Capt. Charlie's 7 Minute Gourmet Grouperghetti Sauce 

Last night I was ready for the old stand-by - fried grouper. The fishing has been great, the grouper plentiful, and I have been trying to eat my favorite meal three times a day. When suddenly I noticed that there was no more peanut oil in the cupboard! My heart sank, my stomach growled, I didn't feel like going to the grocery store, and the week had simply been too long. So what to do? I wanted fish, and I wanted it quick and easy. The grill was even too much trouble. Oh no, the only thing in the fridge was.....leftover spaghetti sauce from last week. It was good sauce, with lots of ground chuck, sausage, onions, and mushrooms, but there was no pasta. Besides, I didn't really feel like waiting for water to boil.

OK, this is it - crunch time..........(Read this next part real fast so you can get a feel for my state of mind) Skillet on the stove, a little olive oil, a grouper fillet, salt, pepper, and lemon, sauté for three or four minutes, pour left-over spaghetti sauce around it in the pan, cover and simmer for three more minutes until the fillet flakes with a fork. Use the same fork that you checked it with and eat it right out of the skillet. No dishes to wash (leave the pan soaking in the sink until tomorrow). It was absolutely delicious, filling, quick, and easy.

Maybe in the future I will experiment with other left-over fish surprises. Just think of it - macaroni and cheese with fresh grunt. Chicken pot pie over sea bass fillet, black beans and rice with a topping of broiled sheepshead, meatloaf with snapper puree. Well maybe the snapper puree is carrying it a little too far, but you get my drift. Make it easy and quick, and as long as there is fresh caught fish in it, it will have to be good.

Good fishing, tight lines and happy eating,
Capt. Charlie

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