After my rise to fame on this past season of MFCC TV, it has come to my attention that it is my duty to give the public what it wants...more cooking your catch recipes!
I'm kidding, I am not famous, but I am excited to share with you 22 new ways to cook your catch this season, every Sunday starting next week through the end of September!
Starting next Sunday, April 28, there will be a new recipe posted each week on the blog, giving you new ways to cook your catch or how to use locally sourced shellfish and other types of fish.
I've been having a lot of fun writing up these recipes, and Ryan has very much enjoyed the taste testing portion of this project too! Each recipe was created to be easy and with not a lot of ingredients...because no one wants to attempt a 30-ingredient recipe!
All of these recipes are either my very own, inspired by dishes I've had while traveling, or some variation of a dish my Mom would make me growing up. I really hope you enjoy them!
Here's a breakdown of just a few of the recipes to look forward to this coming season.
Life in Costa Rica is in many ways similar to life on Cape Cod. Yet there are also many, many differences.
One BIG difference is that here in Costa Rica, it is very possible to catch a fish and then find yourself eating that same fish for lunch less than an hour later.
You can do the same thing on Cape Cod, but not during January and February! Fortunately the weather in Costa Rica is sunny and hot year-round.
Today through April, Ryan and I are going to feature a new post each Saturday morning about this past winter's group trip to Costa Rica. We're going to have some fun with this and call it "Costa Rica Saturdays!"
This past winter in Costa Rica were joined by My Fishing Cape Codders Jane and Tom Simpson, Tom and Patti Dromgoole, John and Michelle Silva, Mike and Lisa Hollander, and Ryan's dad, uncle and sister.
It's not easy for me to describe Playa Zancudo, the town where Ryan and I like to call home for a few weeks each winter. Yes the beaches are beautiful, and the weather nearly perfect, but that's not everything.
You just have to see it for yourself. To meet the locals, to experience the fishing and the natural environment, and to look a scorpion in the eye and not be afraid (among other things)!
It's bit of an art to go from enjoying the "comforts of home" to immersing yourself in this Costa Rican lifestyle of bugs, scorpions, dust, intense heat and humidity. Take it from me, a girl who loves to eat brie and sip Prosecco.
The second season of My Fishing Cape Cod TV is airing every weekend on NBC SportsBOSTON, now through the beginning of March. This season of My Fishing Cape Cod TV has definitely been the year for the Collins women to get on screen!
Last weekend in episode #3, you may remember watching Ryan's mom Kathy as she reeled in some of the biggest stripers of the entire season by trolling the tube and worm.
This weekend in episode #4, we included a "cooking your catch" segment to help give you some ideas for what to do with your catch! Our cooking the catch episode was a lot of fun to film.
I hope you enjoyed this weekend's tautog fishing episode on My Fishing Cape Cod TV! Not only was it my big debut in front of the camera, but also my big debut going tautog fishing.
Leading up to this episode, I had been told that tautog were in thick and heavy, so I knew my chances were pretty good that I might actually catch something.
In this behind the scenes post, I'll take you through the day, starting with where we launched, our bait techniques (which were more than a little gross for me) and how I managed to catch the biggest fish of the day.
This past year I have had the great opportunity to learn a lot about fishing (whether I wanted to or not). If you've sent us an email over the past year, chances are it went to me first, because Ryan is literally never home in the summer.
I answered many of your questions, always by first asking Ryan what the answer is, and then responding to your emails as if I know everything there is to know about fishing.
You were probably very impressed, right??
All kidding aside, I can now tell you what setup to use at the canal, I can change your password for you, give you helpful advice on fishing around the Cape and refer you to the forum when I've run out of answers.
Even the locals will tell you that some parts of Mexico are not to be dealt with. You hear all the stories, but just like everywhere else in the world, there are those hidden gems you just have to see to believe.
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is just that - a true gem nestled among mountains. The seaside city is so wonderful you just have to see it to believe it.
As usual, I found a great fishing spot for Ryan, even if I didn't mean to. Nine years ago, my parents and I came here for a week and we all fell in love with the old town, known as Zona Romantica. We knew we had to someday come back.
I'd like to say I am very good at a lot of things, but most importantly, it would be shopping! I realize though that I am speaking to a "fisher people audience" who would probably prefer to never hear about nor speak about shopping.
But people, the holidays are coming. Tis the season to give gifts to friends and family, and there is nothing worse than being in a crowded mall and waiting in lines. You will encounter crying children and frazzled adults!
And then all of a sudden you realize you forgot to buy wrapping paper, so back out you go into the apocalypse that is holiday shopping. So this year, instead of hitting the mall and big box stores, lets shop online at the MFCC website!
I have been told numerous times over the past 7 years that giant bluefin tuna are difficult and timely to catch. Giant tunas are humongous, elusive creatures, capable of making grown men cry.
I'm very aware that you can spend an entire lifetime on the water and not get a single bite, but I had never experienced it for myself, until a trip I made with Ryan last season.
So join me as I take you through a nail-biting 10 hour giant bluefin tuna trip I spent with Ryan during the 2017 season, "on the hunt" for giant bluefin tuna.
Today I want to share with you a new recipe I created using fresh tuna steaks and a throwback to my day's living and working in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
This recipe is perfect as an appetizer, or it can be made into the main event for a meal. I used homemade pita chips, my own firecracker slaw, creamy avocado and spicy banana peppers to make the ultimate nachos.
When your husband is a fisherman, the summer season is all about fishing. Every. Single. Day. The good news though is that sometimes he brings home bags and bags of freshly caught sushi grade tuna steaks, and then life is really good. I like to think I'm pretty lucky.
There comes a time in a relationship when you just have to buckle down and go fishing with your spouse. It's inevitable.
Especially for me, because my husband is Ryan Collins, and if you have not already noticed, he lives, breathes, sleeps, eats and dies for fishing.
I figured now would be a good time for me to share this post with you, because hopefully some of you My Fishing Cape Codders are encountering some bonito out there. Exactly one year ago today Buzzard's Bay was loaded with bonito - I know because I was there!
One morning about seven years ago when it was still early in my relationship with Ryan, I was awoken by the pungent smell of fish and salt water.
I opened my eyes and there standing above me was Ryan, his face full of excitement and eagerness to tell me all about his morning of fishing.
All I could do was smile and then stuff my face back into my freshly laundered pillow, which smelled of nice shampoo and detergent, the way things should smell.
I'm not sure if I'm alone on this subject, but when the blues start to show up, my mind starts to scramble about all the ways I can cook it so as not to taste the strong flavor and oiliness of blues.
When prepared correctly, bluefish can make for a really delicious and nutritious meal, and today I have a brand new recipe to share that'll knock your socks off.
One thing I have learned about bluefish is that the smaller the fish, the lighter the flavor. If you happen to catch a larger blue, then that's great! But you might find yourself with a more intense fishy flavor.
