Reheated leftover venison steak is like leftover fish or Chinese food. It never tastes the same. Actually, it’s exactly what wild game cooks try their hardest to avoid, and that is overcooked, gray, lifeless meat. That is the nature of reheating food, which is why I try not to cook more venison than could be eaten in one sitting. Unfortunately, I do miscalculate from time to time, and then I’m left with the decision of giving it to the dog or suffering through it myself. Fortunately, all ...

If I had to pick between eating crappie and bluegill, I’d choose bluegill every time. I think crappie tastes bland, whereas bluegill are sweet and firm. The downside, this sunfish family member tends to grow on the smaller side. Bluegill fillets resemble “chips,” and few anglers venture beyond frying them because there’s not much else you can do. Those thin, small pieces can’t hold up to too much handling, let alone any amount of marinating. My solution, prepare and eat the fish whole on ...

My mother always kept store-bought Vietnamese fish paste on hand. Sold in plastic containers, fish paste freezes well and its uses are versatile: Form the paste into balls and drop into boiling soup; shape into patties and fry; slice and serve over white rice, noodles or inside a bánh mì sandwich; or eat as a snack. A less obvious way to use fish paste is to stuff it into jalapenos and then sear them golden brown. Mom often called upon this recipe when she was too tired to cook a complicated ...

Connective tissues are what separates OK stew meat from excellent stew meat. It’s the element that will give your braised wild game dishes richness and contrasting texture. This is why venison shanks have become one of my favorite cuts on a deer. Allow moisture, time and low heat to do its magic, and all that silver skin and tendon will soften and fall off the bone. Unfortunately, the majority of hunters still don’t know what to do with venison shanks, shoulders or other sinewy parts on a ...

I grew up watching Reading Rainbow – bear with me – and on LeVar Burton's “My Little Island” episode, he visits the Caribbean island of Montserrat. There, he visits the sandy beaches, discovers exotic fruits and vegetables at the street market, and most interestingly, LeVar follows a local into the mountains to look for the “mountain chicken.” Leptodactylus fallax, commonly known as the mountain chicken or giant ditch frog, is a frog species endemic to the Caribbean islands. True to its ...