Grilled Striped Bass Collars
working in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley provide her with many opportunities to expand her
culinary horizons and continue to learn and grow through hunting, fishing, foraging, and farming.
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As the kayak flipped over and unceremoniously dumped me into the frigid waters of the bay, my first thought was “Oh no! I hope we didn’t lose the fish!”
We didn’t. The gleaming striped bass was still on the stringer, tethered to the boat. It was a hard-won harvest in rough conditions, with me out of practice on a heavy and unfamiliar craft. What seemed like calm seas grew wild and choppy. Eventually, small whitecaps began to form as the wind became relentless.
It was only my second time capsizing and my first time in such cold water. The initial shock of it sucked the breath from my body, and being off the boat felt so strange and catastrophically wrong that my first reaction was to kick my legs in a momentary panic. But then I remembered what I’d been taught — just relax. Save your energy; there’s nothing to fear. I had a life jacket on and thermal layers under my waders. There wasn’t a fiber of heat-robbing cotton anywhere on my body because I was raised right. There was nothing in the depths that could harm me.
I called my stepdad’s name twice, and he was there within half a minute, helping me turn the kayak rightside up and get back on. I felt a little bone-chilling water seeping through my gear, but the warm May weather, my stepdad’s company, and our high spirits and jokes kept me and my heart warm, even as we battled the elements all the way back to shore.
All I got was a little wet and a healthy dose of physical defeat. But it was worth it. I only wish it was me that got the only fish we caught. The striper didn’t get away, but the beat-up old Ugly Stick was gone, forever frozen in its final cast, with a shad swimbait lure on thirty feet of braided line.
“I’m sorry about the rod,” I told my stepdad — to which he replied, “That’s okay. You’re alive, and it just gives me an excuse to buy new shit.”
Striper has mild, clean-tasting white flesh, almost crab-like at times, and there’s no shortage of amazing recipes to make with it. But after such a day, I wanted to make sure I honored the catch by preparing something special that used as much of the fish as I could.
Like the hanger steak, the collar is an “insider’s” cut, and you need to taste it to believe it. It’s an oft-discarded part that comprises the fish’s collarbone, pectoral fin, and the meaty area right behind the head and gill plate. You may have encountered a yellowtail collar in the form of hamachi kama, featured on some sushi restaurant menus. Fatty, crispy pockets of beautifully charred meat that slide off the bone are bathed in a lightly sweet and acidic sauce.
This dish is inspired by simple and effective prep that lets the ingredients shine through. A quick marinade of soy sauce and citrus, the kiss of a charcoal flame — it was much easier to cook this fish than it was to get it home!
Serving Size: 2-4 servings
Time to make: 1 hour
Special Equipment: Charcoal grill, grilling basket
Also works with: Other large game fish
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Grilled Striped Bass Collars
2-4
servings30
minutes30
minutesIt’s best (and most fun) to enjoy this dish with chopsticks to get every morsel of meat. Serve these bass collars with grilled smoky carrots, scallions, and sautéed bok choy for the perfect meal!
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Ingredients
1 striped bass collar, split to form two symmetrical pieces
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
Juice of half a lime
Splash rice vinegar
Salt, black pepper, and chili flakes, to taste
High-temperature oil, such as avocado oil, to coat the fish
1 scallion, thinly sliced for garnish
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds for garnish
Preparation
- Marinate the fish in the soy sauce, lime, rice vinegar, and seasoning for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, light the grill. We used hardwood charcoal and a few chunks of soaked cherry wood.
- Coat the fish lightly in avocado oil, and grill the fish for 5 minutes over high heat directly on the grill grates.
- Move fish away from direct heat in a wire basket or other dish and cook for another 20 minutes or so until done.
- To serve, squeeze fresh lime over the fish and garnish with scallions and toasted sesame seeds, if desired.
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