Salmon Time August 23, 2009

On Sunday one of our teachers and a villager (also a student teacher at our school) went out fishing for silvers. They used nets to catch the fish. The boat was big enough for two, so no one else could go. They caught about 40+ salmon, all over 10 lbs. There were probably 5 kings, too. Our staff paid for the gas (around $12 apiece) and then paid $5 per fish.

When they came back to the village with the fish, we all met them. By we I mean the six teachers and 20 or so children. We - the teachers - cleaned, gutted, and filleted/steaked the fish. After a while, we had quite a group of villagers watching us. They were giving us pointers on the best way to fillet the fish. One woman showed us how to fillet them perfectly! And, she was fast. When families go to fish camp, the men catch the fish, and the women clean and fillet them. We even had a group of men watching us. As one told me, "This is better than TV!" They all laughed!

I only bought three fish (probably around 14 pounds once we were finished processing them). I then brought them back to my room at school, washed, and vacuum sealed them. So, I have enough fish for a while. In the winter, we will ice fish for pike and she fish. So, for $27 I have about 14 of the freshest pounds of salmon you could have. And, trust me, it's delicious.