Red’s Redfish

Jessica Early: Destin, FL

My father-in-law, Dexter, grew up on Boggy Bayou, shrimping and fishing the Choctawhatchee Bay and surrounding waters. When he was shrimping, he was either holding the wheel, working the deck, catching a nap, or grabbing a bite to eat. Out of necessity, he learned to put together a meal that didn't take too much time to prepare. This is how Red's Redfish was created. Dexter is now enjoying his retirement life by being an inshore charter captain and sharing this recipe with his clients.

Ingredients:

2 to 4 pounds of potatoes (based on number of servings)
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves
1 to 2 pounds of fish filets (*see note below)
1 1/4 stick of butter or more, plus extra for greasing dish
1 large lemon
Salt and pepper
Creole seasoning (we use Tony Chachere's)

*Please note that redfish is the preferred fish for this recipe; however, any white flakey fish can be substituted, such as snapper, grouper, trout, tripletail, sheepshead, or black drum.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease pan or baking dish with butter, set aside.
Wash potatoes and leave peel on. Then, slice into 1/4-inch slices and set aside.
Slice onion, crush the garlic cloves, and slice the lemon into 6 to 8 slices. Set all ingredients aside.
Melt 1 1/4 stick of butter (or more depending on number of potatoes).
Begin to layer potato slices on bottom of greased baking dish. Sprinkle the layer of potatoes with salt, pepper, and creole seasoning. Then add enough of the onion slices, crushed garlic, and melted butter to cover the first layer.
Repeat step 6 for each layer you place. Save enough onion, garlic, salt, pepper, creole seasoning, and butter for next step, though.
After the last layer, place the fish filets on top, and try to completely cover potatoes. Top the fish with the rest of the onion slices, garlic, seasonings, and lemon slices.
Cover dish tightly with foil and bake for about an hour and a half. The more potatoes you use, the longer it may take. Cook until potatoes are done.
Once the potatoes are done, remove the foil and place dish under broiler for 8 to 10 minutes to brown the fish. Serve & enjoy!