u/Fishboy9123

Upstate South Carolina. I realize there is a brim in the first pic and a white perch in the second. Thanks in advance.

It was almost dark, so it's the same fish with and without flash. Ate a crappie minnow. Thanks in advance.

Ho raccolto circa 1,3 kg (3 libbre) di noci verdi ancora tenere, le ho tagliate a metà e le ho messe in un barattolo con 1,75 litri di vodka. Vi sarei davvero grato per qualsiasi consiglio su come procedere adesso. Grazie in anticipo!

Making my first batch of Nocion ever. I did 1.75 Liter Vodka over 3 lb green walnuts from my backyard tree (Pic 2). What other bittering/seasoning agents should I add. Pic 1 is my bittering agent stash, but I can aquire whatever else I need. Thanks in advance.

Making my first batch of Nocion ever. I did 1.75 Liter Vodka over 3 lb green walnuts from my backyard tree (Pic 2). What other bittering/seasoning agents should I add. Pic 1 is my bittering agent stash, but I can aquire whatever else I need. Thanks in advance.

Seems like a lot of empty space.

I couldn't find a recipe that sounded perfect to me, so I combined a few old and more modern ones and ended up with this. I am quite pleased with the results. This might be my go-to for catfish from now on.

Ingredients:

2ish lb catfish fillets, brined and cut into .5-inch chunks (maybe sacrilege, but I used Sailcat from FL panhandle)

1 lb bacon, diced

2 medium yellow onions, diced

3 cloves garlic minced

1.5 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 can Campbell's tomato soup

2 Tbsp tomato paste

¼ cup ketchup

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp each black pepper and red pepper flakes (finely ground)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

2 Tb Louisiana-style vinegar based hot sauce (plus more for serving)

4 cups stock (I used shrimp)

0 - 4 Tb butter (I forgot to add this at the end and didn't miss it, but it is in most old recipes call for it, so I'm including it)

kosher salt to taste (didn't need it in mine)

Directions:

Brine the catfish fillets in the attached wet brine recipe (Pic 4) for an hour. Cube into .5 inch cubes and layer between paper towels in the fridge to really dry it out.

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven until crisp.

Remove bacon and reserve. Remove all but 1-2 Tb of fat

Cook onion in the bacon fat until soft, scraping up fond.

Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook 1 minute.

Add tomato sauce, tomato soup, ketchup, Worcestershire, seasonings, and stock.

Bring to a simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding water to keep the consistency you want. (I stopped at this point and put the base in the fridge overnight)

Add potatoes and reserved bacon. Cook 20–25 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Add catfish and hot sauce. Simmer gently 10–15 minutes.

Stir in butter (I forgot to do this and didn't miss it).

Taste and add salt, pepper, and hot sauce as needed. Mine didn't need anything.

Serve with/over rice

I'm excited to try this one. Does anyone have any serving suggestions?

Blackfin Tuna, bluefish, Atlantic sharpnose shark, and monkfish. Second pic is the wet brine I used. Tuna is pretty dry, so I guess lots of mayo into a fish salad. Shark doesn't have any of the ammonia flavor, so that's a win. Monkfish is still surprisingly moist, so I guess chowder. And bluefish is... well bluefish.

Tried all 5 I bought, but in cocktails over the course of the evening. Baby steps, right? Honestly, I enjoyed all the drinks I made. Tequila isn't as bad as I remember from college. Most were drunk on our dock with my kids fishing and my wife drinking gin and tonics. I made:

Margarita: 3/5

1.5 oz Cimarron Blanco Tequila

.5 oz ology Orange Liqueur

.75 oz lime

.5 oz agave syrup

Salted rim

Paloma: 4/5

2 oz Arette tequila

.5 oz lime

6 drops salt solution

4 oz Fresca

Salted rim

Garnish: lime wheel

El Diablo 5/5

1.5 oz Altos Reposado tequila

.5 oz drillaud Creme de cassis

.5 oz lime juice

3 oz ginger beer

Baby Turtle 3/5

2 oz Tres Agaves anejo tequila

.75 oz lime juice

1 egg white

.5 oz sparkling grapefruit juice

.5 oz cinnamon syrup

.25 ounce Campari

6 drops saline solution

Garnish: a spent lime half badly cut into the shape of a sea turtle

The Marble Queen 3/5

1 oz Ocho Blanco Tequila

.5 oz Cimarron Blanco Tequila

1 oz Cream of Coconut

.5 oz lime

Garnish: mint sprig and grated nutmeg

Thanks again for all your tips and advice.

Hope I did ok. I ended up picking up:

​Tequila Ocho Single Estate Plata (La Mesa, 2025)

​Cimarrón Blanco 100% de Agave

​Olmeca Altos Reposado Tequila

​Arette Reposado 100% de Agave

​Tres Agaves Organic Añejo Tequila

I'll probably start with cocktails, coming mostly from a Tiki background, and not really having fond memories of the taste of tequila. Beyond margarita riffs, any suggestions on what to start with and best recipes, tequilas I have for each one? Thanks in advance.

I mostly look for the comb ones, but I have a smattering of other styles. I live in the Southeast, so my collection leans heavily toward there because thats what i twnd to find thrifting. Any bangers I'm missing?