Do you know an Angler? You know, a fisherman or woman (I’m not sexist). If you do, don’t be shy. Make sure they know you will take any and all extra fish they catch. Free is free and fresh is fresh. Free, fresh, fish. That’s what I’m talkin’ bout!!!

By the way, this recipe would work with pretty much any fish you could catch. Roasted tomatillo is simple, tasty and very inexpensive. Not only great on fish, but on chicken and pork too! Try it.

Broiled Alaskan Halibut:

2 Alaskan Filets – FREE – Thanks to my Father in Law (he’s a really GOOD fisherman!)
1 lemon – $.25
1 Tbsp Olive Oil – pantry
Salt and Pepper (to taste) – pantry

Preheat oven to broil, high (475 degrees). Oil, salt and pepper both sides of halibut, place on baking sheet and broil 4 inches below heating element. Broil for 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness or until fish flakes easily. Serve with lemon and tomatillo sauce.

Roasted Tomatillo Sauce:

1 -1 1/4 lb fresh tomatillos (approx. 6-7) – $1.11
2-3 fresh serrano chiles, diced – $.15
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled – $.15
1 yellow onion, cut into 4 chunks – $.20
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped (optional) – $.15
1 1/2 to 2 tsp salt – pantry

Preheat oven broiler.

Remove husks from tomatillos and rinse under warm water to remove stickiness. With a little canola or olive oil on your hands, rub/coat tomatillos, chiles, onion and garlic. Place on cookie sheet and broil. Be careful to turn tomatillos and chiles when charring occurs, once or twice. Cook until tomatillos are softened and slightly charred, about 5-7 mins.

Let cool, peel of stem off the chiles, toss all the roasted ingredients in the food process or blender. Now add cilantro and a little water, if necessary, just to facilitate blending. Hit puree until you reach desired consistency. Season with salt to taste and enjoy. You can serve warm or cold. Make a day in advance and the flavor will be even better.

COST: $2.01

Perfect Corn on the Cob:

1. Fill your pot with water
2. Add 1/4 cup of sugar, more if you are doing more than 4-5 qts of water.
3. Place in cleaned, fresh corn.
4. Bring water and corn to a boil.
5. Boil for 5 minutes (4 ears/cobs or less) / 8 minutes (5-10 ears/cobs).
6. Remove from heat as soon as 5 mins are up.  If not eating immediately, remove from water and let cool or corn will get overcooked.
7. That’s it! Just butter, salt and enjoy!

COST: $.25 each (4 for $1, on sale)

GRAND TOTAL: $3.01 (I know, I know. I didn’t pay for the fish, so this recipe doesn’t qualify for a $10 buck meal, does it? Well, sure it does! Shoot, even I can catch a trout. In fact, I did once, with a pole from Walmart and my, then 6 year old, sidekick holding the pole. If you’re so inclined, head on out to your closest lake, river or ocean and catch your own fish. Have some fun and feed your family for free! Like I said, ain’t nothing better than fresh, free, fish!)