National Trout Derby on Seneca Lake

Seneca Lake is renown as a trout fishery. Every year over Memorial Day weekend the National Lake Trout Derby is held with the largest Brown, Landlocked Salmon or Lake Trout taking home a $5,000 Grand Prize. Trout is delicious on the grill, smoked, or in almost any Salmon recipe. Below are some photos of filleting to compliment this previous post description of the technique,

"To fillet the trout start with a very sharp fillet knife (a good fillet knife should have some flex to it). Place the fish on a cutting board with it's spine facing you. Cut behind the gill in a slight arc to the backbone and slide the knife in a gently see-sawing action along the backbone and ribs to the tail. Leave the fillet attached to the end of the tail and turn the fillet over so the skin side is down. Then, starting where the fillet is attached to the tail, gently slide your fillet knife along the skin, keeping the skin taught, to remove the skin from the fillet. West Virginia Extension has an excellent Trout processing resource, including pictures and videos on how to butterfly fillet trout."

Let's hear it for the Red, White, and Blue: Spring Turkey opens May 1st!

New York State is one of the top turkey hunting states in the East. The spring seasons lasts from May 1 until May 31st with hunting in the mornings (1/2 hour before sunrise until noon) and a 2 tom limit for the season (as in, a bearded turkey...a jake will do, but no hens). To get more information about Wild Turkey hunting, including harvesting information and safety, look at the NY State DEC website.

Wild turkeys were nearly extinct in New York State a hundred years ago due to habitat loss and over hunting, but with proper management, they have made an incredible recovery. More can be read about this interesting history in NYS DEC's "Wild Turkey Management Plan". The plan outlines the history of wild turkeys in the state and their re-establishment. The Wild Turkey Management Plan also states, "Now that the wild turkey has been restored to New York State, our goal is to ensure that a vigorous, self-sustaining population is maintained in all suitable habitats of the State. Furthermore, turkeys will be managed to best meet the needs and desires of the people of the State of New York, using the steps outlined in this plan." In managing New York’s wild turkey resource, DEC focuses on four primary areas; Monitoring and Protecting the Wild Turkey Population; Public Use and Enjoyment of the Wild Turkey; Turkey Nuisance and Damage Management; Information and Outreach. Thanks to proper management wild turkey can be on the dinner table in Seneca County!

I have found the easiest way to prepare a turkey is by breasting it. Lay the turkey on its back, and cut a small incision along the top of the breast bone just long enough to be able to grab the skin to pull it back. The skin with the feathers should easily pull away from the breast meat. Once the breast meat is exposed, carefully run your knife (a fillet or boning knife works well) along the breast bone and ribs until the breast is cut free. Be careful not to cut the crop which is located at the top of the breast bones (inside the v shape) and can be a bit stinky. There are a few useful videos of turkey breasting posted on You Tube (use your discretion, I am not endorsing this particular video or any of them). There will be a lot of meat with each breast which can be used in any turkey breast recipe, and the flavor will be more intense and delicious. If you wrap the meat in butcher paper it will keep in the freezer for a good six months (until Thanksgiving). Often there are some scraps of meat still on the bird after the breasts are removed, including some thigh and leg meat which can be tough if traditionally cooked as whole pieces. I remove any remaining white pieces of meat and choice pieces of leg meat to use for the following recipe....

Wild Turkey with Sherry and Broccoli

1 lb turkey,wild caught (cooked pieces)

1 bunch broccoli, washed and chopped

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1.5 cup skim milk

.5 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup sherry wine

2 t. worcestershire sauce

2 T. grated parmesan cheese

If starting with raw turkey pieces, saute turkey pieces in a greased (either with cooking spray or a little olive oil) fry pan over medium heat until just cooked through (about 5 minutes). Cook broccoli either in microwave or steamer until barely tender (about 3-4 minutes). Arrange the broccoli on the bottom of a greased casserole (or 9x11 inch) dish and then layer the cooked turkey meat on top of the broccoli. Meanwhile heat butter in sauce pan over medium heat and add the flour. Stir and cook about 2 minutes to form a roux (a paste). Gradually stir in milk and chicken broth and cook until sauce thickens. This may take 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to taste, then add sherry wine. Cook 1 minute longer. Pour the sauce over the turkey and broccoli. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese (and some parsley flakes, if you have them). Bake in a 400 degree oven for 2o minutes. Serves 4. This recipe is very tasty served over wild rice. Wild turkey has less fat and more protein than traditional birds bought from the grocer and typically has more polyunsaturated (good) fat and less saturated fat. The attached nutrition label is based on farm turkey, so the fat and protein content will be slightly different using wild turkey (a healthier difference).

Trout Season Open

(Photo from NYS DEC website)

Trout fishing opened on April 1st. To get up to date information on the fishing, check out the DEC Central NY Fishing Hotline.

The weather has been gorgeous and perfect for outdoor grilling. Here is a simple grilled trout recipe...

Grilled Trout

4-five to six ounce trout fillets

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. olive or canola oil

1T. fresh dill, chopped (or 1 t. dried dill)

1T. fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 t. dried parsley)

salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 t. each)

Mix lemon juice, oil, herbs and seasoning in a shallow baking dish or pie plate. Add the trout fillets to this mixture, being sure to coat both sides of the fish. Meanwhile light the grill. Oil the grill or grill pan before cooking the fish. Cook the fish about 2 minutes per side over moderate heat, or until opaque. Serve with fresh lemon wedges. Serves 4.

Snow Geese Abound!

The Snow Geese have arrived, and there are thousands of them in the county! New York State DEC has once again implemented a special snow goose season from March 11-April 15, 2010 with a daily bag limit of 15 Snows. This is a conservation effort to control the number of Snow Geese which have grown significantly over the past 50 years and are damaging the arctic tundra where they breed. You can read more about this at NYS DEC and get information on the hunting regulations. Also, the Artic Goose Joint Venture (AGJV) is a multi-agency partnership between the federal governments of the U.S., Canada and Mexico, along with some States, Provinces and Ducks Unlimited, that was established to further understand and manage North America's geese. AGJV has a great website, including a snow goose cookbook!

Here is a simple crock pot recipe for BBQ Snow Goose;

Pulled BBQ Goose

boneless, skinless breast from 1 snow goose

cold water

2 Tbsp, plus 2Tbsp salt

bottle of favorite BBQ sauce

Dissolve 2 Tbsp of salt in 2 quarts of cold water in a glass, plastic or ceramic bowl (not metal). Place the snow goose breasts in the water and gently knead the meat to remove blood, feathers, shot, etc. Rinse the meat and set aside. Add 2 quarts fresh, cold water to the bowl along with another 2 Tbsp of salt. Add the meat and put in the refrigerator to brine the meat for about 4 hours or overnight (this step is optional). Rinse the goose and cut into thin strips. Put goose meat in a crock pot and add enough BBQ sauce to coat and/or cover the meat. Stir to combine and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours. You can serve the goose meat on whole wheat rolls as a sandwich or over noodles or rice. Serves 4-6. Each serving of meat has about 180 calories and 3.5 g of fat (no saturated!).

(note: source of snow goose photo was the National Fish and Wildlife Service, National Digital Library)

Ice Fishing- Perch

Ice fishing is on in Seneca County! Watch an ice fishing clip, get some basic know-how tips, and find ice fishing regulations from NYS DEC. There are many informal reports of nice size perch coming out of the frozen north end of Cayuga Lake. There is a daily limit of 50 yellow perch and no size regulations, though it is tough to get a boneless fillet off the small perch. The sweet flesh makes up for the time consuming filleting!

Here is a healthy version of "fried" perch...

Parmesan Perch Fries

1 lb of boneless perch fillets (could be 6+ fish)

1/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning

1 tsp parsley flakes

dash of salt to taste or Old Bay seasoning

1 T. olive oil

Rinse perch fillets. Put milk in a small bowl or dish. Mix cheese and seasonings (except oil) on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Heat olive oil over medium to medium high heat. Place perch fillets in milk and then coat them individually with the cheese "breading". Place parmesan crusted fillets in hot oil and brown about 3 minutes per side. Serve with lemon wedges if desired. Serves 2-4 people.

Waterfowl brunch

Canada geese and ducks close this weekend on January 10th. If you harvest a few ducks in the morning you may want to consider a waterfowl brunch.

Duck for Brunch
1 duck breast (both halves)
1 clove minced garlic
1 T. fresh parsley, if available
1 T. olive oil

Thinly slice fresh duck breast. Heat olive oil in a saute pan or iron skillet over medium heat. Add duck, garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Saute the duck for a few minutes until cooked. Best served rare or medium rare for tenderness but cook according to your preference. Serve with eggs and brunch fixings in lieu of traditional bacon or sausage.

Squirrel Fricassee

If you are looking for a diversion from deer hunting, and since the waterfowl is a bit scarce, then why not consider some squirrel? I must confess, I was a bit skeptical about squirrel consumption at first, but having tried some recipes to post here, I have to say, it is mighty tasty! It is also a perfect way to get youth excited about bringing game to the table. Here is a tried and true recipe from a local ag leader...

Mike's Squirrel Fricassee

4 squirrels
2 cups flour
1-2 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
Olive oil for frying
2 large onions, chopped fine
8 tsp lemon juice
6 cups chicken broth or consumme
4 bay leaves


• Cut squirrel into serving pieces. (3 pieces/animal, 2 thighs and mid section)
• Rub seasoning into meat.
• Roll meat in the flour and fry until brown in hot oil in a large heavy skillet.
• Place browned meat pieces in a large glass casserole dish.
• Add onion and remaining flour to left over oil and brown.
• When onion and flour are brown, add chicken broth or cosumme to make gravy.
• Pour gravy over the meat pieces in the casserole dish, enough to just cover the meat.
• Add lemon juice and bay leaves and bake @ 300 F for 2 to 2.5 hours (until meat is tender).
• Serve over rice or whipped potatoes