Captain’s Corner: Dave Zalewski

The Tampa Bay Times

Dave Zalewski 460-9893S

panish mackerel fishing both along the beaches and on the artificial reefs has been disappointing recently with catches being not in the numbers expected nor in the size of the fish normally encountered at this time of year. It is easy to cast blame on the recent Red Tide outbreak, but this does not seem to be the case. In past years when the bloom occurs, the pelagic fish seek water that is free of the toxic organism and can be found on all of the near shore and mid-water artificial reefs. At this time this is not true and we are targeting bonita, which provide light tackle, drag screaming activity and kingfish which are still around, although not in the large numbers of a couple of months ago.
Many anglers consider bonita to be a trash fish only worthy of being used for shark or red grouper bait. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure is an old saying and can be applied to bonita. We practice catch, photo and release unless a member of the party chooses to harvest one.

Bonita must be handled similar to a blackfin tuna. Upon catching we immediately cut it across the gills and place it in a bucket of saltwater allowing it to bleed out. The next step is to encase it in ice in the fish box until we return to port for the cleaning and packaging.. When filleted it appears to be a bloody mess, but upon examination you will see lighter colored areas both at the top and bottom of the filet. These are the parts that we utilize by taking a thin bladed filet knife, placing it where the dark meat meets the light and turning the knife to remove the loin and skin.
My wife Marti is a great cook and now soaks the loins overnight in buttermilk. The next day she rolls the pieces in a mixture of fresh cracked peppercorns and sea salt and places them in a skillet sprayed with non stick oil. About one minute per side is all that is needed for a dish that rivals any pan seared tuna.

I was skeptical until we tried it Now it is used frequently both as an appetizer or main dish.