Oven Baked fish Story [story 2] by Esther

[Editor's note: This story was written by Aunt Esther]

Some times, Vernon would go fishing and come home with a big fish that was too large to filet and fry. Then I would bake it and serve it with rice. A garden salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce would be just the thing to make the meal perfect.

A four to eight pound bass would be what we needed to have. Vernon would remove the fins and cut off the ribs which had all the tiny bones. I would rub salt and pepper and other seasoning on the out side and inside of the fish. Then add chopped onions, celery, bell peppers and add some hot peppers under and over the fish in a roasting pan. Add one can of Rotel, which is tomatoes and hot peppers, and one can of tomatoes sauce over everything. Add any other seasoning you might like. Cover with the lid and bake at 350 degree oven till fish is done. When done the fish should flake apart easy. Do not over cook, or the meat will be too dry.

It was good to have friends over to enjoy eating with us. There would be lots of fish left over for any one who wanted to take some home with them.

I never did much fishing after we moved to Baton Rouge. In California, we went to the ocean and surf fished as often as we could. Some times we spent the weekend at the beach. Taffy was one to keep us laughing, as she would run as fast as her little feet could take her to catch the crabs, as they would scoot to get back to the water when the roller waves had brought them onto the beach. She was never fast enough to catch them.

I remember another time that we went to Half Moon Bay and rented a boat and motor to go out about a mile out to fish for Flounders. We had our surf rods and reels and the line had multiple fish hooks and it was so nice to reel in several fish at a time. We spent the whole day out and I know we gave away quite a few fish. There was no way we could keep that many.

I did not do much fishing when we came to Baton Rouge. It was OK to keep an eye on one child but when there were two, I knew I would stay home and let the children play so I would not worry if they fell in the water or if Taffy would actually catch a crab! That did not change until we moved to The Lake.

When Vernon retired, we moved to the town of Many at Toledo Bend Lake. Vernon found the place and we bought several acres and it was a lovely place to live. I fell in love with the lovely Dog Wood Trees among the pine forest, and we were at the end of the road. It did not take long to find the mobile home we thought we could make do with. It was as good as any camp any where. And it was home to us for the seventeen good years we lived there.

Vernon had his rig set up for comfort and it was so nice to sit in the back seat and cast if I wanted to or to read or just day dream. Going out in the early morning and seeing the sun rise was one pleasure I loved. The sun was so brilliant. Like satin and shinning so brightly, it really made me want to be there the next morning to see it all over again. It became my world just to see it. And each time I saw it was a gift.

I learn to cast and reel in and it was nice to be able to reel in a fish. There were times when we caught fish and then there were times we did not get a single one. But it was still nice to get out and say “hi” to other people on the lake that like us, loved to fish. Vernon spent good times with my brothers, and my Dad, and the other kin folk who came and went with him out on the lake. He loved to send them home with loads of fish so they could have their own fish fry. Even Mom went out on the lake to fish with Vernon and she caught her share of fish.

Those were great days and I have some great memories that are pleasant to think back to. I do want to say how good it is I still have a sister, Marion Elizabeth and we chat every week day if we can. That is one good habit I don’t want to lose. Together we keep working on our beading and she has her needle point to work on and I have my counted cross stitch and she has her knitting and I have my embroidery quilt blocks to sew. And now she is learning to read Latin!

Marion Elizabeth has Dad’s genes. He was always into books learning new crafts and he was learning Spanish when he first moved to Orange, Texas. Between him and Mom, they both learned to make a weaving loom and then to weave a lovely rug on it. Then Mom got him to build her a spinning wheel so she could spin her own thread. I remember that, as Vernon got the oak lumber for him to use, and helped him to build it.