Passport to Texas

Previous Central Market Class at Fort Worth location, photo by Brett Johnson.

Cooking Fish with a French Twist Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Since the French flag flew over Texas, and since the area they originally colonized was on the Texas coast, and since Bastille Day, which celebrates the beginning of the French revolution is July 14, Texas Parks and Wildlife, with Central Market Cooking Schools statewide, is holding cooking public classes on July 14 that feature seafood with a French twist.

08—I love the saltwater as well as freshwater. But the saltwater you have more variety. You never know what you’re going to pull up. It’s exciting – like Christmas morning.

That’s Cindy Haenel, an avid angler and a staff chef at the Austin Central Market Cooking School. Snapper, shrimp, and striped bass will take on the flavors of France during the class. The key to preparing any fish dish to perfection—French or otherwise—is to not overcook it.

22—Most people, if they don’t like the taste of fish, it’s probably because they’ve overcooked it. And, as it cooks, and the oil of the fish starts to come out of the flesh, it burns very, very quickly. So, if you will undercook your fish, or protect that fish with either a salt crust, or even if it just has a little butter, or some kind of fat on the outside it still protecting that fish while it’s cooking.

A Texas Parks and Wildlife representative will be on hand to discuss the various species on the plate as well as coastal fishing in Texas.

Find a Central Market Cooking School Registration at passporttotexas.org.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Grilled Shrimp

Fish | Cook: Learning to Cook Seafood Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Passport to Texas

We love seafood, but when it comes to cooking it—most of us leave that to the professionals.

06— Because a lot of people are intimidated [by] seafood. They have this impression that it’s hard to cook.

But it’s not, says Rhonda Cummins with Texas AgriLife and Texas Sea Grant. Whether you harvest it yourself or pick up fresh fish from a local market, seafood is easier to prepare than you realize.

06— If you can master just a couple of quick easy [techniques] in the kitchen, you can cook seafood at home

The FREE monthly Cooking with Seafood classes Rhonda coordinates provide attendees the skills they need to prepare fresh seafood at home. Volunteer cooks teach demos, while fisheries biologists and others talk about the resource.

11— Sometimes I have to put the meal on hold because they’re still asking questions to the presenter. They’re coming to learn. I actually believe that it’s become more about interesting topics than about the food.

But there is food. The next FREE Cooking with Seafood class is Monday April 13 at the Calhoun County Fairgrounds outside Port Lavaca, and will include some combination of oysters, crabs, shrimp and fish.

14—The basic concept of the evening is going to be, you’ve harvested it, or you have bought it in its almost natural state at the fish market—what do you do with it next? So, we want to teach them some basic cleaning techniques and then cooking techniques.

Find out how you can attend at passporttotexas.org (see below).

The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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If you want to attend the April 13, 2015 FREE Cooking with Seafood Demo, RSVP with Rhonda Cummins:

Cooking with Seafood
Free cooking demonstrations and samples using fresh, local seafood.
Calhoun County Fairgrounds, Bauer Exhibit Building
6 p.m.
RSVP to Rhonda Cummins: (361) 552-9747
Email: rcummins@tamu.edu

Fried oysters

Fish | Cook: Cooking Seafood Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Rhonda Cummins, coastal marine resource agent for Texas AgriLife and Texas Sea Grant, unintentionally became the de facto Seafood Cooking maven for her agencies.

04— I’ve got to admit: I may be the current maven, but I’m not the first.

She says Annette Hagen out of Rockport was Texas Sea Grant’s original seafood consumer educator.

11—And she created thousands of [seafood] recipes and we still pass them out today, They’re legendary.

But when Annette retired, they never refilled her position. So, years later, when Rhonda came along with an idea to help promote Texas fishermen by hosting seafood cooking demos, the baton was passed.

09— Now more than ever, we need to educate the consumer on their food choices. Not just know your farmer—it needs to be know our fishermen.

Rhonda teams up with colleagues from Texas Parks and Wildlife, Texas Sea Grant, and members of the community to demo seafood cookery.

22— Because a lot of people are intimidated [by] seafood. They have this impression that it’s hard to cook. Some people view it as a little pricey; they think it’s only for special occasions; I don’t want to mess it up… But if you can master just a couple of quick easy [techniques] in the kitchen, you can cook seafood at home. And it’s so much cheaper [than restaurants], so much healthier, and it supports my local fishermen.

Demos are free; we’ll tell you more tomorrow. The Sport Fish Restoration supports our series and the work of Sea Center Texas… The Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Freshly caught Black Drum, photo by Cecilia Nasti

Fishing | Food: Reel in Your Own Fish for Ultimate Freshness Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

When you get tired of turkey leftovers, maybe you can find a fishing hole and reel in something tasty during your Thanksgiving break. Chef Cindy Haenel says there’s nothing like catching your own dinner.

09—It’s fabulous. I know exactly how old that fish is, when it came out of the water and how long it’s been dead. And that’s important with fish especially. Fresh is always best.

Cindy is a chef instructor at Central Market in Austin. She and her husband Ken are avid anglers.

08—I love the saltwater as well as freshwater. But the saltwater you have more variety. You never know what you’re going to pull up. It’s exciting – like Christmas morning.

Immediately put your catch on ice, and if there’s a cleaning station on shore, consider doing the dirty work there. Chef Cindy says be careful not to overcook your fresh fish.

22—Most people, if they don’t like the taste of fish, it’s probably because they’ve overcooked it. And, as it cooks, and the oil of the fish starts to come out of the flesh, it burns very, very quickly. So, if you will undercook your fish, or protect that fish with either a salt crust, or even if it just has a little butter, or some kind of fat on the outside it still protecting that fish while it’s cooking.

Find game and fish recipes on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. And, we invite you to follow us on Twitter; we’re @passporttotexas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.