rainbow trout memories from greg saldana

our great customer and friend, greg saldana, loves to fish, take pictures and cook. i’ve been lucky to enjoy his cooking, fish with him and have been the recipient of many texted photos of the great fish dinners he prepares. the other day he sent me some shots of a beautiful whole rainbow trout sizzling over a hot fire along with the final plated dish. the fish was simply grilled in the style he remembers his dad preparing on their many camping and trout fishing trips when he was a kid in california.

i asked greg if he would share some memories and his grilled trout recipe with us and he said he’d be glad to! the trout he used here wasn’t fresh from a california mountain stream but it was the closest thing to it in these parts. eagle creek rainbow trout delivered to us within a day from when it was caught, brought greg back to a wonderful time in his life. here’s a fish story from greg:

i grew up in southern california and enjoyed the pacific ocean fishing, surfing and sailing as a child and teenager. one of my favorite memories is not about the pacific but the fresh water streams of the sierra nevada mountains and trout fishing. my father would organize a weeklong camping and fishing vacation for my brothers and i. mom was smarter than us. she stayed home. during the drive through the lower desert and winding roads of the mountains we reveled in the thought of who would catch the biggest trout. over the years my second eldest brother joseph held the honors with great pride. i don’t know how he did it but each year he would get his groove on and wham – a monster would hit his line and sure enough joe would land the prize. dad, eldest brother anthony and i looked on with awe. he did it again. we would catch 12 inchers and joe would bring home eighteen inch and larger lunkers. we all used the same lures but his always did the job best.

greg with his dad and brother

my father also taught us how to clean and prepare the fish for grilling over hot coals of the bbq. i was always impressed with how dad could get that bbq to fit in the wagon along with bags, coolers, tent, and fishing rods. after a long day of wading in the stream and meeting our limits, my brothers and i would get to cleaning the trout. dad would prepare the coals with a cold beer in his hand. his recipe was real easy, a little oil, salt and pepper and when the fish came off the grill he would squeeze lemon over it and serve it right away.

since that time i’ve learned to grill a fish or two myself. living in ann arbor is great with people like mike monahan offering very fine fresh fish. last friday i enjoyed many memories of trout fishing and grilling. i picked up a whole rainbow trout and put together a slightly more complicated recipe than dad did but it includes only one or two add ons. the trick is to wait for the coals to reach the right temperature so the delicate skin of the trout reaches a delightful crispy texture. hope you enjoy. click here for the recipe.