I am, at my core, a fisherman.
Most of you know me as a hunter, and I am that, but I've been fishing for 25 years longer than I've been hunting. Let that sink in for a second.
That's what is going to make my fish and seafood cookbook, which I've started writing, so exciting... and so challenging to write.
I need to keep the book at a manageable size, about 350 pages, all the while making it as useful for those of you in Alaska as it would be for someone in Alabama, Maine, Alberta or Iowa.
I am still working on a title for it, and am on the fence about whether to do another "triplet" title, like my last books, Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail or Buck, Buck, Moose.
What say you? And if you have a good idea for a title, let me know.
I've started, ahem, "researching" the book, fishing in as many places as I can, testing lots of new recipes, and talking to other fish and seafood experts.
Speaking of experts, many of you reading this are very good at prepping or cooking fish and seafood. I want to hear from you if you have any special tips, tricks or techniques to share -- not so much for catching, but for once you've landed the fish. Hit me up at scrbblr@hotmail.com.
Not sure when the book may come out, but I am hoping for either mid-2020 or early 2021.
There's a lot to get in there, and I want this book to be more useful and more comprehensive than any other fish cookbook ever written. Tall order, but if I put my head down I may just be able to pull it off...
I am teaming up once again with Coastal Wings for three more culinary hunts.
The first is in September. This one will be primarily a teal hunt in Southeast Texas, but there are some cool add-ons I am looking forward to.
The school will take place around the Angleton area, just south of Galveston. You'll arrive on 9/15 , and hunt teal the mornings of 9/16 through 9/19. As always, we'll work on processing and cooking your ducks, with a special emphasis on teal and cooking ducks in hot weather. Cost is $2300/person which includes 4 nights of lodging, 4 morning teal hunts (instead of the usual three), meals, the school and a signed book.
An exciting twist to this school is adding on your own alligator hunt! If you want to hunt gators, let me know and we can work it out. It is an additional cost. Another option is an afternoon of bay fishing, with a guide, for redfish, speckled trout and the like. It is $600 for the boat, which you can divide among up to three people. I am especially looking forward to this one.
There are only 2 spots left.
The second hunt will be in November near Frederick, Oklahoma. We will be focusing on sandhill cranes, which many call the ribeye in the sky. The focus is cranes, but ducks and geese will be around, too.
This hunt will be three days. You'd arrive the afternoon of 11/12 and hunt until that Friday morning, departing around midday 11/15.
Cost for the crane school is $2300, and that includes all meals - dinners cooked by me - 3 days of hunting, lodging, game processing, cooking classes and a signed copy of one of my books.
There are 8 spots left for this hunt.
Finally, we are in the planning stages for a snow goose hunt in Arkansas from February 8-11. This is the conservation season, so no limits and you won't need a plug in your shotgun for this hunt. It'll be a 3-day hunt like the crane hunt, and will be about the same price. Email me if you want in on this hunt.
Want in? Email me at scrbblr@hotmail.com
I have a favor to ask.
My request: Hunter Angler Gardener Cook lives and dies by the Almighty Google. One of the things that can help me out a lot is to post a review of a recipe you have made on the site; you do that in the
comments section. Be honest, and tell me how you liked the recipe -- and only review a recipe if you have actually made it.
Thanks in advance for doing this, it really helps me out!
May is a busy month.
Yellowtail are biting in Southern California, halibut in NorCal, salmon in the Pacific Northwest, trout in the Rockies, catfish in the South, and fluke and bluefish are starting to show up in the Northeast. In Canada, it's ice out, which is the best time to get after fish that had been trapped beneath the ice; they're extra hungry then.
For the most part, however, hunting is over until late summer.
May begins the Fruit Parade. Dewberries in Texas and the South, strawberries, loquats, mulberries, even elderberries in the warmest places. We can expect some sort of fruit to come ripe every month until November from here on in.
Colder places can expect asparagus, wild onions, other wild greens, and lots of elderflowers.
Once we hit late May, we get into grilling season. Here are some early grilling ideas for you:
Some good May projects for ya:
- Preserve some artichokes. They are at their best this month.
- Pickle ramp bulbs. I wait until late in the season to do this, when the bulbs are larger. Remember to do this only on your own land -- ramps have been overharvested in many public areas.
- Dry your morels. Simply slice them in half and either dehydrate at about 110F, or let them dry in hot, breezy shade.
- Try your hand at elderflower champagne. It's a fantastic way to capture that aroma and flavor.
- Make some sausage. I have dozens and dozens of recipes for fresh sausages here.
What sort of other May wild foods projects do you work on? Drop me a note at scrbblr@hotmail.com.
Have fun this spring! ~ Hank
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Follow Me on social media
I am on the road a lot, often in wild places in search of fish, game or wild edible plants and mushrooms. If you want to keep up with what I am chasing at the moment -- and this will give you a good, real-time indicator of what's in season where I happen to be -- follow me on Instagram. My handle there is @huntgathercook
Instagram is often the only social media account I update when I am out and about. I am of course also on Twitter as @hank_shaw and Facebook as /huntgathercook as well.
Day in and day out, however, most of my online interaction is on Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, or in a Facebook forum I run called Hunt Gather Cook. It's a closed site, so I have to let you in, but just let me know you are a newsletter subscriber when you answer the entry questions and yer in. Hope to see you there!
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A Midwestern tradition, fried morel mushrooms is a great way to celebrate the season. Simply coated with cracker crumbs or seasoned flour and fried crispy, what's not to love?
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vietnamese crispy fish with cilantro
This is a simple, knockout dish that works with any firm fish; I use California halibut here, but go ahead and use what you have. It's crispy, spicy, salty gingery.
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Many of you already have your copy of Pheasant, Quail, Cottontail. If you haven't, you can buy a signed copy directly from me here, or order it at your local bookstore anywhere in the
US or Canada. 100,000 thank yous for your support!
What's more, every purchase helps habitat: I am donating a portion of the proceeds of every book sold to Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever to restore, maintain and expand habitat for all upland birds.
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