Some Spring Fishing and a New Trout Dish

Hello and welcome to the blog.  I've been busy with spring fishing and wanted to share some pictures, as well as a delicious trout preparation method.  Monday's trip north to fish should not have happened if one had listened to the weather forecast.  Rather, I opted to check the radar before leaving and thumb my nose at mother nature and the weatherman.

Lower Buck Creek near Garnavillo, Iowa

I started angling this morning and had a blast.  Nobody else was fishing!  It was likely a combination of the forecast and gloomy conditions.  The trout were hungry and it did not take long to gather five decent fish.

A redwing blackbird (male)

Nothing relieves stress like being outside in nature.  Work has been very intense lately and some nature therapy helped a lot!

After lunch, I drove past Dutton's Cave and paused at the marker for my little kitty, Serena.  She had to be put down about a year ago and I sure miss my old travel buddy.  Now there's a solar lit cross by our special spot.  She loved to camp and play there.

After arriving back home around 5:00 PM (when the 9AM rain finally arrived!) the cooking fun started.  I really like this new trout dish because it was something I concocted based on favorite ingredients.

Rainbow trout smoked with alder wood

After gutting the fish, overnight I soaked all 5 [each fish was about 1/2 pound] of them in a brine of 1/3 cup kosher salt to 1 gallon of water.  After rinsing the brine off the next morning, the trout are smoked with alder wood at 250 degrees for about three hours.  After cooling the fish, I crumbled the meat and made this tasty meal:

5 medium trout, smoked and deboned (no skin)

1 package of Uncle Ben's microwave brown and wild rice medley

2/3 stick of butter

1 bunch of green onions, all parts chopped

8 ounces of mushrooms, chopped

salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

The butter is melted in a skillet.  The onions and mushrooms are cooked down over medium heat until the onions are tender and the mushrooms are soft and have released some liquid into the skillet.  Add the packet of Uncle Ben's prepared brown and wild rice.  Stir to warm.  Add the smoked trout, stir until warmed, and season with salt and fresh cracked pepper.  It's heavenly!

One of my favorite ways to enjoy trout.  It's even better on the second day!

That's about it for now.  I'll be doing some camping next week and will be visiting buddy Johnnie.  It's likely that kitty Jesse James will ride along.  He's been instrumental in helping with the cooking endeavors as one can see in the picture that follows.  It was a struggle to keep him away from the fish.

Take care and thanks for visiting!  Have a terrific weekend.

Brad, Jesse James, and Jennifer

Jones County, Iowa

He's the trout taste tester