Yesterday, I had an opportunity to experience some of the best fishing I have seen in my many years on the Gulf Coast.

Fishing with my good friend Chuck Glass and my son Brandon we started the morning off as many times before dropping the Shallow Sport into the water just before daybreak at the Top Water Grill ramp in San Leon, Tx. The air was crisp, about 64 degrees with very little wind movement.

We cruised  over to Moses Lake, a protected area with some great “Skinny Water “ spots we love to frequent and started working some top water lures  with enthusiasm just feeling like they could produce a blow up at any second.  We picked up a couple of  Rat Reds, and decided to move in a little further towards some back lakes and as we were riding I noticed some Brown Pelicans working an isolated area. We had to park the boat and move in quietly on foot to keep from startling the birds.

As I approached the spot, to my amazement the whole area was gleaming with shad and not only were the birds gorging but also the redfish! Chuck was throwing a Gulp, Brandon, a Brown Lure, and I still had my Spook Jr. tied on but it really didn’t matter what we used. Man, you want to talk about adrenaline; I was truly a kid in a candy store.

As soon as you could see an  explosion followed by a group of shad flying into the air we would cast at it and 4 times out of 5 a redfish was waiting or still close enough to hit our lure.  After 2 ½ hours, and around 30 fish the action slowed down and we had the chance to catch our breath and reflect on the incredible time we had just shared together. You know, we have a lot of times , especially over this hot summer when we couldn’t buy a fish but this day sure makes up for all of those and definitely will bring us back to the water again.

The recipe I am sharing with you guys today is for Redfish on the Halfshell. I like to create individual foil boats for each person to give it a personal touch and you can do this at the camp or in your back yard.  Send me one of your very own fish stories with pictures so we can share it with other adventure loving enthusiasts!

Redfish on the Half Shell

Starting with a fresh redfish, remove the filets, leaving the skin and scales intact. Using heavy-duty foil, create a “boat” large enough to hold a filet with 1 inch of space around it, turning the edges up slightly to avoid leaking. Lightly drizzle olive oil in the foil boat and place the filet skin-side down and sprinkle a few capers, a teaspoon or two of freshly chopped garlic, and 2 teaspoons of freshly chopped green onion. Surround the filet with quartered Roma tomatoes, shrimp, , yellow squash, or your favorite grilling vegetables cut into bite size pieces.

Brush the fish and vegetables with The Texas Gourmet’s Lemon Rosemary
Habanero grilling sauce. Place on a hot grill and cover. You may substitute a lemon-butter mixture if grilling sauce is not available. I highly recommend a mesquite charcoal fire for flavor and heat, but a gas grill will work as well.

Cook for 15 to 18 minutes, removing the cover only to baste again with the grilling sauce. When grilling is complete, drape a piece of foil loosely over the top for 7 to 8 minutes. This allows the meat to “rest” for absorption of juices. Remove the foil and scoop the meat from the skin using a spatula, and serve with grilled vegetables. Enjoy!!!

Bon appetit,
Bryan F. Slaven
The Texas Gourmet

Brandon with a multi spotted Redfish

Redfish on the Halfshell

Bryan and Brandon with their catch

Chuck Glass with one of many Reds caught