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Roasted Drum
by John & Kathy Hook
Bay Naturalist Department
| CURRENT
MOON lunar phases |
Don't have a drum to go with this
recipe?
No problem, just use
a red.
First you catch a drum, or a red...
o 1 - 2 pound or larger drum or other whole fish (Like a red... head on), scaled, gilled and gutted
o 1 to 2 Portobello mushroom caps sliced a quarter of an inch thick. A typical Portobello cap will take care of a 2 pound drum but larger fish may need 2 caps.
o 1 tbs - butter
o 2 tbs - olive oil
o 2 tbs - minced fresh thyme
o 1 tbs - minced fresh oregano
o 1 tbs - minced garlic
o salt
o fresh ground pepper
Make slices along both sides of the drum's dorsal and anal fins to the backbone.Heat the butter and oil in a skillet and sauté the herbs and garlic until the garlic softens but doesn't color. Add the mushrooms and move them around until they have absorbed all the liquid, about 1 minute. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Insert the sautéed mushrooms into the fin slits. If there are any left - put them into the body cavity.
Rub any remaining seasoned butter/oil mixture over the top of the drum. (You may need to tie the fish with several wraps of kitchen twine to hold the mushroom slices in place.)
Roast for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 F. As the fish cooks, the mushroom slices relax and release all of the absorbed seasoned oil and butter which bastes the fish. Test for doneness by inserting a fork into the thickest part of the fish. It will be easy to insert with no change in resistance all the way to the backbone when done.
Carefully lift fillets from the drum with a spatula when done and it can be served relatively bone free.
Larger fish work well with this approach, too. Just increase ingredient quantities and cooking time appropriately. If you can maintain an even temperature on a wood fired or charcoal grill the results are even better.