The Hypertonic Solution for Fish and Game

Days like these are hard to beat. Seventeen bald eagles in the air over the lake yesterday. Seven today in a tree on the point of the small island - juveniles dive bombing a huge raft of coots just for fun to see them move and make noise - they do this all day.You know how teenagers are.

A half a dozen swans as well, and geese, a group of mallards and redheads too, the first of this fall. And beneath the surface of the water, the walleyes I think have returned via the river channel that connects to Sullivan. Too cold to fish for me to find out. The sunny, warm days of the last two weeks were a real treat to canoe and fish. Biggest largemouth bass that I have seen caught in many yrs and others too, as well as lots of northerns. The walleyes had not returned - dang.

Dr Jerry Poland, in a workplace cookbook( CRMC Surgery & Central Supply), recommends soaking fish filets in a hypertonic solution - 1 tablespoon salt to 1 quart cold water - for about ten minutes before cooking - in order to remove all blood and fishy flavor. He says to do progressive 1 to 2 minute soaks of venison in this solution until the water( solution) is clear, which means that the blood is out.

It works great w/ fish - bass and northern - not a trace of fishy flavor. I will be trying it w/ venison this fall. If there is one thing that I never want in my mouth ever again it is strong or off flavor venison, which is why I much prefer to shoot the very young( though I cannot pass on a trophy buck - thank God for summer sausage via a good meat mkt).