Keepin' It Simple

In science, the idea of parsimony carries a lot of influence. The simpler explanation is often the correct one. It's not always true, but it's a nice rule of thumb. The same can be said of food. Sure, sometimes your meats and veggies are just a vehicle for the spices you're using. But often enough, good food can speak for itself. Sometimes, you're actually doing yourself a disservice by masking the freshness and quality, especially at this time of the year. Some might even say grilling veggies is too much. I think it was just right. 

The main point is, we grilled walleye in the cage, and salmon on the plank (because that's how pirates do things, it's either the cage or the plank). Both turned out well, but the walleye was a little dry and was definitely better when eaten before the salmon. 

Walleye: 

raw walleye, descaled

salt and pepper to taste

**a squirt or two of lemon might have been a good idea... 

The salmon was marinated in a mixture of soy sauce and brown sugar, with a little lemon juice to add some acidity. It was fantastic! We mixed about two table spoons of brown sugar into half a cup of soy sauce, and half a lemon's worth of juice. Feel free to adjust these ratio's to taste, but they worked well here. 

salmon:

large fresh salmon steak

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 a lemon, juiced

Grilling with Planks!

We believe exploring, experimenting and life long learning are not only vital to operating a successful micro-business, they're also what keeps life fun and interesting! As a result, when it comes to summer BBQing, we're always trying to change it up with new recipes and techniques. 

For those serious culinary explorers out there, a grilling plank is indispensable! The process of preparing salmon on a cedar plank dates back to Native American's in the Pacific Northwest but alder, hickory, and maple are also great plank options. Plank grilling is a great way to really accentuate that great smokey flavor and aroma that defines the grilling experience. Here's a few tips:

1. Soak the plank for about an hour before hand! This prevents the plank from lighting on fire...
2. Keep the grill closed! This helps keep the temperature high and even.
3. Don't flip it! There's just no need...
4. Try something different! It's a great way to grill veggies without having them fall through...