There is nothing like sharing a love of fishing with someone who has never cast a line. Whether fishing with a child who can barely stand on the lake shore or an adult who was simply never offered the chance to hook a fish, the pursuit of panfish is the perfect way to get new […]
Kevin Smith
Posted inEat + Drink
A Fish in Every Pan
As an avid angler and spear fisherman, I am constantly looking for new ways to prepare my wild harvests. Small, easily caught and cleaned panfish (see “Panfish Fishing”), including freshwater species such as bluegill, crappie and sunfish) are best cooked whole, as they’re seldom big enough to filet. Panfish are also an abundant, sustainable and […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Catch of the Day
I have been following Kirk Lombard’s blog, The Monkeyface News, for years now. His delightful writing style is a poetic blend of personal experience, history, humor and even a haiku once in a while. As a forager, freediver and angler along the California coast for more than 30 years, Lombard’s words always seem to resonate […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Poke Pole Fishing
The gentle ebb and flow of the northern Pacific Ocean whispered in our ears as we spent the night on the sands anticipating the morning’s fishing foray. Checking the tide tables the day before, I knew a minus-1.58 low tide was predicted for the following day at 7 a.m. Now, I love to fish, but […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Smoked Monkeyface
It was 1994, and I was 10 years old and hungry. It’s not as if there was no food in camp. We definitely had hot dogs and beans and such, but I never was too much into that kind of camp cuisine. My dad, Hunter, was always a champion of catch-and-cook meals. In fact, when […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Hunter’s Tortilla Soup
Late winter is the perfect time of year for enjoying a hot bowl of spicy soup. There is nothing like the warmth of the stove as a hot pot simmers and savory aromas fill the air while raindrops beat a rhythm on the redwood deck outside your door. One of my all time favorite soups […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Into the Woods
The frequent rain and heavy fog of autumn and winter on the North Coast brings an astounding abundance of edible fungi. From chanterelles to oysters, hedgehogs to boletes, there are more goodies in the woods than we know what to do with. Like many Americans, I grew up with a fungi-phobic mindset. Unlike many cultures, […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Drop it Like a Pot
Last weekend my dad and I got out for his birthday. We launched our old inflatable boat, powered by a small outboard motor, and took off out of the bay armed with box traps and hoop nets. Our goal was to bring in some of California’s tastiest crustaceans — Dungeness crabs. Every year since I […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Seed and Potatoes
Wild mustard greens frequent my table every winter and spring in a variety of dishes (“Spring Curry,” June 9). But until recently, I had never thought to try gathering the seeds from the dead-standing mustard plants that abound in the fields of the North Coast in late summer and fall. Once I realized the potential […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Rock Out
Fish cakes are one of my all-time favorite appetizers. You can make them with just about any fish but I prefer locally caught black rockfish (which are sometimes also sold as “black snapper”). This recipe is simple, incredibly tasty and always a big hit at parties. Just make sure you eat one of them right […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Salt of the Sea
I was first inspired to try making sea salt after watching the 1982 film Gandhi‘s depiction of the 1930 Salt March, in which scores of people on a 24-day, 240-mile walk across India to the coast of Dandi to make salt as a protest against Britain’s salt taxes and ban on salt production. The peaceful […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Spring Curry
Ever since we were kids, when springtime came around, my brother and I would browse patches of wild mustard greens while out in the fields. The spicy, sharp flavor always reminds me of days in the old orchards. While these greens are delectable sautéed with onion and bits of bacon as a side dish to […]