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View Full Version : sweet and spicy fish or chicken (it has beer in it)


mlbrown76
12-14-2005, 12:38 PM
Hello all, I'm new to the site, but not new to beer. I suppose cooking is a hobby of mine, although, if I don't do it, nobody will. So, I'm going to try to post some of my favorite beer-involved recipes for you folks to try.

this is a good spring/summer/fall recipe that I usually make with fresh striped bass that I catch. It's also great with chicken.

You need:
Chicken or firm fish pieces, your choice
One onion, sliced
about one tablespoon of your favorite fresh herb
about one and a half tablespoons brown sugar
about four tablespoons cider vinegar or the juice of one lemon
about half a beer, a good lager works well, so does a mild pale ale. One of the milder Belgian or Belgian-style brews would work very well. You could even get away with an IPA, but stout, porter, heavy or sweet brown ales are out.
about a quarter-teaspoon cayenne pepper or a good big pinch of red pepper flakes.

In a hot pan, put a little olive oil. Season the chicken or fish with salt and pepper, and put it in skin side down. Leave it alone. Let the meat or fish form a nice brown crust, but turn the heat down if it starts to burn, cook it about 75 percent of the way on the first side, then turn it to finish on the second side. Don't play around with it, let it cook.
When it's cooked, take it out of the pan, turn the heat all the way up and add the onion. Allow the onion to soften a bit. Add the herbs and the cayenne. Add the vinegar or lemon juice. Add the beer, and the brown sugar. Bring it to a boil and allow it to reduce until a spoon dragged across the botton of the pan leaves an opening in the sauce. Take it off the heat, put the chicken or fish back in and spoon the sauce over it. Serve with mashed potatoes, or whatever you like.
Drink the beer you used in the recipe with dinner.

studentofbeer
12-14-2005, 12:55 PM
looks tasty to me, and easy. welcome to the site and thanks for the recipe! I also enjoy cooking, and am in the same situation--if i don't do it, no one will. i look forward to seeing more recipes.

HarkJohnny
12-14-2005, 12:58 PM
wow! sounds delish! that's one heck of a first post too

Welcome!

HogieWan
12-14-2005, 02:47 PM
Originally posted by HarkJohnny
wow! sounds delish! that's one heck of a first post too


you got that right, but

Originally posted by mlbrown76

about a quarter-teaspoon cayenne pepper or a good big pinch of red pepper flakes.

doesn't seem like enough

chazwicke
12-14-2005, 04:35 PM
Welcome to the board. Looks yummy. My wife does the cooking now. I'll pass it along.

SoxyinMO
12-14-2005, 06:15 PM
yummy!

mdblu1
12-14-2005, 11:16 PM
Looks good to me!

mlbrown76
12-15-2005, 10:12 AM
Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone.
The quarter teaspoon of cayenne is spicy without lighting your face on fire. Remember, you're only adding about a cup of liquid, so you're not diluting the pepper very much. If you like it more spicy, do it up. Also remember, you want the spicy to be balanced with the sweet, and I'd be more worried about making it too sweet rather than too spicy.
You guys want a beer-involved beef stew recipe?

HogieWan
12-15-2005, 12:29 PM
My wife uses more than a quarter tsp cayenne pepper in a bowl of fruit loops!!!

Seriously, due to her love of spicy food, I have become quite immume to the heat.

xtalman
12-15-2005, 01:22 PM
Originally posted by HogieWan
My wife uses more than a quarter tsp cayenne pepper in a bowl of fruit loops!!!

Seriously, due to her love of spicy food, I have become quite immume to the heat.
Hogie, it sounds like what is spicy for you would send the average person, meaning most of us, to the ER to have our taste buds reattached. :D

xtalman
12-15-2005, 01:23 PM
Originally posted by mlbrown76

You guys want a beer-involved beef stew recipe?
A big welcome and if you want I would be insterested at least.

HarkJohnny
12-15-2005, 02:23 PM
Originally posted by xtalman
Hogie, it sounds like what is spicy for you would send the average person, meaning most of us, to the ER to have our taste buds reattached.

the man IS from louisana... cajun cookin' is spicy. I think i would love it... i've eat habaneros before... just nibble em!! :p

Beer Monkey
12-15-2005, 02:28 PM
Originally posted by xtalman
A big welcome and if you want I would be insterested at least.

so would I was thinking about making a stout beef stew this weekend,

studentofbeer
12-16-2005, 10:42 PM
made this tonight with some salmon. very nice! good sweet/spicy contrast. i made it with some SNCA since that's all I had that was close to the suggested beers, and i thought it worked out pretty well. thanks for the recipe. thanks for the recipe.

mlbrown76
12-19-2005, 12:11 PM
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I usually leave the skin on fish and cook it nice and crispy. Do you leave the skin on the Salmon?

studentofbeer
12-20-2005, 01:15 PM
Originally posted by mlbrown76
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I usually leave the skin on fish and cook it nice and crispy. Do you leave the skin on the Salmon?

yep absolutely. I left the skin on and actually cooked the salmon on my cast iron grill pan to really get the sear going, and made the sauce in a separate pan and just spooned the sauce over the fish at the end.

it was just some frozen alaskan king salmon from trader joes, but it was quite good. getting decent salmon is expensive sometimes, so i'd rather get frozen wild salmon than fresh "atlantic" salmon.