Last Updated on April 21, 2025
How to cook Corvina so that it is flaky and delicious. It’s a great-tasting fish.
Corvina or Saltwater Drum has 200 varieties, caught in the Atlantic Ocean. This is prime time in Florida (summer) for fresh Corvina. It’s a fish that grows to 30 pounds and lives on the bottom. Caught by trawling and sometimes by line. It is a fish whose flesh is pink and flaky but cooks to a nice white filet. It is very similar to grouper or snapper but costs much less. Wild-caught, fresh, never frozen from Nature’s Food Patch in Clearwater, Florida for $10 a pound.
Mary Jo bought a nice 14-ounce filet for the two of us this evening. It was a single, large section of fish, about one inch thick.
I decided to do a very simple spice on the fish and have it with potatoes and canned corn. Yes, canned. We live on a boat and have certain limitations on our food.
I lightly coated the fish on the first side with olive oil. Then salted, peppered with fresh ground black pepper, generously coated with garlic powder, then lightly sprinkled smokey paprika on it.
Heat a skillet on medium with 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter. Lay the seasoned side of the fish in the hot oil and cook for about 4 minutes. Look at the sides of the filet to see how far the fish is turning opaque.
Opaque means cooked. Pink means not cooked. Oil and season the upper side of the fish as before.
Gently turn once, approximately 50% cooked. Cook for 4 more minutes, then check with an instant-read thermometer. Fish should reach about 138 degrees or so. Once at temperature, I cover the fish with a lid and let it sit for two minutes, and turn off the gas. After two minutes, the fish should be at least 145 degrees. Serve immediately.
We had this with russet potatoes that I peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces. Cooked for 6 minutes after boiling. Don’t overcook your potatoes as you will end up with mashed potatoes after mixing in butter and parsley. I added 3 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp chopped parsley.
This was a very nice tasting fish and perfect with the potatoes and corn.
We’ll be having this again.
Here are some more tasty recipes to try:
- Mahi Mahi Fish Piccata
- Wicked Good Fish Tacos
- Smoked Fish Spread
- Pan-fried Honey and Sesame Glazed Salmon
Corvina or Saltwater Drum recipe
Ingredients
- 12 to 14 oz. fresh corvina fillet
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp olive oil for cooking
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Rub the corvina fillet with olive oil, then add salt, pepper, garlic powder and smoked paprika.
- In a skillet on medium heat add the olive oil and butter and bring the temperature to about 350° then add the fish fillet.
- Cook the first side of the fish until it is nearly opaque half the thickness, about 4 minutes.
- Turn and cook until the whole thickness of the fish is opaque and the internal temperature is around 136° to 138°, about 4 more minutes. Turn off the heat and cover for 2 minutes. The internal temperature should now be at least 145°.
- Serve right away.
Notes
- Calories are estimated for a 7-ounce fillet cooked in olive oil.
Nutrition
Joe
When you can find corvina…buy some. It is really tasty.