Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

This Thanksgiving week is all about food. Starting with a head’s up about wild game cooking segments coming up on the Texas Parks and Wildlife TV show. Producer, Whitney Bishop.

65– We worked with bearded hipster, Jessie Griffiths. He’s a local [chef] food expert. He’s also an avid hunter and angler. And so we produced cooking segments with him where he shows you how to grill venison, how to fry redfish three ways, how to make teal yakatori, and feral hog tacos. So, why is it that TPW is producing segments on wild game cookery? Well, we’ve noticed there is really a growing interest in eating local food. People want to know where their food is coming from, so more people are getting interested in hunting and fishing … Jesse Griffiths is the perfect bridge between the hunting world and the cooking world. And, so what do you want your viewers to come away with? Well, in addition to actually showing you how to make the recipe, we go into a little bit of background about each animal that he’s working with; you get an appreciation for not just how to prepare it, but how it contributes to Texas. Where and when can people see these? These videos are all on our YouTube channel, we actually have a special playlist about Texas cooking. And then, they’ll also be on our TV show in upcoming months.

Thanks, Whitney

That’s our show for today’For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Passport to Texas with support from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program

The red wolf population once covered about a third of the southeast US, including Texas. By the late 1960S, the animals were nearly extinct.

07– The only red wolves left were in a little corner of southeastern Texas and Southwestern Louisiana … and there were only a few of them left.

Russell Roe, managing editor of TPW magazine, wrote a story about red wolves for the December issue. Habitat loss, wolf eradication programs, and an influx of coyotes, caused their near demise. An Austin College professor, noting the decline, sounded the alarm.

28–Well, about the same time, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act, and the red wolf was one of the first species listed in the act. So, their first priority was to maintain the red wolf population where it was … even though it was down to almost nothing, and the coyotes were still moving in. The realized that was not going to work, so they decided, this last ditch effort–the only way we’re going to save the red wolf is by gathering them all up, putting them in captivity, with the hopes of reintroducing them in the wild.

Researchers had their work cut out for them, as the wolves and coyotes had interbred.

19– Once they collected what they thought were red wolves, they had maybe 40 they were pretty sure were red wolves. Once they got rid of what they thought might be hybrids, they were down to 17 pure red wolves. Of those, 14 were used in the captive breeding program. So, all the red wolves we have today came from those 14.

Learn more when you read the December issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program program supports our series… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

This is Passport to Texas

Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine is celebrating its 70th anniversary and Editor Louie Bond is here to tell us more.

60– We’re so proud to present this 70th anniversary issue; and we have some great stories in it by people past and present who have been involved with the agency and the magazine — including our own fearless leader, the Executive Director, Carter Smith, who has a wonderful little anecdote I thought I’d share with you. He said he started reading the magazine as far back as he could remember. He read his grandmother’s issues. And his grandmother finally bought him a subscription, and he said it was likely that she was so tired of him pilfering them. He said ‘Who could blame her? If I didn’t run off with her copy each month, I’d rip out pictures of deer and bobcat and West Texas mountains and coastal sunrises. My love affair with our wild things and wild places was in no small part shaped by that early exposure to the stunning wildlife photography and essays on all things outdoors. I still read it cover to cover multiple times.’ So, when you have a boss like that who supports your magazine this way, you can’t help but be happy to celebrate 70 years. And I hope our readers
will enjoy it.

Thanks, Louie

More information about the magazine and subscriptions at tpwmagazine.com.

That’s our show for today…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

This is Passport to Texas

The outdoor industry association conducts yearly surveys to determine the state of the outdoors. And our State Park Guide Bryan Frasier says: the results are in.

66– And we saw that camping is trending upward — even camping in state parks. Almost half of these reservations for overnight camping were done inside state parks. And what was maybe the most encouraging news of all was that people with young children are more likely to camp and go outdoors — significantly more, in fact. So that’s great for the future of something that all of us hold near and dear who love the outdoors. And that is: taking families…taking children out there. Letting them connect with nature and see the world and the discovery that we have here..from the wildlife..to cooking outdoors and spending some family time. And to see these statistics and data and know that more people are enjoying that, and the mission that we have here at Texas Parks and Wildlife is being understood on some level by people and that they are really starting to this outdoor lifestyle: tent camping, RV camping, cabins — it really doesn’t matter what it is. Just a hike through the woods… but those things are growing and catching on in ways that gives us reason to be encouraged.

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet, supporting outdoor recreation in Texas; because there’s life to be done.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

This is Passport to Texas with support from the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program

If you’re tired of turkey leftovers already, maybe you can find a fishing hole and reel in something tasty during your Thanksgiving break. Chef Cindy Haenel says there’s nothing like catching your own dinner.

09—It’s fabulous. I know exactly how old that fish is, when it came out of the water and how long it’s been dead. And that’s important with fish especially. Fresh is always best.

Cindy is a chef instructor at Central Market in Austin. She and her husband Ken are avid anglers.

08—I love the saltwater as well as freshwater. But the saltwater you have more variety. You never know what you’re going to pull up. It’s exciting – like Christmas morning.

Immediately put your catch on ice, and if there’s a cleaning station on shore, consider doing the dirty work there. Chef Cindy says be careful not to overcook your fresh fish.

22—Most people, if they don’t like the taste of fish, it’s probably because they’ve overcooked it. And, as it cooks, and the oil of the fish starts to come out of the flesh, it burns very, very quickly. So, if you will under cook your fish, or protect that fish with either a salt crust, or even if it just has a little butter, or some kind of fat on the outside it still protecting that fish while it’s cooking.

Find fish recipes from Chef Cindy as well as a link to the Fish Texas e-Newsletter at passporttotexas.org…

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program supports our series and works to increase fishing and boating opportunities in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.
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Salt Crusted Whole Fish

Ingredients:

3 egg whites
2 cups sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup water
1 (2 1/2-pound) fresh whole white fish, such as striped bass
2 tablespoons julienned sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped kalamata olives
2 tablespoons chopped artichoke hearts
2 slices lemon, sliced in half, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, trimmed to extend 3-inches in diameter around outside of the fish.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites, sea salt, flour, parsley and 1/2 cup of water. Mix with your hands until a thick paste forms.

Fill the cavity of the fish with the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts and lemon slices. Rub the exterior of the fish with the garlic, then sprinkle with parsley and freshly ground black pepper

Put the fish on the parchment lined baking sheet. Mound the salt paste evenly over the entire fish. Press the mixture firmly down to the baking sheet, being careful to seal any cracks.

Bake the fish until the crust is golden brown and very firm, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Slide the parchment and fish onto serving platter or cutting board and crack the crust with a handle of a large knife. Slide a spoon under the top fillet, over the spine, and lift it to a serving platter. Turn over and repeat. Garnish with lemon slices and serve immediately.

Serves 2