Snapper bites. You can use any firm, white fish here. Here's what's trending on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook: - Chanterelle mushrooms are in full force across the country (except the West), and where I featured my chanterelle soup last Wild Bites, give my chanterelle risotto a try with your next batch. You won't be sad.
- In the South, clam cakes - a sort of beignet - are in season now, and are easy to make, even with canned clams... although they're so much better with fresh!
- In the South, everyone's catching snapper. My favorite red snapper recipe?
Snapper bites. Chunks of fried snapper rolled in crushed Saltines. Old School. Works with any lean white fish, like walleye or Pacific rockfish.
- Crab rolls are a hot ticket these days. My recipe is inspired by the crab rolls in Baltimore, and
they are a cheaper option than a lobster roll, and every bit as good, if not better. Live inland? Use crawfish.
- In the far north, like Canada, Alaska and in the high elevation areas of the West, it's time to make fireweed tea. This is a super cool,
fermented tea with one of the most common "weeds" of the north.
- Got okra? If you do, you likely have more than you know what to do with. Make some spicy pickled okra and enjoy these all year. Oh, and there's no slime!
Moving up the list: My guide to edible weeds likely to live in your yard right now. While some are cool-weather specialties, there are a host of tasty, summertime "volunteers" you can enjoy even in the heat.
Love these or any of my recipes? Please rate them while you're there so people searching for recipes know they're worth clicking on! 2. Smart Take: Waste NothingThe beginnings of fish stock. I got a
chance to do my thing up at the Halcyon Hot Springs Resort in British Columbia earlier this month, and it was a blast! One of the things we did was fish, and we managed to catch a mess of kokanee, as well as a couple nice-sized burbot. The goal of Chef Darryl Crumb and I was to highlight the two fish in as many ways as possible for the diners. So we pulled out all the stops, and showed what you can do with just a few
fish -- if you know what to do. We served: - A burbot risotto that was made from my standard recipe for fish
stock, using the burbot carcasses (pictured above).
- I pulled the four cheeks from the burbot after simmering the heads for stock. Served them with sambal, roasted pumpkin seeds, good olive oil and salt. Chef's treat!
- The skinny tail portion of the fillets went into the risotto. The thick "loins" Darryl fried according to his family recipe in Manitoba.
Hint: It requires salt and vinegar potato chips...
- The kokanee fillets were salted and olive oil poached, and then flaked for a salad. We made a vinaigrette with the leftover oil.
- We removed all the
flesh from the kokanee skins, then crisped them up for fish chicharrones.
- Finally, I cured the kokanee skeletons in salt and sugar, rinsed them off, then dusted them in rice flour and fried them crispy, like bacon. They were the star of the
show.
All of these techniques are featured in my latest cookbook Hook, Line, and Supper. If you don't have a copy, you can buy one in the link below! 3. Hot Weather, Cool FoodAguachile is a cool seafood dinner for hot days. God it's hot! I am in Mexico for most of this month (see below), and it's tropical. Literally. But you don't have to be in an exotic place to suffer in this heat. Records are breaking everywhere, so we all need something light and cooling these days. The king of all hot weather dinners is ceviche. A cold fish salad with lots of vegetables,
where the fish is "cooked" by the acidity of citrus. Here's how to make ceviche safely, even with freshwater fish. Closely related is poke, a Hawaiian dish, as well as aguachile, a Mexican innovation where the fish is very raw, but with that same spicy
citrus marinade. The Mexicans have another fantastic, cool dish for summer that uses shredded beef or venison, and that's salpicon. My venison salpicon is from Tamaulipas and
it's fantastic for hot weather. Grilling is your other safe bet. Don't heat up the kitchen, but you can still enjoy a hot meal at sundown. You can browse my gilling recipes
here. My brother and I went to a bullfight in Madrid last month, and it took me a little while to process my thoughts. Short version: Nor a fan. It's my latest essay on To the Bone. If you've never seen a bullfight, I go into it in some detail, sparing you most of the bloodiest bits, but I really wanted to give outsiders a view into this ancient practice. I also weigh
bullfighting vs. hunting, and there are only scant similarities. I hope you find the piece valuable. If you like what you read, I'd be grateful if you would consider subscribing to it. You can start subscribing for free, and upgrade to paid if you want to support my work. Thanks in advance for considering it. Mexico. I've been here now for nearly two weeks, and return home in a few days. I'm in Todos Santos, in Baja Sur, about an hour north of Cabos San Lucas. Unlike Cabo, this place is sleepy, artsy and slightly more Mexican: Where the city of La Paz is a Mexican city, and Cabo San Lucas is basically the US, Todos Santos is in between. I'm here, well, relaxing. Thus the palms. I'm solo, at an Airbnb and have been mostly slow-motion exploring Baja Sur, fishing, cooking at home, and walking a lot on the beach. I'm trying to get my head in gear for the second half of this year, which will be intense. First up is my need to buy a house. The last two cities standing are
Salt Lake and St. Paul, MN. Each has advantages, and disadvantages. But I need to find a home base soon. I really do, so I can start this next chapter in my life. After, hopefully, finding a place, I need to be in Juneau, Alaska for a few weeks to fish salmon commercially aboard the F/V Heather
Anne, with my friend Tyson Fick, who owns the boat. That will be grueling, as it always is, but it's honest, hard work. Then come a teal and dove culinary hunt in Oklahoma in mid-September, where I will team up once again with my fellow chefs Rachel Rinas and Josh Valentine. Should be hot but fun! And then comes Pineridge
Grouse Camp in Minnesota, where Rachel and I will be the camp cooks for five weeks. Three meals a day, seven days a week. Definitely real work. So don't hate me for being in the tropics. I'm working on Big Things, and, well, with the bugs, heat and humidity, it ain't exactly what you think... unless you've been to Baja in
summer. ~ Hank Comments?Let us know what you think about Wild Bites by using our anonymous comment form - we love to hear from you, and we read every single comment. If you have a question, fire away and be sure to share your email address so we can respond. |
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