Beat The Butcher At The Beach Part II

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Another fish that can keep your bobber dancin' if you live along the eastern seaboard between North Carolina and Labrador is the pollack (Pollachlus Arens). This member of the cod family often grows over two feet long and Isn't at all shy about latchin' onto a foraged bait. Local fisherfolk frequently look down on this plentiful fish because of its many tiny bones. I've found, though, that a fillet taken from the cod's meaty back-above the bony rib cage-is both sticker-free and wonderfully tasty.

Tie half a dozen of these fillets in a piece of cheesecloth, lay the package in the bottom of a sizable kettle, and add two quarts of water, one tablespoon of salt, and the juice of one lemon. Bring the water to a quick boll, simmer for five minutes, then remove and unwrap the pollack and serve the fillets hot with a dill or anise sauce. This fIsh--which doesn't taste "fishy"-Is also excellent fried, baked, or broiled ... especially when seasoned first for an hour in a marinade made of one large finely diced or ground onion, two tablespoons of salt, two tablespoons of vinegar, and one teaspoon of mace. Rinse the fillets In cold water after their soak and then fry, bake, or broil them.

There are, of course, literally hundreds of other species of saltwater fish that you can harvest alongshore with a pole and line. Most are both edible and delicious when cooked slowly until their meat just flakes .. . despite the fact that some are a little offbeat. (Don't, for Instance, overlook sharks, which have a taste and texture much like cod and are frequently sold in the market as "grayfish". Or rays: When you cut the wings of a common skate (Raja erlnacea) off close to the body, slice them into strips parallel to their "airfoil", peel off the skin, pop out the cartilage In the middle, cube the remaining meat, dip It In beaten eggs and bread or cornmeal crumbs, and deep fry It ... you'll think you're eating scallops!)

CLAWS ENCOUNTERS (OF THE BEST KIND)

The heads (if you're too proud to consume 'em . . . lots of people aren't) of the fish you catch have their use too: as crab bait (few of the little crustaceans can resist a fresh fish head, chicken neck, or chunk of salt pork). Tie your offering to a line, add a sinker, and toss the rig-crude as It may appear to be-into the muddy water along shorelines, estuaries, and tidal streams where crabs are known to lurk. Then, when you think you have a "bite", just pull the line in-very, very slowly and easily-and slip a dip net under the crabs that ride the "free lunch" all the way to the surface.

That's the way Individuals, couples, and whole families go after the luscious blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) up and down the East Coast . . . and they sometimes come home with baskets full of the tasty crustaceans.

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