I’ve written before about the Lions Club Fly-in Fish Boil that’s held every year on Washington Island. The last time, however, I wrote mostly about the “fly-in” aspect of the event. It’s difficult not to be fascinated by all of the airplanes landing on the grass field. We went there again this year and this time I spent more time concentrating on the fish boil!
If you arrive early you can probably find a place to park in a small roped off area next to the airfield. Otherwise, just park along the road, which is where many people end up. When you walk down the driveway it’s easy to see where the cooking is taking place. Five huge black kettles sit in a row, each atop a crackling wooden fire. The heat from the fires teases the overlying air lending an almost mirage-like appearance to things in the background. The kettles are filled with water being brought to a boil. The steam rising from the water mixes with the smoke from the fires and the resulting plumes signal hungry people to gather around.
Boxes of whitefish sit in the background along with piles of red potatoes and mesh bags full of onions. Men from the Lions Club are busy chopping up the fish and slicing the potatoes. The potatoes and pieces of fish are then placed in large sieve-like kettles that are slightly smaller in diameter than boiling kettles. The potatoes go into a deeper kettle, and the fish go into a shallower kettle. Although I can’t provide a recipe, this is the process that took place. When the food is ready to be cooked, the onions and potatoes are placed into one of the kettles of boiling water. After they’ve cooked for a while, the shallow kettle of white fish is placed on top of them, which fills the big kettle to the top. The men then keep an eye on the fish and, I believe, their watches.
The exciting part comes when one of the kettles of fish is ready to eat. A man carrying a container of fuel walks up, looks at the kettle, throws the fuel onto the fire and quickly moves away. Flames roar up around the kettle causing the kettle to boil over. When the flames die down somewhat two men move in to lift out the assembly of sieve-like kettles holding the onions, potatoes and fish. The food is then separated and brought to the serving tent. This process takes place one big kettle at a time.
By the time the first kettle is ready to serve there is already a very long line of people eagerly waiting to be fed. Another year, another job well done by the Washington Island Lions Club.
