Cooking With Wild Edibles
Wild Foods
Wild Foods
Wild Foods
Here on the quiet side of the Smoky Mountains there is no shortage of delicious edibles to be foraged and caught. Fresh caught trout, berries, mushrooms, vegetables, and roots can all be obtained right in our backyards.
While fishing with our guests, the conversation always turns to cooking fish at some point in the day. I wanted to find a way to share some recipes and ideas on cooking not only fish, but foraged wild edibles as well.
I'd really love your feedback if you try any of the recipes on this page, and would love to hear some of your recipes as well!
Fish
Wild Foods
Wild Foods
Might as well lead off with our most discussed wild edible, fish! Trout is probably the most sought after table fare in the area. Grilled, baked, sauteed, fried, ground, you just can't go wrong!
Mushrooms
Wild Foods
Vegetables
Hunting mushrooms in the mountains is a delightful way to spend the day. We have so many edible varieties here, but I stick to the basics...morels, chanterelles, boletes, hen of the woods, and chicken of the woods, to name a few.
Vegetables
Vegetables
Vegetables
Yep, vegetables. They're all around us.
Fruits
Vegetables
Fruits
Wild muscadines, blackberries, blueberries, paw paws, and more can all be found here!
Recipes
Smoked Trout
Trout Chorizo
Trout Chorizo
I needed to use up a large kingfish that I caught during a tournament in South Florida, so I found a basic salt/sugar/water brine recipe and smoked it. What came out of the smoker several hours later was the best smoked fish I'd ever had. I added some spices to that brine and it quickly replaced my old smoked trout recipe. Although it contains some spicy ingredients, the finished product comes out with a sweet, even, smoky flavor, not spicy at all. Give this one a try, you'll love it!
Trout Chorizo
Trout Chorizo
Trout Chorizo
Eat it with eggs, make delicious tacos or nachos, use it anywhere you would use chorizo or taco meat! I'll admit grinding trout isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I'm getting ready to use fresh trout, but this recipe is truly worthwhile! Ever wonder what cuts of pork are ground to make the chorizo you buy in the supermarket? You don't want to know. Trout is a healthy and delicious alternative...just give this one a try, I promise you'll be pleasantly surprised!