The 916
Go Fish
In his new book, local blogger Hank Shaw tells all about our finny friends, from how to catch ’em to how to cook ’em.
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BY MARYBETH BIZJAK
ocal chef and cookbook author Hank Shaw has made a name for himself in the food world with an award-winning blog (Hunter Angler Gardener Cook) and four cookbooks. To date, his books (with names like “Hunt, Gather, Cook” and “Buck, Buck, Moose”) have mostly focused on the hunter part. But on May 1, he’ll release a new tome, “Hook, Line, and Supper,” based on his lifelong obsession with catching, cooking and eating fish. Here, he talks about his love of angling, where to buy the best fish in Sacramento and why you should steer clear of tilapia. WHY HE PREFERS FISHING TO HUNTING: One, it’s more accessible.
in August. Most people here fish for them in September and October.
You can literally walk on a party boat and go fishing. Another nice thing is WHERE TO BUY FISH LOCALLY: My you can throw fish back. You can’t top recommendation is Sunh Fish. unshoot birds. When you’re hunting, They don’t carry everything, but their you’re all in. It controls selection is curated, so everything you’re thinking whatever they have is good. about. With fishing, you can “YOU COULD FISH IN Sacramento Natural Foods THE SACRAMENTO be noisy, have a conversaCo-op is similar; I’ve never AREA EVERY MONTH tion, drink a beer. There’s had bad fish from the OF THE YEAR.” that freedom to not be comco-op. Whole Foods is pletely absorbed. pretty good. And the Asian markets are very, very good HIS FAVORITE WAY TO FISH: The if you know what a quality fish looks style I’m best at is some variation of like. They’ll have pristine fish next to deep-drop bottom fishing, usually ones that probably should be thrown with bait. You’re trying to coax the out. Finally, if you’re shopping at a fish to bite. If you have experience, regular supermarket, ignore the fish you can really, really fill a bucket. I section and go to the freezer section. almost always outfish the people Most things in the fish box have been around me. It’s all in the touch. frozen already. It’s just been thawed. WHERE HE FISHES LOCALLY: I
HIS FAVORITE SPECIES TO FISH FOR: I would probably say tuna.
usually fish out of Emeryville or the ports. It’s all done offshore on a party boat. It’s like a bus, except everyone’s fishing. If you’re friendly and open, it’s a great way to meet new people and learn things.
They’re challenging. They’re big, they’re strong, you’re offshore, the waves are high. And if you get into them, it can be mayhem in a minute.
ON FISHING IN SACRAMENTO: You
M O ST OV E R R ATE D FI S H FO R EATING: Tilapia. It’s basically ined-
could fish in the Sacramento area every month of the year. January to February, it’s steelhead, a sea-run rainbow trout that can live in fresh and saltwater. They come up in rivers here to spawn. There’s striped bass in spring and fall. Sturgeon are always here, too, but they’re best in colder months. Shad run up the American and Sacramento rivers from May to June. And salmon start showing up
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SACRAMENTO MAGAZINE April 2021
ible. I call it the Soylent Green of fish. I have eaten good tilapia, but it was tilapia I caught myself in the Gulf of Mexico. The farming practices for tilapia and most shrimp are so foul, I won’t eat them. You can order signed copies of “Hook, Line, and Supper” through Hank Shaw’s website, honest-food.net, for $30 plus shipping.
Hank Shaw at the American River
