Fishing Opener: What You Should Do

I promised on Facebook that I would detail the classic French beurre blanc( white butter") recipe for fish caught on fishing openers.

Dredge fish filets in flour, fry in half butter and olive oil ( or canola or soybean, usually identified on the label as vegetable oil) for 2 to 3 minutes on med to med high heat until golden , turn, saute a minute or two and remove from pan. The general rule of thumb in cooking fish is 7 minutes per inch of thickness of fish. Do the math. You want it on fairly high heat to get it brown, and turn the heat down after you flip the filets.

After you remove the filets from the pan, pour off excess oil, add a cup of any white wine and cook on med high heat until reduced by half, add chopped parsley and garlic, or tarragon, or garlic and sage, remove pan from heat, add 3 or 4 pats of cold butter and swirl pan in a circular motion until butter pats are melted and pour over filets. It is a luscious sauce, redolent of herbs, pan debris, and butter.

Accompany with starch( potatoes, rice, couscous, etc)..., and fresh cooked vegetables - broccoli or asparagus, or green beens) or in more traditional shore lunch style w/ baked beans w/onions, bacon, and jalapenos and fried potatoes. Add onions and peppers and garlic to the potatoes.

Accompany with your favorite beer or wine - a pinot noir or chardonnay - and enjoy.

Coffee, cognac and cards before bed. In moderation, of course. You are about 60 or more and you don't want to crawl into the wrong bed.

When it is fishing opener on Mille Lacs and it is 40 degrees with a Ne wind at 20 plus and you are on the west shore, you don't fish. You stay in the cabin and burn wood in the stove or fireplace and do picture puzzles and play scrabble. If you're up with the family.

Otherwise it's you and the boys at your favorite local bar for beer, bloody marys and breakfast. Oh - it's raining, too. The favorite kind of opener if you own a bar and restaurant on Mille Lacs. Nice on friday, sh***y on Saturday, nice on Sunday. Maximum money.

Slow opener this yr? Yes, probably, for people and fish. Late spring, high gas prices - would you come up and spend a hundred five on gas for the truck and the boat if you'd heard the forcast?

Some of us can't resist. It's with guys you've done it with for years. It's not a fair weather deal. You've known these guys for a lifetime. It's not a gamble even though it's poker, which you also will be doing tonight. You won't lose much, but you can win a lot.

There might be a guy in your group that can cook. Lucky you.

It Keeps On Getting Better

So after you have had pork fried rice for dinner, the next day you scramble more eggs in with the fried rice and you have it for breakfast along with toast. It is way better and more interesting than just having scrambled eggs. Add garlic and red pepper and cilantro.

Try it with leftover hot dogs, onions and potatoes, too.

Manslaughter or Assisted Suicide?

If you are fat and you order food at the restaurant that I work at I will cook you an extra large order of hashbrowns, for example, because I know that is what you want. Is that bad?

Your Final Birthday

The butt was a 6 lber. Eat it as a roast with the vegetables as described.

Next day as pork fried rice.

3rd day cut up and cooked with cabbage and potatoes, carrots and onions.

It's a butt that keeps on working it.

4th day in a many bean soup.

Checked out a flat of Sam's Club cupcakes yesterday at work - someone brought it in to the restaurant for a birthday party. - 138 ingredients listed on the label. If you ate one it would be your last birthday.

You Bet Your Butt

If you are going to roast pork, do Boston Butt. Five hours at 350 degrees, covered.Add water about a third of the way up in your roasting pan. I use a black cast iron skillet. If you don't have a glass cover( mine broke), use a brown bag. It works. Be sure to check water level through out the cooking cycle, and add as necessary.

Season the roast simply w/ salt,pepper and garlic to start. Add crushed red pepper and herbs de provence for the last hour of cooking - along with onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes.

It is a hearty, substantial and healthy meal in a pan. So simple, rich and delicious. A little more than mom's pork or pot roast. You get the umami of the fatty meat, plus the bouquet of the herbs. Exquisite! Plenty of vegies plus the meat and fat you crave when it is 29 degrees on the 1st of may in Minnesota.

I've always felt that if you eat the good stuff( vegetables), you can eat the really good stuff( meat) too.

As Good As Chocolate

A good late night snack on these cold wet days of spring is homemade shoe string potatoes. Cut the potatoes as thin as you can - like "Picnic" in the can. Use russets and sweet potatoes for a special treat. Do half canola and half olive oil - these oils are good for you and will satisfy that sweet or carb craving.

Deep fry - you only need about an inch of oil - on just above med heat ( 350 degrees). Adjust heat as necessary - don't let it smoke. Fry till golden brown, drain on paper towels, season with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. No need for a dipping sauce as they are so rich and satisfying as is - and like I said - good for you. Best of all they taste heavenly and satisfy that craving w/o killing you. Add a little cayenne if you prefer spicy.

A potato is a vegetable - russet and /or sweet - so they count for that.