A Shad-tastic Dinner
Jan 4th, 2008 | By Hank | Category: Fish | Comments | 1 Comment |
My friends Elise, who runs the blog Simply Recipes, and Garrett, who runs Vanilla Garlic, came over for wild game dinner the other night, and Garrett just posted on the meal, which covered chinook salmon to venison to elk to wild duck broth to a confit of wild goose gizzards. Very kind words, for which I’m grateful. It’s nice to be able to show people that game need neither be coarse nor rank, unlike many game meals I’ve had in the past. I’m glad I did not disappoint.
Garrett took a fabulous picture of my smoked shad aioli (above), a dish I dreamed up as a way to highlight its taste without having to deal with the fish’s 
zillions of bones. The old Indian saying is that shad was once a porcupine who turned himself inside out to escape his pursuers. If you’ve ever eaten shad you’ll know what I mean. Still, its rich, fatty flavor is perfect for smoking, and, once flaked, marries perfectly with a garlicky aioli. Served on toast or crackers, it’s one of my favorite canapes.
So as not to tease you further, here is the recipe.
Wonderful aioli recipe! Will have to mark this for the near future. Good job there!