Pokepole

Braised Eel With Tagliarini, Anchovies & Capers
The delightful flavor of the eel, or a substitute such as a rockfish, stands up handsomely to
 the anchovies, garlic and capers in this sauce.
This recipe includes two of Angelo Garro's foraging delicacies: eel and wild fennel.
He makes his own farro pasta, but store-bought will do just fine.

 2 pounds fresh monkeyface pricklebacks or rockfish.
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil.
4 garlic cloves, minced, or 6 stalks green garlic, finely chopped (mostly the white part).
8 anchovy fillets.
1 pound tagliarini or fettuccini.
5 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained.
1/2 cup chopped wild fennel fronds, or the feathery leaves of domestic fennel, finely chopped.
1 1/2 cups chopped Italian parsley.
1/2 cup dry white wine.
3/4 cup tomato sauce, preferably homemade.
Excellent quality extra virgin olive oil for drizzling.

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
If using monkeyface prickleback, cut it into bite-size pieces and pound with a mallet to tenderize slightly.
If using rockfish, cut it into bite-size pieces, removing and discarding any small bones.
Season with salt and pepper.
Warm the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.
Add the garlic and sauté just until fragrant.
Add the anchovies, pressing them down with the tines of a fork or the back of a wooden spoon.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to directions on the box, about 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the fish to the skillet and brown lightly, stirring continuously for about 2 minutes.
Add the capers, fennel fronds and 1 cup of the chopped parsley; combine gently.
Splash in the white wine and stir, then add tomato sauce, stirring well to coat the fish.
Remove from the heat as you drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
Place the skillet over medium heat and fold in the drained pasta,
adding enough pasta water to make for a juicy but not watery consistency.
Pour the pasta into a large warm bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper,
 and scatter the remaining chopped parsley over the top.
Bring a bottle of olive oil to the table to drizzle over the top.

Serves 4 to 6
Per Serving:
650 calories, 42 g protein, 64 g carbohydrate, 23 g fat (4 g saturated),
57 mg cholesterol, 956 mg sodium, 5 g fiber.

Looks yummy.

MolBasser

I love poke-poling at Moss Landing Jetty at any low tide.  Usually get a lot of eels and smaller rockfish but once I got a pretty decent (but not quite legal) cab.  Have you seen the How To Poke Pole a Monkey Faced Eel video?  It's pretty cool. 

http://www.wholphindvd.com/issues/issue_2.html#

can't seem to open the video, what software do i need for this?

Allen, (the white dude from SC - not Allen the brown dude from Seattle )

I have a couple of extra bamboo poke poles - I'd like to give you one as a "X'mass gift". I also have one for you Mol 

Gee thanks Mooch.  What?  No pokepole for the polepole for xmas?   

-Allen

saw a guy pull a 25" Ling out of the surf/rocks a couple months ago in cambria polepoking.  guy said is it was the first one ever.

pj

Allen, (the white dude from SC - not Allen the brown dude from Seattle )

I have a couple of extra bamboo poke poles - I'd like to give you one as a "X'mass gift". I also have one for you Mol 

Gee thanks Mooch.  What?  No pokepole for the polepole for xmas?   

-Allen

I'm sure I have an extra one - and if you really want one, I can give it to you. I made a lot of these cause I volunteered to take some of my ex-roomates (a teacher) kids for an after school activity in HMB a few years back - but the idea was shot down because a parent was concerned about the "safety issues" - must have been a PETA parent 

My brother and I spent many hours of our youth on the south side of Linda Mar at low tides poke polling with broomsticks with and eye screwed into the end, short piece of wire and a hook and a pocket full of squid.  That is a great place to poke pole.  Brings back a lot of memories.

I used to poke pole with my dad down just south of Cambria, anywhere along the rocky slabs using a 3' wire and a snelled hook. We caught lots of eels but always released them. I once caught a 4lb grass rockfish (ate that one) in that area and gloated about it for a week (hey, I was only 12). I used to catch rock crabs the same way. I was always amazed at the stuff we found in tidepools. It's good fun!

I prefer to use a longer pole/cane, like this one in the picture. You can reach out to better holes...and it can work great as a walking stick on those slippery rocks!

Careful out there guys! Swell will be gnarly-big this wknd.
PK

That video was too funny! 

 Yakker Great video had me laughing especially with the accordion music.
Allen let me know your next go out looks fun.