Sunday, July 26, 2009

Ceviche

Here's another recipe from Capt. Billy Trimble (above right). This one is for Ceviche which is typically fish "cooked" in an acidic bath of fresh, unprocessed citrus juice. Here's what the captain has to say about this dish, "One of my favorite summer time meals is Ceviche, and one of the best fish to use for Ceviche is Black Drum. The flesh of the Black Drum is perfect for the dish as it is white, flaky and not oily. It will not turn to mush like the flesh of a speckled trout and is not as tough as redfish. Ceviche is very simple to make as it requires no stove, only time."

INGREDIENTS
Black Drum fillets, 1 dozen medium shrimp, lots of limes, 1 orange, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, Tabasco, cilantro, jalapeños, bird peppers, green olives, capers, half of an onion

NOTES
If you can't get Black Drum fillets then Red Snapper, Striped Bass or Flounder can serve as an alternate. When working with saltwater fish never let fresh water touch the flesh of the fish until just before the cooking process begins. Instead of the first cleansing lime juice rinse you can pour steaming (not boiling) hot water over the fish and shrimp through a strainer. If you want a milder version of this recipe then substitute a red bell pepper instead of the hot pepper varieties.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Step One - Begin with the fillets of a fresh Black Drum and about a dozen medium sized shrimp, deveined. Rinse fish fillets and shrimp with fresh water. Cube drum fillets and shrimp into a glass bowl then cover with fresh squeezed lime juice and set aside in the fridge for about an hour. Drain the lime juice off of the fish/shrimp, it is now ready to be combined with the other ingredients.

Step Two - Medium fine dice a half of an onion, devein and dice 2 jalapeños, bird peppers, chop a handful of green olives, chop a bunch of cilantro and add a liberal amount of capers. Add salt, pepper and a couple of dashes of Tabasco and olive oil then stir together.

Step Three - Squeeze the juice of one orange, then enough lime juice to cover the fish. Cover and set in fridge for at least 4 hours.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS
Photo 1 - Black Drum fillets with boat fresh shrimp and other ingredients.

Photo 2 - Drum fillets and shrimp cubed and ready.

Photo 3 - Fish and shrimp covered in lime juice for the first time.

Photo 4 - Deveined jalapeños and bird peppers ready to dice.

Photo 5 - Diced ingredients combined with drained fish and shrimp ready for lime/orange juice.

Photo 6 - Bon Apetite

Captain Billy suggests pairing this Ceviche recipe with either Mexican beer, full bodied white or light red wine. He likes to serve organic blue corn chips and sliced avocado on the side.

Top photo by M. Thompson Recipe photos by Billy Trimble

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Delta 5

The stereograph post got me thinking about other relics that I have mixed in with my fly fishing menagerie. Here's another one that seemed worth a post. This is a fly reel that I used a long time ago on the Salmon River in Pulaski. I remember buying it at some army navy store on the north end of Syracuse, NY. I paid $10 for it. I paired it with a 2 pc., 7 wt. custom 9 1/2' Sage Graphite II (original IM6 technology) that I bought from the Troutfitter on Erie Blvd. Somehow the original Delta 5 packaging has remained intact after all these years (insert, box and graphics shown). I did a search and found some good info on the Delta 5 on a site called Real's Reels (ABU rod and reel collector). The reel's triangular shape reminds me of the Lee Wulff Triangle Taper fly line concept. Note that the side of the spool sticks out to make palming or fingering "convenient".


Photos by El Pescador

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Transparency

In the interest of transparency, I'd like to bring something to the attention of the Way Upstream community. I know many of you have appreciated the Patagonia content provided here so I felt that it was important to make the following statement public - I no longer work for Patagonia. I remain a brand supporter and I'd like to express my appreciation to all of you who made your voices heard on Patagonia matters while I was in my former role. What does all this mean for the future? I don't know but it's time to look for new water. I'll keep you posted along the way upstream.

Photo by Tim Davis Logo illustration by El Pescador

Monday, July 6, 2009

Stereograph

I came across this stereograph in my basement by the Kilburn Brothers. They were stereo-photographers who set up shop in Littleton, NH. Early Kilburn Brothers "stereo-views" date back to the mid 1800's. This "seven-pound trout" stereograph looks like it could be a lake trout possibly caught through the ice.
Front/Back photos by El Pescador

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

The River Time Forgot

Wild Mongolia "The River Time Forgot" from Mikey Wier on Vimeo.

Mikey Wier and a soulful cast of anglers went on a month long expedition last Fall to explore a remote river deep in the heartland of outer Mongolia. They covered 140 miles of water that had previously never been floated and fished. Along the way they met some interesting locals, caught some amazing taimen and discovered things about themselves. Mikey is now in the midst of the creative process, pouring through and organizing the footage into a tale. Check out this 3 minute and 45 second teaser for a developing video coming soon from Burl Productions.