So, I managed to land my first squid last night! Turns out it is a Northern shortfin squid; aka Illex illecebrosus.
I think it was just in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Getting it in the boat happened rather quickly so I can't recall exactly 'where' I got it with my mackerel jig. I think it was likely in the non tentacle end (is that the head or tail? Neither?).
Once it was over the gunwhale, it squirted ink all over the inside of the boat and in the bucket where we stuck it to try to contain that black self defence liquid.
After I arrived home, with the help of a youtube 'how to clean a squid' video, I managed to clean and cut up the tube. Then, I tossed it in flour and quickly fried it in some hot olive oil. You'd be hard pressed to find squid fresher than that!
I'm back! Uh...in case anyone wondered why I haven't been posting for the last two weeks, I have been travelling in Scotland and Iceland!
This shot was taken near an abandoned lighthouse in Scalpay. Scalpay is on the Isle of Harris (or, Harris as the Scots call it) in the Outer Hebrides. The coastal hike we took to get to the lighthouse is outlined here. The hike was well marked and explained in a small booklet of Western Isles walking/hiking routes I picked up at a local shop. It was amazing to see the Isle of Skye across the body of water (its name escapes me) from Harris. Walking through peat covered hills reminded me I was not close to home. Oystercatchers and other coastal birds were having a time as we rambled along the trail...and managed to avoid the rain that followed shortly after we returned to the car!
More shots and tales to follow...stay tuned!
It was a wee bit chilly last night, but never too cold for some charcoal grilling! Kurt Wentzell (of Wooly Mountain Farm fame) has started selling pork 'grilling chops' at the Lunenburg Farmers' Market. As you may have noticed, they are niiice and thick. Why anyone would grill anything under 1" thick is beyond me.
Grilling pro-tips (courtesy of America's Test Kitchen):
~30 minutes before the meat hits the fire, immerse chops in brine consisting of 2 tbsp. salt dissolved in 4 cups water.
Rinse chops and thoroughly pat dry, apply a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
Grill over direct heat, ~4 minutes per side.
Remove from direct heat, check internal meat temp.
When chops have reached ~135 F, they are ready to pull.
Let meat rest for ~ 5 minutes, internal temp. should rise to ~140F by the time it's ready to eat.
To keep chops warm, loosely tent with foil while resting.
SOFA KING GOOD!
Stumbled upon this cool scene of agri-business in the Annapolis Valley a couple weekends ago.
All the shots we took that afternoon look somewhat epic, thanks to those ominous clouds. Luckily, it never did start raining....
Sad to see the end of the local (read = Lun. County) asparagus, delicious as always.
SO EXCITED to have my first feed of fresh mackerel. Tastes even better when you catch 'em yourself. Mack attack is ON!
Spotted in Riverport last night, looking up the LaHave River. Neat line reflection in the foreground, didn't notice it at the time.
Why would anyone rather have a lawn full of grass that needs to be mowed, when it could look like THIS!?! Well, at least in early May ^_^
Spotted somewhere in Middle LaHave, on da east sigh-EED of the rivah!
