Tartar Sauce made lite!! ((and a fishing story))
Seems like Memorial Day and fish fry’s are our tradition. Striper is what we have most of – but I am hearing whispers of Crappie being part of this year’s fry day! Yum, Crappie is my all time favorite — more because of a memory, but the taste is still so amazing.
When I was 13 or so, dad, Mike and I went fishing one afternoon ((near my Grandma & Grandpa’s house)) at Sardis Lake. We had never done it before and never did it again, but for some reason, we all got a wild hair to fish. We drove to the lake in Mike’s ’57 Chevy, parked & found the perfect cove. Dad got us all set up with the essentials: cane polls, hooks & Oreos. We had not so much as gotten set up when it started to sprinkle. Dad put three lines on each cane poll, we propped them up and watched for a bite.
As fast as the rain drops were falling, the fish were biting, it was the craziest thing I have EVER seen. I kid you not, each hook had TWO fish on it – six fish per poll!! We could not pull them in fast enough. I think the fish were sensing imminent danger and wanted out of the lake. Before we knew it, the rain was coming down in sheets. Then sky lit up & BOOM the thunder clapped…we were in the midst of a storm, not just any storm, a Tornado Warning. ((but we had no clue))
We debated for several minutes – stay or go…stay or go?? We hated to do it, but we cut bait, loaded up & headed back to Grandma & Grandpa’s house. Now is the point where we realize the ’57 Chevy’s vacuum windshield wiper system CANNOT deal with buckets of rain…and don’t even get me started on the defrost ‘system’. If the storm itself didn’t kill us, the car ride in the storm would surely be our last.
Somehow, we made it home – to a house full of worried & border-line mad people. You see, this was pre-cell phone days…they had no way of telling us how severe the weather was & didn’t even know exactly where we were. From what I remember it seems like my mom and Grandma had been out trying to find us, worried we had been stranded in the storm (like that was a good idea).
The mess of Crappie calmed everyone down a little. Oh, and the Oreos? We never even had time to open the package, now you know we had to have been busy if I didn’t even have time to eat an Oreo!! – it was indeed a fishing trip of lifetime.
So, in honor of all the fishing story’s past, present & future – I would like to share with you a lightened up version of a MUST at every fish fry: Tartar Sauce. Replacing the mayo with buttermilk is a great way to cut the fat but keep the creaminess we all love! Hey – if your tartar sauce is lightened up, does that mean you can eat an extra Oreo??
- 1 c buttermilk
- 2 scant T of lite Hellmann's Mayo
- 3 T chopped fresh parsley
- 2 T chopped fresh chives
- 3 T chopped fresh dill
- 2 T sweet pickle relish
- 1 dill pickle spear finely chopped (I prefer Claussen's)
- 1 T pickle juice
- 2 shakes of Lawry's seasoned salt
- 1/2 t steak seasoning (I use McCormick's Montreal Steak seasoning)
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve. So easy, but so good!