A Trip to the Lake and Blackened Walleye for Dinner
As you know, we're in the middle of a heat wave here in Oklahoma. I've lost track of how many over 100 degree days we've had in a row. Too many! I have to get up and out by sunrise to beat the heat just to cut a little lavender and take care of the chores around the little farm.
Well, yesterday the guys wanted to go fishing, and since the only place you can stay cool during the day is in, or on, the water I decided to tag along, drive the boat, and take the pictures.
We headed out to Lake Waurika at 4:30 a.m. It wasn't exactly cool out, but it wasn't blue blazes hot either. We arrived at the boat dock right before dawn.
We were already out on the water and fishing when the sun came up. It was a strangely hazy sunrise, kind of hard to capture on camera, with a nice, cooling breeze coming off the water.
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Nathan caught the first fish...white bass and sand bass. He fished two rods, one in each hand. I asked him if that was to improve his odds but he just grinned.
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Then Will caught a hybrid and a nice walleye, the perfect size for eating. Since I didn't have anything planned for dinner, we kept the walleye.
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About 9:30 it was already starting to get hot, and the wind was picking up, so we trolled back to the dock and headed home.
My idea for dinner was blackened walleye. I've made blackened fish before, but for some reason it never occurred to me to do it with walleye. Probably because it is such a mild flavored fish and we like it pan seared, or baked, or grilled. I can tell you it was restaurant worthy when prepared this way, so if you're fortunate to catch a walleye you have to try it.
There's no recipe to blackened fish. Just high heat and cajun seasoning. (I buy the cajun seasoning at Sam's in the large container.) I use a cast iron skillet and heat it over high heat about 8-10 minutes until it's good and smokin' hot. Then I melt a stick of butter and dip a piece of fileted fish in the butter and sprinkle generously on both sides with cajun seasoning. Then I lay that puppy in the skillet and let one side blacken 2-3 minutes, turn and repeat on the other side. (It will smoke up the kitchen so be prepared with the exhaust fan,open a window, or do it outside!)
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Red beans and rice, and some sliced fresh, summer tomatoes on the side...
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...wonderful end to a wonderful summer day!
Well, yesterday the guys wanted to go fishing, and since the only place you can stay cool during the day is in, or on, the water I decided to tag along, drive the boat, and take the pictures.
We headed out to Lake Waurika at 4:30 a.m. It wasn't exactly cool out, but it wasn't blue blazes hot either. We arrived at the boat dock right before dawn.
We were already out on the water and fishing when the sun came up. It was a strangely hazy sunrise, kind of hard to capture on camera, with a nice, cooling breeze coming off the water.
Nathan caught the first fish...white bass and sand bass. He fished two rods, one in each hand. I asked him if that was to improve his odds but he just grinned.
Then Will caught a hybrid and a nice walleye, the perfect size for eating. Since I didn't have anything planned for dinner, we kept the walleye.
About 9:30 it was already starting to get hot, and the wind was picking up, so we trolled back to the dock and headed home.
My idea for dinner was blackened walleye. I've made blackened fish before, but for some reason it never occurred to me to do it with walleye. Probably because it is such a mild flavored fish and we like it pan seared, or baked, or grilled. I can tell you it was restaurant worthy when prepared this way, so if you're fortunate to catch a walleye you have to try it.
There's no recipe to blackened fish. Just high heat and cajun seasoning. (I buy the cajun seasoning at Sam's in the large container.) I use a cast iron skillet and heat it over high heat about 8-10 minutes until it's good and smokin' hot. Then I melt a stick of butter and dip a piece of fileted fish in the butter and sprinkle generously on both sides with cajun seasoning. Then I lay that puppy in the skillet and let one side blacken 2-3 minutes, turn and repeat on the other side. (It will smoke up the kitchen so be prepared with the exhaust fan,open a window, or do it outside!)
Red beans and rice, and some sliced fresh, summer tomatoes on the side...
...wonderful end to a wonderful summer day!
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