Spring fishing season is calling.
It’s time to liberate your freezers and ice chests.
So out with the old, in with the new.
Clean it out and cook it up.
All the folk who keeps their freezers full of game and fish from the fall-winter seasons ought to take notice of what’s left over from last year’s menu items and list of choices.
There’s probably some fish in there that you’ve already forgotten about, maybe a few trout and muskie left over from previous angling escapades.
What better time is there to enjoy the bounty you’ve collected?
Amateur chefs tend to think wild meals need special preparation. They think some secret is involved.
Not true—except that wild food usually is much less fatty, so it needs to be cooked quickly or treated with marinades so it doesn’t dry out.
So why not whip out the marinades and spices and go to work?
For instance, use your herb garlic and lemon juice marinade for easy, delicious fish dishes and give grouse and quail a rich taste for supper this evening.
Teriyaki with pineapple juice works well on fish, birds and game as does Mesquite with lime juice.
Some new bands of seasoned marinade have a touch of hickory smoke and does magic things to wild game steaks and roasts.
Add some seasoned salt, lemon pepper, garlic pepper, seasoned pepper or garlic salt and your game and fish will taste better than ever before.
A variety of spices and marinades currently are popular with outdoors folk.
Some recipes seem quick and easy. Simple recipes usually are best.
Using a microwave, it’s an easy chore to cook fish fillets in a hurry.
If you have trout in your freezer, let ‘em out—now.
And while we all dream of lunker-size catches, the truth is that most of the trout we bring home from lake or stream are in the 10- to 12-inch range.
That happens to be a perfect size for one person.
The rainbows, brookies or browns can be fried or grilled, but you can prepare them any number of other ways.
Various ingredients you have on hand—left-over ham, steak or chicken, onion, green bell pepper, corn, peas, mushrooms, celery, green chilies—can add a creative touch to any trout treat.
All you do is combine the trout with an herb and garlic marinade in a plastic bag and refrigerate for two hours or more (do it the night before if you prefer).
When it’s time to cook, dice the meat/veggies and sauté in oil or butter.
Remove the fish from marinade and let drain; add seasoned salt and lemon pepper to flour and shake each trout to coat in a paper bag.
In a separate pan, fry them slowly in butter or margarine. When you turn the trout, add the meat/veggie mix to the pan and when it’s time to serve, lightly stuff the fish with the mixture and heap some more on top.
You can serve up your trout dish for breakfast with scrambled eggs and bagels with cream cheese.
Don’t be afraid of that “wild stuff” in your freezer.
Wild game, fish and birds are naturally healthy and low in fat and cholesterol.
Nothing celebrates the outdoors like a meal of wild game or fish—it’s the perfect way to share the bounty of the earth with friends and family.
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Top o’ the morning!