribs. Where the ribs meet the spine is where most of the pin bones are. Cut ribs out with a knife going toward the belly and then use tweezers to pull out the pin bones.
At this point the filet is ready to cook. Salt both flesh and skin of your filets and place skin side down on a hot grill. If using gas, once you get a good sear on the fish, turn the heat down and cook until flesh is firm. Be sure to spray your grill with nonstick to ensure you get to enjoy the skin.
Note: This dish may also be prepared with raw scup or whole roasted scup. Raw preparation: If you would like to try eating scup raw, have the skin removed and cut into any size pieces you want. Thinly sliced would be best for a chilled version of the coconut poblano sauce. Be sure to follow USDA guidelines for preparing raw fish — for example, freezing to kill parasites. Whole preparation: Have your fishmonger scale and gut your scup. Score skin with a sharp knife, and salt generously. Place on a well-oiled sheet pan and roast the fish in the oven at 450 for 10-15 minutes.
Instructions for sauce
To make the coconut poblano sauce, first put poblanos on flame and char on all sides.
Place in Tupperware with lid on to steam them. Soak in water to peel off charred skin and remove the seeds. Blend in a food processor for a few pulses until it breaks into small chunks.
Put coconut cream, coconut milk, salt, black pepper, and sugar in pot. Bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce to medium heat. Add poblanos and simmer on medium for 10 minutes. Pull off heat and let cool to room temperature. Mix in pickle juice and lime juice. Adjust as needed with salt and sugar.
Instructions for cucumbers
Halve cucumbers and grill dry, cut side down. Grill until face is charred but cucumber is not cooked all the way through. Cut into bite size portions.
Plating
Spoon coconut poblano sauce in a shallow bowl to cover the bottom. Arrange grilled cucumbers on top. Place scup filet on cucumber pieces.