Uploaded August 2019 | Updated September 2026, 16 hours ago
I stumbled into a Spanish restaurant once. There I got cod croquetas. I was blown away. I’ve got to try making them. So I got all the ingredients, except one, the fish. So let’s go fishing! Click on *SHOW MORE* for info on the tackle, lake, recipes and much more.
- - - - GENERAL INFO OF INTEREST - - - - -
THE BOAT: Bass Hunter EX, purchased 2018. It can be ordered here: basshunter.com/bass-hunter-ex.html.
THE MOTOR: Minn Kota Endura C2-55 Trolling Motor (36" Shaft), 55 LBS of thrust. It runs on a 12v, deep cycle battery. Purchased on amazon, 2018.
THE LURE: 1¼ inch body of a Beetle Spin lure on a 1/32 oz. lead jig head.
THE SPINNING REEL: Garcia REVO2SX10, 2018.
THE SPINNING ROD: Daiwa SMD401ULFS Spinmatic-D SpinRod (4- Feet, Ultra Light, 1 Piece, 1-4 LB test).
THE SPINNING REEL LINE is SpiderWire, Ultracast, Invisi-Braid in 10 LB test, 2 LB mono equivalent.
LEARN HOW TO FILLET A FISH HERE: youtu.be/KgiGqlrB0LM.
THE LAKE is called Lake Ketchabigwon. It is almost 6 acres and is located in NE Ohio. It sits on 37 acres of property. The lake is private. We purchased it in 1987. It has a maximum depth of 12’. The small pond uphill from it is ¾ acre with a maximum depth of 12’.
FISH IN THE LAKE: largemouth bass, bluegill, white crappie, black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and grass carp
WHY KEEP SMALL BASS AND RETURN LARGER BASS: We had biologists perform an electroshock survey of the lake. They found too many small, stunted bass. There is only so much food to go around, and there are too many mouths to feed. Their advice was to remove all bass under 12”, and to release the bigger ones. This rule is usually the opposite in large public lakes. Here is a well-known biologist explaining the need to cull small bass from ponds (21:00) youtu.be/toWlvfg-6mQ.
WHERE TO GET A CAP LIKE MINE: You can get a “Juanelo Bait & Tackle” cap here, inkpixi.com/by-clothing-type/baseball-hats. In fact, you could put your own name on it!
VIDEOGRAPHY:
The principal camera is my iPhone X on a tripod. I also use an iPhone 6s Plus as a close-up, counter-top camera when cooking. It is mounted on a small tripod. I use a Rhode mic indoors to help lessen the echo. The video is edited on a 15”, 2019 MacBook Pro, using Final Cut Pro X.
BACKGROUND MUSIC is called “Puerto Rico Me Llama,” from YouTube’s Audio Library.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - RECIPES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SPANISH CUCUMBER SALAD
Recipe from: thespruceeats.com/spanish-cucumber-salad-recipe-3083552
INGREDIENTS:
2 cucumbers
½ medium red onion
3 small tomatoes
3 TBS red-wine vinegar
7 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
¾ tsp of salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Peel cucumbers. Slice in rounds about ⅛” wide or less if possible.Peel and cut onion in half, pole to pole. Thinly slice one of the halves.
Cut tomatoes into eight pieces each or fewer.Place all ingredients into a serving bowl. Sprinkle salt over the top.Pour 3 TBS vinegar over vegetables and 7 TBS of olive oil.Toss salad and taste.Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
FISH CROQUETTES (“Croquetas”)
Recipe inspired by this: spainbuddy.com/fish-croquettes
INGREDIENTS:
16 oz. (2 cups) of any fish
salt and pepper
1 cup of very thick white sauce (recipe below)
1 tsp of oregano
⅛ tsp of nutmeg
3 eggs for coating – lightly whisked
1½ cups of low-carb breadcrumbs for coating
Vegetable oil for frying
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Layout fish. Salt and pepper them, and cook them for 16 min. Let them cool. Flake them finely, then mix them well with the white sauce, oregano, and nutmeg, until it reaches a thick and creamy consistency.
Put mixture in the freezer for 15 to 20 mins., or in fridge overnight, to firm mixture up.
Roll into 1” balls, or barrel shapes 1” across.
Dip into the egg, drain, and then the breadcrumbs. Gently pat on crumbs.
Fry in ½ to 1” hot oil, 350°, turning regularly, until they are nicely browned.
Transfer to a cooling rack and keep them warm in the oven.
Serve with wedges of lemon and a dipping sauce of your choice.
THICK WHITE SAUCE FOR CROQUETTES
Recipe inspired by this: stepawayfromthecarbs.com/low-carb-white-sauce
INGREDIENTS:
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup water
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon of guar gum
salt & pepper to taste (I didn’t use/need any as the fish had enough)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add the cream cheese, cream and water to a saucepan and cook over a low heat until the cream cheese has melted.
Temper the egg yolk by adding a little of the cream sauce to it, mixing well, then adding the yolk back into the cream mixture.
Stir constantly over a low heat for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Add the guar gum and continue stirring.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
I stumbled into a Spanish restaurant once. There I got cod croquetas. I was blown away. I’ve got to try making them. So I got all the ingredients, except one, the fish. So let’s go fishing! Click on *SHOW MORE* for info on the tackle, lake, recipes and much more.
- - - - GENERAL INFO OF INTEREST - - - - -
THE BOAT: Bass Hunter EX, purchased 2018. It can be ordered here: basshunter.com/bass-hunter-ex.html.
THE MOTOR: Minn Kota Endura C2-55 Trolling Motor (36" Shaft), 55 LBS of thrust. It runs on a 12v, deep cycle battery. Purchased on amazon, 2018.
THE LURE: 1¼ inch body of a Beetle Spin lure on a 1/32 oz. lead jig head.
THE SPINNING REEL: Garcia REVO2SX10, 2018.
THE SPINNING ROD: Daiwa SMD401ULFS Spinmatic-D SpinRod (4- Feet, Ultra Light, 1 Piece, 1-4 LB test).
THE SPINNING REEL LINE is SpiderWire, Ultracast, Invisi-Braid in 10 LB test, 2 LB mono equivalent.
LEARN HOW TO FILLET A FISH HERE: youtu.be/KgiGqlrB0LM.
THE LAKE is called Lake Ketchabigwon. It is almost 6 acres and is located in NE Ohio. It sits on 37 acres of property. The lake is private. We purchased it in 1987. It has a maximum depth of 12’. The small pond uphill from it is ¾ acre with a maximum depth of 12’.
FISH IN THE LAKE: largemouth bass, bluegill, white crappie, black crappie, yellow perch, channel catfish, and grass carp
WHY KEEP SMALL BASS AND RETURN LARGER BASS: We had biologists perform an electroshock survey of the lake. They found too many small, stunted bass. There is only so much food to go around, and there are too many mouths to feed. Their advice was to remove all bass under 12”, and to release the bigger ones. This rule is usually the opposite in large public lakes. Here is a well-known biologist explaining the need to cull small bass from ponds (21:00) youtu.be/toWlvfg-6mQ.
WHERE TO GET A CAP LIKE MINE: You can get a “Juanelo Bait & Tackle” cap here, inkpixi.com/by-clothing-type/baseball-hats. In fact, you could put your own name on it!
VIDEOGRAPHY:
The principal camera is my iPhone X on a tripod. I also use an iPhone 6s Plus as a close-up, counter-top camera when cooking. It is mounted on a small tripod. I use a Rhode mic indoors to help lessen the echo. The video is edited on a 15”, 2019 MacBook Pro, using Final Cut Pro X.
BACKGROUND MUSIC is called “Puerto Rico Me Llama,” from YouTube’s Audio Library.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - RECIPES - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SPANISH CUCUMBER SALAD
Recipe from: thespruceeats.com/spanish-cucumber-salad-recipe-3083552
INGREDIENTS:
2 cucumbers
½ medium red onion
3 small tomatoes
3 TBS red-wine vinegar
7 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
¾ tsp of salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Peel cucumbers. Slice in rounds about ⅛” wide or less if possible.Peel and cut onion in half, pole to pole. Thinly slice one of the halves.
Cut tomatoes into eight pieces each or fewer.Place all ingredients into a serving bowl. Sprinkle salt over the top.Pour 3 TBS vinegar over vegetables and 7 TBS of olive oil.Toss salad and taste.Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
FISH CROQUETTES (“Croquetas”)
Recipe inspired by this: spainbuddy.com/fish-croquettes
INGREDIENTS:
16 oz. (2 cups) of any fish
salt and pepper
1 cup of very thick white sauce (recipe below)
1 tsp of oregano
⅛ tsp of nutmeg
3 eggs for coating – lightly whisked
1½ cups of low-carb breadcrumbs for coating
Vegetable oil for frying
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Layout fish. Salt and pepper them, and cook them for 16 min. Let them cool. Flake them finely, then mix them well with the white sauce, oregano, and nutmeg, until it reaches a thick and creamy consistency.
Put mixture in the freezer for 15 to 20 mins., or in fridge overnight, to firm mixture up.
Roll into 1” balls, or barrel shapes 1” across.
Dip into the egg, drain, and then the breadcrumbs. Gently pat on crumbs.
Fry in ½ to 1” hot oil, 350°, turning regularly, until they are nicely browned.
Transfer to a cooling rack and keep them warm in the oven.
Serve with wedges of lemon and a dipping sauce of your choice.
THICK WHITE SAUCE FOR CROQUETTES
Recipe inspired by this: stepawayfromthecarbs.com/low-carb-white-sauce
INGREDIENTS:
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup water
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon of guar gum
salt & pepper to taste (I didn’t use/need any as the fish had enough)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add the cream cheese, cream and water to a saucepan and cook over a low heat until the cream cheese has melted.
Temper the egg yolk by adding a little of the cream sauce to it, mixing well, then adding the yolk back into the cream mixture.
Stir constantly over a low heat for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Add the guar gum and continue stirring.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
