Salmon Festival

One of our favorite dune paths

We live in one of the most beautiful places in the country – on the shores of Lake Michigan. Our beaches and sand dunes are unparalleled. Our water recreation and nature preserves for hiking are among the best.  I can’t even begin to describe how satisfying it is to drive by the lake each and every day to and from work.

The 'Big Lake' - full of salmon!

We often comment that no matter what the weather, the lake is beautiful. Often peaceful and blue skies; sometimes stormy and black skies; once in a while frozen with heavy snow clouds low over the lake. The parking lot at the beach almost always has a handful of people just sitting in their cars, watching the water and weather – every day of the year, but most especially when the weather is dramatic.  I think maybe – just maybe- Michiganders sometimes forget what a blessing it is to have all this fresh water surrounding us.

This guy's boiling potatoes

As a food lover and a food blogger I must say  a big, big bonus from living on the ‘Big Lake’ (as we affectionately call it) is the fresh salmon that is so plentiful this time of year. Last weekend our little town hosted a two-day Salmon Festival, and I attended it all.

Friday night’s Fish Boil is more casual – they serve 500 pounds of salmon! Corn on the cob, boiled potatoes, onions and a roll round out the meal….. oh, and lots of beer and good music!

Grilled salmon served with potato wedge and heirloom tomato - all of it had a  hard cider glaze - really good! 

Saturday is the popular salmon tasting – a competition between area restaurants. You get to sample various types of salmon:  salmon sliders, salmon sushi, salmon mousse, grilled salmon….oh, and lots of Michigan wines and good music! Our favorite was a simple Asian inspired salmon – grilled and served with a sesame oil dressing and then covered with sesame seeds.

Grilling the salmon sliders. Seems a shame to call them that - they were pretty fancy!

My pictures don’t begin to capture the great atmosphere of the event, but hopefully you get a feel for how much we love salmon here in West Michigan.

I recently posted my Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon here….I think you’ll like it.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago: Spiced Rum Cake (this one has a sad ending!)