Pan-Seared Lemon Scup (Porgy)
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There is something about seafood that screams summer. Perhaps that is even more pronounced by the fact that the pursuit of wild game halts during the summer while the pursuit of seafood lives on. Over the last couple of years, I have been on a mission to eat more seafood. It is light, healthy, and very tasty. Unfortunately, most seafood is very expensive. While I am a fly fisherman first and foremost and I practice catch and release 95% of the time, I knew I needed to take matters into my own hands if I wanted to eat more fish and seafood.
Luckily for me, I have made quite a few friends who share the same desire for it. Our pursuit of crabs has become an event in itself but I started to think, how can we pursue fish at the same time?
As a fly fisherman, using anything but a fly rod is a foreign concept. I do own a spinning rod as a backup for individuals who fish with me and have no fly fishing experience. However, this summer I started to bust it out for myself. A pack of squid and a couple of hooks later and I found myself bottom fishing.
On a day spent chasing early-season blue crabs to no avail, my friends and I threw some squid on hooks and waited to see what would happen. Soon enough we started to feel the taps of nibbling bottom fish. A few moments later we caught a nice scup (porgy for non-New Englanders).
On a day defined by torrential downpour upon our exit from the water, and a gross lack of blue crabs in the estuaries at that point in the season, we were ecstatic to catch a scup. It was the only harvest of the day, but it was enough to satisfy everyone and cause an uproar of excitement amongst the group. That excitement last well through dinner-time.
Over the course of the summer, I have been pursuing scup, black sea bass, and fluke to fill my freezer. It feels great to be back in the harvesting game in the long interim between turkey hunting in May and dove/waterfowl hunting that begins in September. Not to mention, the camaraderie that my friends and I can experience is significant and only adds to the fun.
As the years go on, I plan to continue learning this whole other side of fishing that I have very little experience with. The dog days of summer coincide with a slowdown in my usual pursuit of fish on the fly, further adding to the appeal of bottom fishing. I look forward to continuing my pursuit of wild fish, especially with great friends who share the same passion.
Serving Size: 2
Time to Make: 30 Minutes
Also Works With: Any Other White Flaky Fish
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Pan-Seared Lemon Scup (Porgy)
2
servings10
minutes20
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
2 Scup Filets
One Lemon Half
Old Bay Seasoning or Harvesting Nature’s Wild Fish Spice Blend
Pepper
Salt
Butter
Lemon slices
- Sides
Roasted mini potatoes and vegetables
Preparation
- Scup is a very skinny fish and fileting them is relatively simple. Remove each filet from your scup and season it with salt, pepper, and old bay seasoning. The seasoning is relatively simple but make sure that those filets are coated orange with old bay or Harvesting Nature’s Wild Fish Blend. Once the fish is seasoned, set it aside for a few minutes.
- Remove mini potatoes from their packaging and chop them in half. Season with salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Roast at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Choose your favorite vegetable (I personally enjoy broccoli with fish) and boil for 5-10 minutes. Once your vegetable has boiled then roast it alongside your potatoes.
- While the sides are roasting, preheat a medium pan coated with butter. Place your fish in the pan skin-side down and sear for approximately 3 minutes. Flip your fish and sear for another 2 minutes. Remove your fish from heat when the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees.
- Slice half a lemon into thin slices and top the fish with fresh lemon juice drops. Plate everything together and enjoy!
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