Delicious Whole Trout Recipe from Jamie Oliver

You’ve caught your trout, so now it’s time to cook it! Here are some recipes that will do justice to your catch, considering all the effort you spent fishing.Some may be squeamish about the idea of cooking a trout whole, but I think it’s the perfect way to showcase it. What can be more natural and rustic after all?

It also beats having to do the hard work of filleting, don’t you think?

This recipe comes from Jamie Oliver, who embodies the kind of cooking I stand for – simplicity and emphasis on fresh, premium ingredients.

The ingredients of this particular recipe include:
Trout
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh Flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon, sliced and zested
1 lemon halves
Butter

1. Clean and gut your catch
2. Make slashes on both sides
3. Rub with olive oil, salt, and pepper
4. Stuff the cavities of the fish with parsley and lemon slices for a fresh aroma
5. Place on a baking tray
6. Sprinkle with the zest of lemon
7. Place lemon halves beside the fish
8. Top the fish with a pad of butter
9. Grill on both sides
10. Serve with the juice of the roasted lemon halves

I learned this trick of juicing roasted lemons from Jamie Oliver way back and I must say that the flavors you get are much more emphasized because of the roasting. I also do this roasted lemon trick for a lot of other recipes, like aoili.

What’s your favorite whole trout recipe? Share with me below!

Do you like eating fish whole or filleted?

Is the IT Tool, LinkedIn, really Effective for Job Hunting and Hiring?

The short answer is yes but as with all other things, there are conditions attached.

First, a brief introduction to LinkedIn, if you haven’t gotten into it yet. It’s basically a social networking tool geared towards employment. You build your network with colleagues and people you have collaborated with, in the hopes that you can connect with other like-minded people, as well as potential employers.

Think of LinkedIn as your online social resume. You place all your pertinent accomplishments, talk about yourself, share your interests, etc. For example, in my LinkedIn profile, I wrote about my involvement in Golden Stag Safaris, a hunting ranch, and talked about fishing as an interest (if you’ve read my past blog posts, you’ll know this to be true).

The easiest way to build your network is to add all your friends and office mates. Then, from there, you can begin exploring your network by looking at people who share your interests, or people who belong to the same organizations you do.

Since IT headhunting is grounded in the importance of networking, and people are becoming more and more online-oriented, LinkedIn is definitely at a very good position right now and you will benefit from joining.

Here’s the condition, though. You need to make sure your profile stands out. Otherwise, your profile becomes just like a resume in a sea of many other bland resumes. Get people excited about you and the work you’ve done! Heck, you can even consider a professional resume writer

This is a very good presentation to view to help you cinch that job and use LinkedIn as a leverage:

Everything I Knew about the College Job Hunt Was WRONG – And Here's How You Can Succeed from LinkedIn Higher Education

Fishing in the Age of Fast Food

The art and sport of fishing seems to be so out of place in a generation where we can drive through and get our food in a jiffy or even “cook” food out of a plastic cup in just under 3 minutes. The world and everyone in it moves at breakneck speed to get everything done – news articles are at our fingertips in just a few clicks. Shopping can be done without having to leave our work desk.

So how does a sport that relies on slowness and patience fit in?

It doesn’t and that’s the beauty of it.

Source: Photo by Daniel on Flickr

In the constant restlessness and hustle bustle of our fast-paced day to day lives, there will come a  point when we will seek refuge. A point when we will find ourselves spinning madly out of control. And that’s when we will see the need to get away from the urban jungle and find some zen.

But why wait when we get burned out to do that? Why not make it a habit to celebrate slowness from time to time? Consider a periodic fishing trip and explore what wonders it can do to you:

1. It teaches you to be patient.

Nope, dinner is not a delivery hotline number away tonight. You’ll get dinner if you catch a fish. And then when you catch it, you have to gut it, clean it, and cook it. It’s going to take at least an hour. Maybe more.

Catching the fish itself is not easy. Even if you can already see the fish, you can’t guarantee that the fish will like your bait. You have to experiment. Wait. And keep silent so you don’t scare the fishes (yes, this is not just a myth)

2. It teaches you to cherish accomplishments.

Fishing is hard but ah! Just think about the sheer joy and accomplishment you feel when you do catch one. It is a result of hard work and time. It is not the sort of shallow accomplishment you get when you play a game on iPad and get an instant badge just for signing in

3. It teaches you to cherish the moments.

While you’re outdoors and trying to catch a fish, by all means – relish the sights and sounds around you as well! Can you hear the wind blow? The distant rustle of trees? The lilting sound of seagulls? The subtle splash of the water? When was the last time you just took at a look at the clouds instead of taking a picture of them and uploading on Instagram?

4. It helps you connect with friends and family.

Bring your kid along. Bring a friend along. Minus the distractions of technology, you can have an easy quiet conversation.

5. It reminds you of the value of life.

That hamburger you eat didn’t come from the grocery from some synthetic factory (I sincerely hope it didn’t!) No, it came from a farm… from a living, breathing cow. Make sure you don’t waste his existence!

 

So who’s up for a fishing trip?

—————–

While we’re at it, here’s a great fishing story

The Best Sunset Photos

What makes a sunset so beautiful? Is it the way it paints the light blue canvas with a multitude of deep reds, oranges, and purples? Is it the way the water reflects these colors, or the way the city is bathed in them? Is it because it signals the winding down of the day, the anticipation of clocking off from work to party with friends or settle down at home?

Whatever the reason, a sunset is always guaranteed to bring us a peaceful mindset. Here are some of the best photos of sunsets I’ve seen on the Internet:

The first does not veer far away from home. It’s a photo of Arizona taken by Gene Hanson. There is something very poignant about the shadow of a lone cactus and its dynamic backdrop.

Even the dreariness of winter cannot dampen the vivacity of sunset, as seen by this picture of Fairbanks, Alaska. The colors are more pastel and slightly subdued but just as beautiful:

Even the giraffes are at awe over the sunset in Africa. Image was taken from Pinterest but actual source is unknown.

I could go on and on here but I’ll stop with just these three. Do you have a sunset photo to share?

Let’s Up the Ante on Earth Hour!

The worldwide Earth Hour movement officially started last 2008. Since then, many of us have marked our calendars for the yearly event on March to switch off the lights for an hour, as a way to combat the serious environmental issues our world faces. Even big companies and restaurants rallied behind this cause. If there is any good that this devastating environmental issue has brought us it is the chance to unite a planet divided by race, religion, political beliefs, etc. towards one goal – to save our home.

It’s been 6 years of shutting off our lights – how about we up the ante a bit? How about instead of turning off the lights for an hour, we turn off our smartphones, laptops, TVs, tablets and all other sources of technological distractions? How about we remove ourselves from the allure of fast-paced Facebook updates and tweets that come and go quicker than you can take a deep breath?

How about we turn Earth hour into a family hour as well? When was the last time we sat down with our family and just had a meal filled only by the clattering of plates and lively conversation? No beeps, no alarms, no game tunes… just old school talk. The destruction of our family bonds is almost as devastating as the destruction of our planet so how about we tackle both problems in that one hour?

Would you join me in this rally for the next level of Earth Hour?

The Trick to a Successful Business is to Face Your Fears

Everybody dreams of having their own business. And with good reason, too. Aside from being able to escape the rat race of the 8 to 5, there is the opportunity to make a difference and to change people’s lives. Not to mention all the time you can save and use to spend time with family.

Here are quotes to inspire you to take that leap and set your entrepreneurial spirits aflame!

Quotes from Famous Entrepreneurs on Failure: Don't Fear It! from Donald R. Bernard

What is an Estancia?

If you ever find yourself in a beautiful place in Argentina, Brazil, or in places that were under the influence of Spain at one point or another (like the Philippines), you will often hear the word “Estancia”. What is it?

It’s basically an equivalent to our ranch. It’s a very vast piece of land that was primarily for raising livestock back in the old days. The estancia was usually owned by very wealthy, prominent people.

Now, some have been converted to agricultural lands, while some have transformed into vacation spots and guest ranches where people can enjoy nature and undertake several outdoor activities like fishing. This is the case with the Laguna Verde.

The Beauty of Patagonia, Argentina

I can tell you through flowery words and poetic verses how beautiful Patagonia, Argentina is, but I’d much rather show you through photos. If you find yourself restlessly wading through all the errands and work that routine has to offer, consider taking a break and visiting a new world that can give you a fresh perspective on life.

The photo above is from Erik Argotti and is featured on the official website of Estancia Laguna Verde (Donald Ray Bernard is the vice president of this piece of paradise)

This is a photo of Mt. Fitzroy taken by Chris Ford and posted on his Flickr account. If you are the adventurous sort, consider hiking up this mountain for a truly remarkable view. A warning though: it is considered one of the most technically challenging mountains on Earth for mountaineers

401(K), Retirement, and How a bit of “Laissez Faire” is not all that Bad

Confession time. Have you ever given thoughtful consideration to your 401(K)?

Now don’t be shy to shake your head, because that’s not exactly a bad thing. If you’re the over-reactive sort who gets scared each time investment prices drop, you might be hurting yourself in the long run by always going out at a loss.

In fact, we have these people to thank for keeping the amount of pooled funds healthy.

Of course, you do have to spend a bit of time to make sure your investment is suited to you. If you’re in your 20s, for example, you can focus on higher-risk options. On the other hand, a 60 year old nearing retirement should focus on preserving his/her income and should opt for low-risk options.

People who are generally too intimidated about the whole idea of choosing the right option can just go for target date funds. In this alternative, you can choose the date you’d like to withdraw your fund. Fund managers are then tasked to ensure that the growth of your retirement money is maximized at the earlier years, and then preserved when the withdrawal date is near.

The bottom line for those who are not knowledgeable in finance and investment is to strike a balance between a laissez faire approach to your 401(k) and an excessively involved approach. This is absolutely important as more and more Americans are relying solely on their 401(k) for their retirement money.

Source: CNBC Article via Yahoo Finance

The Best Bait for Trout

Bait selection is a huge debate among fishermen, so I’d like to ask you – what’s your favorite trout bait?

My favorite has always been live red worms. After all, what could be more natural than a wriggling worm underwater? A bait with an attractive, showy tail is also recommended – calf tail or marabou tail is good.

It’s best to bring several bait options with you to your fishing trip so that you can switch from one bait to another.

Share your thoughts below!