The summer in Silverton has been breathtaking, surprising, and memorable. Hiking parts of the Colorado trail, embracing God’s beautiful landscape, wild flowers of many colors, sparkling waterfalls, and crystal clear lakes at high-altitudes.
A great find was crawfish in lake two-hours from our house. Michael and I planned a two-day camping trip at Miramonte Resevoir just south of Norwood (a town smaller than ours). We built traps and loaded up our gear and took the drive over Ophir pass. A very well traveled pass for those who visit Silverton and drive jeeps, families of all types, looking for a great adventure.
We arrived and set up camp, placed a can of cat food in our traps and dropped them into the lake near the edge. John brought along elk meat for burgers that evening and we supplied the fixings of tomato, lettuce, Vermont white cheddar, pickles, and Dijon mustard. They were juicy and had an overall wonderful flavor.
Our evening activity consisted of dangling bait into the edge of the lake, sitting on a flat rock that could hold all three of us, and watched as the crawfish came crawling out to check out the bait. We learned quickly that the crustaceans are stupid and love a good fight over cheap food. Made us happy as one-by-one we dropped into the bucket.
The next day after the morning, spent fishing, we fried up the two fish we caught for lunch-our style fish Po-boy. Wondra flour is the key to a crispy fish filet with out a dredge in egg wash. The fish flesh is as orange as salmon, caused from a diet of crawdads.
That evening we boiled Colorado red potatoes and corn in the necessary Creole seasonings, then the last minute threw in the crawfish (after a good cleaning), and boiled for about 10 minutes. A crawfish boil by a lake at 7700 feet, in Colorado, and the experience was priceless. The flavor was there and couldn’t wait to share with friends when we returned to Silverton with our prize collection. With 6 traps placed in a scattered location near the edge of the lake we were able to bring in at least a few hundred.
The dinner would be happening the next evening, guaranteeing the freshest crawfish boil. We invited over some our friends that would enjoy our catch and the spiciness of the Creole. The dinner would also include elk sliders on buns I baked that morning, John’s fresh salsa and chips, and large bowls of crawfish, potatoes, and corn. It was enough for over ten people to enjoy to the fullest plus three kids. I loved to see the kids pull apart their bodies and enjoy picking the meat out of their claws. It was a great evening spent around our table, with laughter and smiles on everyone face from another satisfying meal. The satisfaction is sharing our experience with our dear friends in Silverton, cooking and loving the Good Life God has blessed us with.
Tiffany! "We learned quickly that the crustaceans are stupid and love a good fight over cheap food." Oh my, you have me laughing!! Love, love, love your words and your posts!!
Posted by: Wendy | 08/04/2011 at 10:41 PM