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While a little tricky to catch, sheepshead is a snap to cook. In fact, dinner can be on the table in about 20 minutes if you cook fillets on the stove top.
Inshore species of sheepshead are often snagged around pier pilings and near seawalls. It's there that they munch on crustaceans and barnacles with their small but powerful mouths. They become more plentiful as the water gets colder.
Sheepshead can be baked whole but the eater will be picking through a fair amount of bones and not a lot of meat. Most near-shore catches are 1 to 2 pounds so it's best to fillet them and remove all skin.
As with all fish, do not overcook or you'll be left with a tough, dry nugget of nearly nothing.
As a general rule, fish cooked on direct heat require 10 minutes per inch of thickness. For example, a 1/2-inch thick fillet, which is a piece of fish cut lengthwise off the spine, will take about 5 minutes, 21/2 minutes on each side, to pan fry.
Baking will take longer, and you should follow the instructions in a recipe until you get a feel for the time. Fish is done when it is opaque and flakes easily at the touch of a knife or fork.
To pump up the flavor of sheepshead, try Fiesta Fillets, a recipe that is as good as it is fast. Canned mild green chilies and canned Mexican-spiced tomatoes meld with cilantro, onion and garlic for a zippy sauce. With preparation time, the entire dish is ready in about 20 minutes. (This recipe can be used for mangrove snapper, mullet, striped bass or any another mild flavor, moderately firm catch.)
Serve with rice cooked in Swanson's new garlic roasted chicken broth and mixed with lightly sauteed red and yellow diced peppers. The color combination looks smashing on a white plate.
Fiesta Fillets
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 4-ounce can diced mild green chilies
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 14.5-ounce can Mexican-style or regular stewed tomatoes
11/4 pounds sheepshead fillets
Lime or lemon wedges
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 3 minutes. Add green chilies, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Mix in tomatoes with juices, breaking up tomatoes with back of fork.
Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper; place fish atop sauce. Bring to simmer. Cover skillet, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until fish is just opaque in center, about 8 minutes.
Transfer fish to platter. Simmer sauce to thicken slightly, if desired. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over fish. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro. Surround with lime wedges and serve.
Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit magazine, November 2000.