On a cold day, what’s the only thing better than a warm meal? A warm meal that’s made from something that you and your friends caught, of course.
We’ve called our friends from across the country to gather culinary inspiration for some of our favorite cold weather comfort foods. These dishes are great options to eat at home, but you can also pack them up and take them on the boat. Buen Provecho! Bon Apetit! Ya’ll eat yet? No matter how you say it, enjoy!
Chili
Nothing says comfort food in winter quite like a bowl of chili. Chili, the state food of Texas, will fill you up, warm you up, and is surprisingly easy to make.
If you’ve got a freezer full of good aim, ground venison makes for some great chili. You can also use ground beef or ground turkey. If you’re from Texas, your chili will not have beans. Other places might include pinto, black, or kidney beans in their takes on chili. You can take yours in any number of directions.
Here is a base that will get you started. From here, you can turn up the spice and add a personal touch or two.
Ingredients:
Spices:
Process:
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook chopped onions until they are translucent. Then add minced garlic. Cook for a minute or so, until garlic begins to fade in color and you can smell it. Stir in tomato paste. Allow it to cook for two or three minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add ground meat, stir. Mix thoroughly and brown the meat. This might take six or seven minutes. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off any fat.
Now, add the spices. Next, the crushed tomatoes. Stir everything together. If you’d like, you can now add the chicken broth.
Cook over medium heat, for 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
If you’d like it spicier, you can include jalapeno peppers or hot sauce. If you’re a “beans in chili” type, you can add them when you add the tomatoes. If you want it thicker, simmer it longer.
Redfish Courtboullon (Koo-Bee-Yawn)
Redfish courtboullon is a Cajun take on the classic stewed fish-- and it is fantastic. If you have access to redfish, you are ahead of the game. If not, you can substitute any firm, mild white fish (you want something that will not flake and fall apart)—walleye and mahi-mahi are great options.
Courtboullon is a thick tomato-based stew that is served over rice. Like many Cajun dishes, the foundation is a roux—made by stirring flour into hot oil. Once the roux is the color of peanut butter, add chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery (the trinity of Cajun cooking).
Add tomatoes and seafood stock and finish with your fish fillets. It’s spicy, warm, and super tasty. Enjoy your courtboullon over steamed jasmine rice and you’re living right.
Our friends at Rouse’s Markets in Louisiana offer a classic redfish courtboullon recipe, here. The recipe might look complicated, but if you have everything chopped and ready before you start, you’ll be cooking like a Cajun in no time.
Shore Lunch
When you think destination walleye fishing, you probably think shore lunch. Classic, tasty, and the perfect way to showcase your catch, the shore lunch is equal parts dinner and a show.
With a bit of prep and a few basic pieces of equipment, you can prepare shore lunch like a pro. You can follow this recipe at home or you can fry the fish on the lakeshore.
Equipment:
Ingredients:
Here are three takes on great fried fish recipes.
Process:
Pour oil into frying pan. Bring to temperature over heat. If you have a thermometer, you’ll like the oil to be 350-degrees Fahrenheit. You can also drop in a bit of batter and see if it starts sizzling and bubbling. If it does, you’re ready.
Coat the fish chunks in the dredge. Shake off extra coating and drop fish into the oil, making sure not to splash yourself. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown.
Enjoy with lemon slices and whatever side you’d like.
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We’ve called our friends from across the country to gather culinary inspiration for some of our favorite cold weather comfort foods. These dishes are great options to eat at home, but you can also pack them up and take them on the boat. Buen Provecho! Bon Apetit! Ya’ll eat yet? No matter how you say it, enjoy!
Chili
Nothing says comfort food in winter quite like a bowl of chili. Chili, the state food of Texas, will fill you up, warm you up, and is surprisingly easy to make.
If you’ve got a freezer full of good aim, ground venison makes for some great chili. You can also use ground beef or ground turkey. If you’re from Texas, your chili will not have beans. Other places might include pinto, black, or kidney beans in their takes on chili. You can take yours in any number of directions.
Here is a base that will get you started. From here, you can turn up the spice and add a personal touch or two.
Ingredients:
- Two pounds ground meat of choice
- One small to medium onion—white or yellow- finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes (make sure not to get the kind that has basil or other spices)
- 4 ounces chicken broth
Spices:
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you like spice, add more. If you don’t, add less)
- Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
Process:
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook chopped onions until they are translucent. Then add minced garlic. Cook for a minute or so, until garlic begins to fade in color and you can smell it. Stir in tomato paste. Allow it to cook for two or three minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add ground meat, stir. Mix thoroughly and brown the meat. This might take six or seven minutes. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off any fat.
Now, add the spices. Next, the crushed tomatoes. Stir everything together. If you’d like, you can now add the chicken broth.
Cook over medium heat, for 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
If you’d like it spicier, you can include jalapeno peppers or hot sauce. If you’re a “beans in chili” type, you can add them when you add the tomatoes. If you want it thicker, simmer it longer.
Redfish Courtboullon (Koo-Bee-Yawn)
Redfish courtboullon is a Cajun take on the classic stewed fish-- and it is fantastic. If you have access to redfish, you are ahead of the game. If not, you can substitute any firm, mild white fish (you want something that will not flake and fall apart)—walleye and mahi-mahi are great options.
Courtboullon is a thick tomato-based stew that is served over rice. Like many Cajun dishes, the foundation is a roux—made by stirring flour into hot oil. Once the roux is the color of peanut butter, add chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery (the trinity of Cajun cooking).
Add tomatoes and seafood stock and finish with your fish fillets. It’s spicy, warm, and super tasty. Enjoy your courtboullon over steamed jasmine rice and you’re living right.
Our friends at Rouse’s Markets in Louisiana offer a classic redfish courtboullon recipe, here. The recipe might look complicated, but if you have everything chopped and ready before you start, you’ll be cooking like a Cajun in no time.
Shore Lunch
When you think destination walleye fishing, you probably think shore lunch. Classic, tasty, and the perfect way to showcase your catch, the shore lunch is equal parts dinner and a show.
With a bit of prep and a few basic pieces of equipment, you can prepare shore lunch like a pro. You can follow this recipe at home or you can fry the fish on the lakeshore.
Equipment:
- Cast iron pan
- Heat source
- Campfire or propane camp stove
- Container for the dredge (paper bag or a container with a lid)
- Metal tongs to remove fish from oil
- Plates—for eating on and for placing fish after cooking.
Ingredients:
- Walleye, crappie or your choice of fish. Filleted, skin removed, and cut into evenly sized pieces
- Dredge—this is the fancy chef word for what you use to coat your fish. It might be flour, corn meal, breadcrumbs, or some combination. Seasoned with salt, pepper, onion or garlic powder, and maybe some paprika. You can also add Cajun seasoning. You might try three parts corn flour, one part all-purpose white flour. The white flour helps with adhesion to the fish. You can also purchase premixed fish fry batter or experiment with your own formulations and spice ratios.
- High temperature frying oil—you can opt for vegetable or peanut oil, bran oil is also a great choice.
Here are three takes on great fried fish recipes.
Process:
Pour oil into frying pan. Bring to temperature over heat. If you have a thermometer, you’ll like the oil to be 350-degrees Fahrenheit. You can also drop in a bit of batter and see if it starts sizzling and bubbling. If it does, you’re ready.
Coat the fish chunks in the dredge. Shake off extra coating and drop fish into the oil, making sure not to splash yourself. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown.
Enjoy with lemon slices and whatever side you’d like.
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