"What Kind of Wine Goes Best With ..."
There's nothin that beats a still January
nite out on the frozen lake, with a billion stars overhead and the
mournful howls of a wolf pack in your ears. Never mind it's twenty
below; if there's no wind, you don't need to worry (especially sitting
in a heated plywood house.) Well, nite fishin in January can be summed up in two words- Eel Pout
! Yep, you may not like the slimy critters, but they sure seem plentiful
and all to eager to greet you. Many a fox or wolf got his midnite snack
of Eelpout after a disgusted fisherperson tossed the unwanted catch.But let's set the record straight about something. Eelpout may be
ugly, but THEY ARE DELICIOUS. Say what? You heard it here, folks. Properly prepared, they taste like lobster. Real lobster.
EELPOUT ARE DELICIOUS.Wanna try it? Here's how. Step 1. Catch a slew of 'pout. 2 or 3 three
pounders would be a good start. Step 2. Clean. Now, this is a science.
Here's the easy way. Cut radially around the body, just behind the head
and gills. Then cut a long slice from the cut you just made, along the
underside as far as you can. Gut. Peel the skin off- grab the head in
your left hand, and grab the cut skin at the top of the back. Pull the
body skin back towards the tail, and it will peel off like removing a
rubber glove. Then use a SHARP knife to slice the fillets off the
backbone on each side. There's not really much meat per fish. Next,
rinse several times in cold, fresh water to de-blood the fillets.
COOKING- Do NOT Fry these fillets- they will curl like armpit hair!
Gently BOIL the pieces until they just start to curl. Next, a few
moments in the broiler with some butter, and your culinary delight is
ready.Now, to decide on the wine.....(Craig Loughery,- July,1998 Lewes, DE)
