When the fish are running....

April was a good month for fishing  this year! And so far May isn't too bad either. Last Spring was a little slow, so everyone is enjoying the bounty this year. For those of us who don't actually do the fishing... fish....we are enjoying the numerous cookouts, parties and impromptu "Happy Hours" and fish fries. It's been great! The funny thing is, many times on the day that the guys (and girls) actually catch fish...by the time John gets home, gets everything cleaned up...boat(s) fish, gear, etc...he's not that interested in cooking...hahah so this month  we have also had many pizzas from the local Pizza Hut or steak dinners up at Texas Roadhouse. We used to laugh when my brother Mark did the same thing...hahaha who's laughing now?? hahaha

Back on April 1, 2016, our friend Devon

 had a party at his house after an especially good tuna trip that he and some other friends had gone on. As always, there was plenty to eat and drink and tuna prepared many different ways. Lots of desserts, vegetables and sides to go along with the fish.

We also had a get together at our friend Josh's restaurant "Cabana Shores". He set aside a group of tables for his family and some friends and again we had lots of tuna and mahi mahi prepared a couple of different ways. Fish tacos, tuna lightly seared with some of Ron's delicious wasabi sauce, and just plain old seasoned grilled fish.
More than once other friends went out fishing...but came over here to clean their share of the fish...which meant there was always a bag or two of fresh fish for us.

John cooked up a batch of Ron's recipe "Dolphin Parmesan". It was tasty!... perhaps not quite as perfect as Ron's...but considering this was only the second time John made it...it was pretty good. No complaints from me...that's for sure!!!
As in past years...the neighbors all get a fillet or two when we have a lot. We vacuum pack most of what we keep...and then John likes to spread the wealth . We figure that way when we have a big party...no one is going to get to worked up about the cars parked all over the place over the music we might be playing. hahaha

More than a few times we have met up with friends at LongDoggers...where they are willing to fry or sear up some of our fish for us.(...we call ahead to make sure it's not too busy) We always give a bag to the kitchen staff :)
We have also met up across the street from LD at Al's place for a small party.

After we ate and drank a bit in Al's back yard...we walked across the street to have the guys sear up the rest of the wahoo and tuna.

                    served with a little soy sauce, special wasabi dressing and mango salsa.

Amy was excited to catch a fish...it's been a while...she's up in Boston area currently.

sunset during our little party

Ben's good friend Amy was in town...and she went out fishing with John and Ben. They had a good day on the water and that called for "Happy Hour" at our house. Bring your own drinks...we supply fish and music of course...hahaha Nothing fancy...but it sure was fun!!!!

cameras flashing...got to get the photos!

The weather was perfectly spring like...not as hot as it can sometimes be in April and early May around here. Good friends, good food, good conversation......lots of good times!!!! Again...really nothing fancy at all... in most cases it was just a group of us getting together to share and enjoy some fresh fish. No fuss...no big preparations.....very relaxed. It almost makes me feel like I have a social life...hahaha, because for the most part you can find us at home or maybe out on the bike path in the afternoon/evenings around here. For a month or two life is exciting...then we go back to our daily routine...and that's okay too.
And now I'll finish up with these pictures of a BIG fish caught yesterday by John, Charlie, Joe and Don.

60th birthday trip for Charlie...he was happy

It was bigger than me...approximately 5ft 7inches long and it weighed approximately 54 lbs!!! John and Al, Vinnie and Mike B are in a tournament that starts this Wednesday...so the parties might not be over just yet. :)   and that's a good thing!