CEDAR-PLANKED SALMON ON THE GRILL

It's that time of the year when I start using up the food that was placed in the freezer during the fall fishing season. I learned my lesson last year and packaged my salmon well to prevent freezer burn. The best decision I made last fall was to give away more fillets to family because the reality is we really don't eat that much salmon anyway. If we lived like our last frontier Alaskan friends then it might be a different story. 

This past weekend I wanted to make some dinner and so I decided to go with cedar-planked salmon. I used an old recipe but this time I modified it more to my family's prefrence. Another change was that i only had skinless fillets. After each fishing trip I had all my fish cleaned locally instead of spending  another an hour or two cleaning it. Another change was pulling the grill out in the dead of Upstate NY winter and cooking outside. 

The ingredients are as follows:

Marinade/Dressing

2    tbsp fresh lime juice

2    tbsp rice vinegar

2    tbsp honey

1    tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup virgin olive oil

1    large salmon fillet (with or without skin)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1    untreated cedar plank

Use a cedar plank as close to the size of fish that you have. It doesn't make sense to use a bigger size than the fish itself. Soak the plank in hot water for at least one hour before grilling.

Combine all of the dressing/marinade ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth (oil doesn't separate)

Twenty minutes before grilling season the the flesh side of the salmon with salt and pepper. Season both sides if using salmon without skin.

Remove the soaked plank from the water and immediately place it over direct medium heat until the edges start to smoke and char. This process may take up to 10 minutes.

Place the salmon skin side down on the plank. If using a salmon with skin removed, make sure to place the skin removed side to the plank.

Pour about have of the marinade/dressing over the flesh side and distribute it evenly with a brush. 

Grill until the salmon is just slightly pink in the center and brown on the edges. This may take 20-25 minutes.

Remove the plank and salmon to a heatproof surface. Serve warm with the remaining dressing/marinade. 

Makes 6-7 servings.

INDOOR ROCK WALL CLIMBING

My first rock wall climbing was at the local Jewish Community Center. The height and challenge was sufficient for the first time but it was a little on the shorter side. I remember wearing the harness but the approach shoes weren't available.

At the Camp-of-the-Woods indoor rock wall, I was impressed at the height and overall size. It was nice to have serveral of staff helping multiple people which expedited the climbing process. The climbing guides were also helpful in instructing how to climb and choosing the better route. I had forgotten how much wrist strength climbing required. On the first climb I choose a slightly more challenging route but it was fun to make it to the top.

For the second route I chose an expert one with an overhang to get a feel for it. I quickly failed the challenge at the overhang. My wrists were the first to give and I had to let go. And this concluded my rock wall climbing. It was actually a lot of fun and it would be nice if there was professional wall in Syracuse.

A NEW EXPERIENCE: CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

This past weekend while attending a Winter Retreat at Camp-of-the-Woods in Speculator, NY with our church youth group I had the awesome opportunity to do some cross-country skiing. Although it was a frigid day I had an awesome time.

Fifteen years ago my uncle gave me a few pairs of some really old cross-country ski's and so I decided to try out in the field behind my parents house. I thought it was a thrill but looking back it was a very limited experience because I didn't have the proper equipment.

(Left) Josh (Right) Mark

This time around, equipped with good ski's, boots, ski clothing, and good company it was something I would do again. The retreat is located on Lake Pleasant, which is frozen this time of the year, so we decided to try skiing on it. Mark, Josh, and myself were on cross-country ski's for the first time so it was a slow start but after about 30 minutes we were moving along on the lake. 

It was late afternoon, just before sunset, so our views were spectacular. I had to pause several times to enjoy the views and take a few photos. It was also a great opportunity to do some silhouette shooting. 

Initially when we started skiing towards the lake it was very windy but upon reaching the lake the winds calmed down. So we skied across the lake to the farthest point of the retreat. Then we entered the camping area along a road and made our way back to the Mud Room to return our ski gear.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!

Happy New Year 2015 to all of my blog readers! Thank you for reading up on all my outdoor adventures in 2014. I had a great time enjoying the great outdoors and looking for to many more this year. I hope that you have an awesome and blessed 2015.

Some things to look forward to:

HIKING: As my kids are getting older, my wife and I are hoping to get out more to our beloved Adirondack mountains and continuing to check off the 46er list. I have 26 more hikes to accomplish in the next 16 years before I'm 46. My wife has 37 more to hike as well. Maybe we can even out the hikes this year a little more.

KAYAKING: After my last kayaking trip down the Tioughnioga Creek, I have only done the middle section. I would love to go back and do the beginning and end as well. I would like to revisit the Onondaga Creek in the spring as well with some friends. And there is the kayaking at our annual camping trips.

BIKING: This past year I hyperfocused on road biking and didn't do any mountain biking. But it would be nice to revisit some of the old mountain biking spots and maybe even check out some new ones.

 FISHING: I have yet to go and do some Steelhead fishing. Maybe this year will be the year when it will happen. Then there is always salmon fishing in the fall.

FOOD: If you haven't noticed I love to smoke fish and all the good meats. I learned some new things about salmon smoking this past year so I hope to put into practice some new techniques. I'm hoping to continuing cooking, especially after a some recent inspiration from people at my workplace.

TRAVEL: Our family has 2 trips planned in the new year. A trip to Hawaii has been on our list for many years and we are hoping to finally take this trip later this year. We have also always wanted to visit our national capitol, Washington D.C. Plus we will have our annual camping as well.

As our kids get older, it is fun to see them begin to enjoy more and more of our adventures together as a family. I really grateful for a wonderful family that loves adventure especially in the outdoors. I'm also grateful that they allow me to get away occasionally to enjoy the outdoors on my own or with friends.

Happy reading to all of you!