How-To (DIY stuff)
One of the bedrock skills you should have as an angler -- or, really, anyone who cooks fish. If you can make a good fish stock, you can get more out of the fish you bring home and boost the flavors in your seafood cooking.
Berries and Fruits
Blackberry syrup was my favorite at the International House of Pancakes when I was a kid. It's still one of the few syrups I still make every year, mostly to mix with seltzer water (or vodka) for drinks. Here's how to make it.
Spanish
Clams steamed in a spicy Spanish tomato sauce. This dish is a knockout. Eat it with a fork in one hand, a hunk of crust bread in another. A damn good appetizer or light dinner.
Fish
Ah, the unloved bluefish. I grew up catching and eating these oily, oceanic piranhas, and I love them still. Smoked bluefish is one of my favorite smoked fish, largely because I can then make this pate from it.
Sweet Things
Mint ice cream is pretty common, but usually it's made with mint extract. But if you make your ice cream by infusing the mint leaves into the cream overnight, you get a much stronger, more herby mint flavor you will not forget.
Fish
When life gives you big ole' gaper clams, whether they be horseneck, Washington or just really big steamers, you need to clean them before making chowder. Here's how to do it, complete with a video!
Featured
Mountain pennyroyal is a widespread mountain herb in the American West. Think of it as a combination of mint and marjoram. It is one of our most spectacular native wild herbs.
Pasta, Risotto, Gnocchi
Called strangolapreti -- "priest stranglers" -- in Italian, these dumplings made with breadcrumbs, cheese and a green thing (spinach, amaranth, chard, etc) are easy to make and are a great vegetarian main course or side dish for something meatier.
Featured
Pukeko. Such a cool bird, yet so unloved by the New Zealanders. We hunted and cooked a bunch of this cross between a pheasant and a coot on our trip to Kiwi Country, and learned to love this fascinating game bird.
Fish
Yellowfin tuna grilled rare and served over a Sicilian-style salad of tomatoes, olives, onions and herbs. What's not to love?
Recipe
Yep. Walnut ketchup. Ketchup used to be a lot more varied than just tomatoes. This is a classic British recipe made with young, green walnuts - black walnuts, here - results in a sauce that tastes astonishingly like A1 steak sauce. Give it a go!
Mexican
If you live in California, this is a baseline fish recipe with most anglers. Everyone has a personal version of it, and pretty much anything you catch will work in a fish taco, although I used halibut here. My version uses a little salsa verde and avocado.
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