Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Go Fish!

The Fishing Opener in Minnesota (a big thing here - it is the "Land of 10,000 Lakes") is always Mother's Day weekend. I'm not even going to comment on that fact - I could have too much fun with it and I'll never get to the food. The Governor always picks a lake and goes fishing in it and I guess it is a big deal. I never thought about it until the Governor picked White Bear Lake to open the fishing season. White Bear Lake! A once sleepy resort town where gangsters and the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald mingled. A lake of Legends from the Chippewa and the Lakota. A lake with enough charm that Mark Twain rewrote the old legend and it is now inscribed at Matoska Park - a park of bicycles, dogs, Frisbees, ticks and a time machine that takes you back in time by gazing at the lake.

Over night, White Bear Lake was planted, streets were closed, parking not possible and the Lion's Club fed 5,000 people. As I bravely tried to get to the grocers. I came across this by the docks:

Yep. Green elephants for the fishing opener. O-kay. I know the governor is a Republican - but maybe a walleye? A northern? A sturgeon? A fish????? And where do they go next? What do you do with elephant topiaries once they have outlived their use? Food for thought.
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And speaking of food, I did think fish was appropriate for the weekend even if we were not going fishing. I found some nice halibut (I couldn't find walleye in the stores this weekend - go figure - the fisherman are loading their coolers with frozen walleye - in case nothing bites???). And I found a lovely recipe at ALL RECIPES: Halibut with Crusted Hazelnuts over Creamy Garlic Potatoes.



I used less butter than was called for and could have cut even more of it. And I could have used more garlic -but that's me - I can always use more garlic. All in all - it was just fishy enough for the Fishing Opener, easy enough for a busy weekend and warm enough for a wet, cold, rainy day. Oh! Did I forget to mention that Fishing Opener weekend is always chilly and rainy? Not a lot of fish get caught. Perhaps that's why the grocers do a landmark business selling fish during the opener. You can't go home empty-handed. Not after spending Mother's Day weekend fishing.

20 comments:

Pearl said...

my ex (whose mother was part italian) told me that italians looooove garlic. is that true? i think garlic makes everything delish!

Claudia said...

Pearl - you are so sweet! I don't know an Italian who doesn't love garlic - sauteed, roasted and even raw. It does make everything delish and good for the heart (supposedly). All aspects of the heart.

Reeni said...

That's funny - about the fishing, that they have to go buy fish if they don't catch any, ha!! I'm all about more garlic-this looks real yummy!!

Bunny said...

Elephant topiaries!! You're right what do you do with them LOL!!! The fish looks wonderful, I love the idea of the mashed potatoes too!

Anonymous said...

Halibut sounds delicious with hazelnuts and perfect with garlic mashed potatoes! Yum!

Heather S-G said...

The more garlic, the better is what I say! Sounds yummy, though :)

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

The fishing on Mother's Day weekend. It's a conspiracy!

My motto is you can nver have too much garlic or too much hairspray! = )

Sara said...

The fishing opener sounds fun -I've never had walleye before, but I do love halibut! I've been cooking a lot with hazelnuts lately, so this sounds like a great one to try.

OhioMom said...

Mothers Day and fishing ... hmmmmm, I do love to fish so that would be a perfect weekend for me :) I also add extra garlic to dishes.

Netts Nook said...

Looks perfect. I got my rod ready. It is a good thing I am female that sounded bad.Fish looks great can't wait to give it a try.

Anonymous said...

all the flavor combinations sound perfect together. hazelnuts with halibut, garlic in mashed potatoes...yummy yum!
I'm definitely giving this nut-crusted idea a try. will any nut do?

Claudia said...

Burp and slurp: I think most nuts will do for the halibut! Hope you enjoy.

Wanda..... said...

I love halibut and hazelnuts(especially hazelnut coffee)...so I will be trying this Claudia...with garlic potatoes of course!

Daziano said...

I have never thought of hazelnuts and fish!

Sharona May said...

Looks good. Halibut is such a great fish to cook with.

Juliana said...

Yummie! Crusted halibut...I can almost taste it...and the garlic mashed potato...sounds terrific

Donna-FFW said...

Love garlic mashed potatoes.. and the halibut with hazelnuts sounds absolutely incredible!!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Hi Caludia

I love halibut, and this looks so good!

I don't get the relevancy of elephant topiaries for a fishing festival. lol, but they are pretty!

Charlotte said...

Yum I will have to follow your link over to the recipe and try that one.

Lori Lynn said...

The crusted halibut sounds great. YAY for garlic!
LL