Striper (rockfish) season is upon us. In Virginia, the fall season kicks off on Oct. 4 and runs through the end of the year, giving Virginia anglers lots of opportunities to put a few of these – some of the best eating fish anywhere – on ice. Even if you don’t fish, stripers will soon be in the grocery stores and fish markets and here’s an interesting and different way to prepare them.
Several years ago, my brothers and I had some luck with stripers at Oregon Inlet. We caught enough to fill the refrigerator at our beach cottage. We dined in style that evening with broiled stripers in a lemon dill sauce. The next night was crab night. We picked up a bushel of beautiful “Jimmy” crabs, already steamed. But we had a problem. At the time, my brother Charlie was not eating meat – only fish – and crabs were not on his approved menu.
“I’ll just eat vegetables,” he said.
But I had an idea.
I got out a remaining striper filet, about a pound, and poached it in a saucepan until the meat was just beginning to flake. After it cooled, I separated the meat and put it in a bowl. Then I mixed in a package of Old Bay Crab Cake Seasoning, a cup of Duke’s mayonnaise and let it rest briefly. While we were spreading newspapers on the table and getting ready for our crab feast, I made four fish cakes and put them in a frying pan with hot butter, cooking them about 4 minutes on each side until brown. Charlie ate the fish cakes and said they were better than any crab cakes he had ever eaten before his diet change. We all had a bite and agreed. So if you are fortunate enough to catch some stripers this fall fry up some Striper Cakes. They are excellent.
Striper Cakes
1 pound striper filets (or cod if necessary)
1 pkg. Old Bay Crab Cake Seasoning
1 C Duke’s mayonnaise
¼ C unsalted butter
Poach the stripers in a shallow pan with water (a dash of Chardonnay works well) for about 6 minutes. When the fish begins to flake, remove it and let cool. Break the fish up into small pieces and mix with the Old Bay Crab Cake Seasoning and add a cup of mayonnaise. Stir together gently leaving the fish chunky and then form patties. Fry the fish cakes in butter until golden brown. Serve with cocktail sauce and enjoy.