My Absence ... Firewood

I apologize for my absence recently, I have been gathering firewood to keep our house warm this winter.  In true Maine tradition, our primary heat source in the winter is firewood.  I have recently replaced my classic wood stove for a more efficient boiler and while the efficiency is hard to argue, the feel of the old wood stove radiating that dry heat that can only be achieved with wood heat will be missed.

I haven't completely given up the recreational pursuits and I have been down casting on the Fish River, as well as planning a waterfowl hunt.  Also I have a couple of hunting stories coming up, let's just say trapping a black bear over 500 pounds and a trophy Maine moose are coming soon!

P.S. This blog also had it's one year anniversary last Friday!

Dining on Muskie

How do muskie taste?  That is a question I am frequently asked when I show someone a picture of my latest catch of these toothy fish.  Up until this year's Muskie Derby, I honestly couldn't answer that question because while I had caught many, I had never kept one.  Historically the culture in Northern Maine has been to catch and eat, so people have a hard time understanding why I typically release them.  This year, I decided to enter the Fort Kent International Muskie Derby and the State requires that it be a kill derby, so I figured if I was going to try some muskie this would be my chance.  If you have read my previous posts, you know that we had a good weekend and ended up entering three fish in the derby.  The weight of the three fish combined was almost 50 pounds!  Working diligently for over an hour, Brent and I turned the fish into some very nice looking boneless white meat fillets and nuggets.  We dipped the smaller pieces in a fish batter and deep fried them.  These bite sized morsels were extremely delicious and we served them with a side of Gary's homemade tartar sauce.  The fillets we decided to cook on the grill.  I looked at several recipes and didn't like any one of them, so I took a combination of all of them and made my own!  It turned out excellent, so I thought I would share it with everyone.  I can honestly tell people now that I have had muskie and it is delicious!  The closest thing I could compare it to would be haddock as it is a flaky, white meat with a very mild flavor.  I still encourage catch and release, but if you do find yourself with a muskie, give the recipe below a try, it is very easy and delicious!

Ingredients:

4 - Muskie Fillets
2 - tbsp. Butter
1 - tsp. minced garlic
1 - tsp. lemon juice
1 - lemon
Lemon Pepper seasoning
Basil

Prepare an 18" piece of heavy duty aluminum foil by rubbing it down with olive oil.  Then place the fillets in the center of the foil.

Melt the butter and mix with the garlic and lemon juice.  Brush the fillets with the butter mixture and then sprinkle with lemon pepper and basil.  Flip the fillets and repeat.

Drizzle any remaining butter mixture over the top.  Then slice the lemon thinly and place the slices on top of the fillets.

Then, fold the foil over to seal it, if necessary use a second layer of foil to insure a good seal.  Place on the grill over medium-high heat covered for 10-12 minutes.  Flip the foil packet over once, half way through the cook time.   The meat will be flaky and mostly opaque when cooked.

Enjoy!!!!