Trout with Morels and Wild Onions
Trout with morels, ramps and fiddleheads is a classic combination – all are in season at the same time, and in the same place. Even in the High Sierra, we have our own rendition, with bracken fiddleheads and Sierra wild onions. I call this dish Sierra Spring.
Afterglow on Pyramid Lake
Live long enough and you will start forgetting about all those fish you’ve caught over the years. It takes a rare combination of time, place and fish to vault one from that nameless school and into your memory. It all came together recently for me in Nevada with a monster trout.
Swedish Spring Salmon with Vattlingon and Peas
Behold, one of the most vividly beautiful recipes I’ve made in a long time. Salmon Swedish style, with vattlingon. It screams Christmas, right? Wrong. This dish can only be made in springtime. Read more to find out why…
Salmon Rillettes
One of the cool things about salmon is that it is rich enough to make rillettes with, especially when you use belly meat and the trim from around the bones. This is a pretty classic version, with both smoked and fresh salmon or steelhead trout.
Fish Risotto
If there is one episode of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” that sticks with me, it is his trip to Venice. In that episode he has risotto di go, an ethereal dish that hinges on a magical fish broth. I’ve remade this risotto here with striped bass. It will transport you.
Ice Fishing, T-Shirts and Fried Trout
Ya gotta love ice fishing in California. First of all that it exists, second that you can fish through 2 feet of ice wearing a T-shirt, third that you can catch gorgeous rainbow trout. And when you do, you should treat them simply – with brown butter, parsley and lemon.
How to Butterfly a Fish
Butterflying, also known as splitting or kiting a fish, is a basic skill you will want to know, especially when dealing with smaller fish. It keeps the fish whole but largely debones it. The technique is ideal for either quick pan frying or for stuffing the fish, in this case a trout.
Steelhead with Sorrel Sauce and Salsify
Salmon and sorrel sauce is a French classic, a harbinger of spring. This is my updated, albeit fancy version, done with steelhead trout from the American River. Getting the fish cooked perfectly is pretty easy with this method. It’s the sorrel sauce that’s tricky.
Crab Fried Rice with Pineapple
It might sound weird, but the combination of crab and pineapple in this Vietnamese-style fried rice is awesome! Hat tip to my friend Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen for the idea.
Salmon Chowder
Chowder for me has always meant my mum’s clam chowder — to make it properly, you absolutely must follow an ironclad set of rules with an ironclad set of ingredients. But mum does not make salmon chowder. So when I began making it, I suddenly felt free to play. And play I did.
