Wade Truong: Elevated Wild

Aldo Leopold warned that one of the dangers of modern living is supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery store. Wade Truong doesn’t have that problem. His grocery stores are the Chesapeake’s creeks, Eastern Shore’s pine marshes, and Northern Neck’s uplands. 

““It’s pretty cool to be able to stack a bunch of shrimp, a bunch of crabs, some specks, and some puppy drum, all in the same day.” ”

You could call Wade an executive chef who hunts and fishes or a sportsman who knows his way around the kitchen, but either way, he has some damn good wild fish and game recipes. Recipes like sika carpaccio, goose and venison pho, duck-fat fried shad roe, snakehead summer rolls, wild turkey “tur-quitos” (taquitos), and po’ boys made with shrimp harvested by hand from the Chesapeake.

Wade and his girlfriend Rachel Owens run Elevated Wild, a website focused on mid-Atlantic fish and game cuisine. He draws from his background as a former executive chef at Kybecca in Fredericksburg and his background as the son of Vietnamese immigrants growing up in the Shenandoah Valley. His recipes have been featured in publications from the MeatEater (for rabbit wonton soup) to Garden & Gun (Peking goose). 

I caught up with Wade on a recent February afternoon to hear more about his 52-week hunting and fishing season, some new takes on Chesapeake classics like Canada geese and rockfish, and animals that he swears are totally overlooked and underappreciated, like skate and beaver. 

Below are my questions in bold, followed by his answers.  

Wade Truong

It sounds like you truly live the 52-week season lifestyle by always eating what you harvest.

That seasonality is the part of the food culture that I’m so obsessed with. I think being cognizant of the seasons and what those seasons mean and what resources are available gives you a deeper sense of rootedness and makes you think about scarcity a little better. 

You go to the store, and there’s four different proteins, right? They’re all grain-finished. They’re all very clean. We’ve been so far removed from where our food comes from and what it looks like that everybody thinks [game] is unsafe because it doesn’t come from a store. But I know what happened to that meat from the times it dies to when it’s served. 

Let’s get into some of your favorites throughout the seasons. Can you walk me through what you’re hunting and fishing for throughout the year, and how you’re cooking it? 

Spring

Right now [mid-February], we’re trapping beavers, and as we get into the spring, we’ll fish for shad. Once the green starts coming up, we’ll be foraging. Then I’ll be chasing turkeys as much as I can. Once it starts getting warm, we start snakehead fishing. 

What kind of wild edibles are you foraging for? 

We’ll start looking around the Rappahannock around peak shad run. We look for ramps and morels, and stinging nettles are actually becoming a favorite, too. Stinging nettles are like a better spinach -- one of the easiest things to forage and fantastic. It’s nice to have that kind of lush, bright, spring green and in such abundance. You can literally get a taste of spring. 

We just sort of notice what’s coming up, but basically from shad season through turkey season we’ll be picking edibles. 

Do you plank your shad? 

We usually pressure-can them and make a shad kipper snack. We use a light smoke and then pressure-can them, which basically vaporizes those little Y-bones. That works really well. 

Sometimes we’ll just filet them and get out as many bones as we can. We’ll roast them or bake them, and you just have to kinda pick through the way you would with crabs.

Duck fried shad roe (photo via Elevated Wild)

It’s a really delicate and very unique tasting fish that has been lost in the foodways over the years. It was such a staple for so many generations. It’s unfortunate because it’s delicious. 

How about turkey? What’s your favorite way to cook wild turkey? 

I’ve never cooked turkey and didn’t like it! 

It’s one of the only white meats we have in our diet other than rabbit. We treat it a lot like chicken. You obviously have to be a little more careful because it can be a little dryer and a little tougher, and it’s not as forgiving when you cook it. But I love some fried turkey, and also I confit the legs and thighs. 

I grew up in the Harrisonburg area, where chicken and turkey is basically free. It’s the poultry capital of the world. There was no scarcity. But now that I don’t purchase white meat from the store, having turkey is a very special thing. 

Summer

Getting into summer, are you mostly living off fish you catch in the Bay?  

 Yea, we do a lot of rockfishing and cobia fishing. We go out of a lot to the mouth of the Potomac and Rappahannock and get over to the Shore whenever we can. All of those creeks over there, they’re untouched and not all that popular yet, and the fishing is just incredible out there. You can fish out there all day and never run into anybody. 

We do a lot of really light Vietnamese-style food in the summer, like a lot of summer rolls. Lots of herbs, just a little salt and pepper, very minimal cooking. Summer is the easiest. You’ve got fresh vegetables and fresh fish, and there’s not much else you need to do. 

What is your favorite fish? 

Even though they’re an invasive species, it’s hard to beat a snakehead. It’s my favorite freshwater fish probably across the board and definitely in Virginia as far as table fare goes. And also [with regards to] angling, they’re a lot of fun to catch on topwater. 

I think a lot of people will be dissuaded from this, but snakehead actually makes very good ceviche. It’s up to the individual and your risk assessment because we’re dealing with a freshwater fish. I don’t make it very often, but a few times I have it was pretty phenomenal. 

I talked to the VDGIF snakehead biologist that said people are trying to put a limit on it because of the high demand. 

I used to see it at a local seafood distributor and, at the time, it was going for $16.99/lb. wholesale. That’s right up there with #1 grade bigeye and yellowfin tuna. So, it was demanding higher prices than anything else on the market other than some boutique stuff. 

Snakehead summer rolls (photo via Elevated Wild)

They’re not schooling fish; they’re hard to catch in large numbers. I think it says a lot about our food culture that people are trying this new thing because even despite its poor branding, it’s a really, really tasty animal. And I think people can feel good about eating them because there’s no ecological downside to taking them out. 

Other than snakehead, if you find a slot size puppy drum, that’s pretty hard to beat. 

How do you cook reds, on the half shell? 

[Red drum] is an extremely versatile fish. It’s semi-firm so I treat it a lot like rockfish: Leave the skin on, and grill it scale-side down. It kind of holds its shape and doesn’t stick to the grill, and you just flake it right off of that. 

I love fried fish just like anybody else, but I think the semi-firm and firmer fish… you can grill it and it doesn’t just disintegrate on the grill. There’s not much better out there than fresh fish and a little bit of fire, a little bit of smoke. 

What are your thoughts on bluefish? 

I love them. I love bluefish. I think a lot of people don’t have good opinions of bluefish because they’re either not handled very well when they’re caught or they’re not fresh. I agree that bluefish that has been sitting in the sand for a few hours is not gonna eat well. It also doesn’t freeze well.

But I bleed mine out and make sure they’re in ice slurry. We actually made sashimi this past season, and it was pretty incredible. It’s a very clean tasting fish as long its kept cold. We also do a lot of smoked bluefish and also smoke them for dips. 

How about panfish? Do you eat a lot of perch and crappie? 

 I joke with my friends about this all of the time, but we’re so spoiled with fishing. I used to love fishing for perch and bluegill and what not, but now it’s like, I want cobia and Spanish macks!

As far as bluegills go, fish that has been sitting in stagnant water and hasn’t been moving much is going to have a little funk. If you catch them out of a river system with a lot more moving water and a little cooler water, they’re generally really, really good. 

Any other summer favorites? 

I don’t know if you know this but shrimping in the bay has been phenomenal and it’s only getting better. My buddy has a couple of spots, and we went out last year and put probably 65 lbs. of shrimp in the boat. 

Chesapeake shrimp (photo via Elevated Wild)

Really, like shrimp you’d get in Louisiana? 

They’re not quite Gulf-size, but think North Carolina: that 35-45 size [shrimp per pound]. They’re not jumbos, more like mediums. But they’re super sweet and super fresh. 

If you were to go out looking for shrimp, what kind of habitat do these shrimp live in? 

Really shallow stuff in those back finger creeks. You’re out there throwing a cast net for hours. It’s very ephemeral -- they grow really fast, from one week to the next it’s a different size shrimp. You just have to time it with the weather. I’m still learning but my buddy’s been doing it for a couple of years and says it gets better every year. 

There are more shrimp now then people can remember. It’s pretty cool to be able to stack a bunch of shrimp, a bunch of crabs, some specks, and some puppy drum, all in the same day. You’d think you have to go down to Florida to do that! 

What time of year do you get the shrimp? 

I want to say it was late August or early September, maybe even mid-September. 

Got it. So by then you’re getting in to early fall. Do you hunt doves? 

Doves definitely kick off the fall season. 

They’re hard not to like. They’re so tender and mild, like a reddish-pink meat. I keep doves pretty simple: generally pluck them whole and grill them.

I have to admit, I usually just make dove as poppers. It’s good, don’t get me wrong, but probably not that creative.

I pluck them all and usually do them over high heat on the grill to get the skin crispy and keep them medium rare breast-wise. It’s hard to beat eating a whole dove with your hands. The skin alone is worth the plucking effort. Baste the bird with butter or any kind fat. 

I think somebody that plucks a bunch of doves and roasts them would be hard pressed to go back to breasting them out and wrapping them in cream cheese. 

So then in the fall, I get the impression that you’re hunting deer and waterfowl quite a bit? 

Yea, we started this tradition of going on a sika hunt every October. The last couple of years it’s been my favorite. 

Do you love it just because it’s different hunting deer in a saltwater marsh?

It’s everything. The environment, what you’re hunting. You’ve got this Japanese elk bugling while you’re in a salt marsh in Virginia. You can hear a bugle and the ocean at the same time. I don’t think there’s too many places you can do that. So, the environmental aspect is one thing. 

But it’s a combination of elk hunting, turkey hunting, and deer hunting, all kind of rolled in one in rabbit terrain. 

Sika deer hunting (photo via Elevated Wild)

These animals are vocal enough to let you know they’re there, and you’re calling them and trying to get them in. So, you’re that active participant part and they’re really sneaky. You don’t see them because it’s so thick, and it’s just hair-raising when you can hear one of these things that you can’t see and it’s like 60 yards away, but you cannot place where it is exactly. That’s a lot of fun!

What’s the difference between sika and whitetail meat? 

Sika is hands down my favorite meat I’ve ever had. The backstraps are mind blowing. 

It reminds me of elk, but a lot more tender. It’s got this richness and deep, complex flavor. I think it’s because of the environment they live in is not all that hospitable as far as vegetation goes that they are eating a wide variety of food, and they’re just tough animals. Elk is obviously delicious, and they’re just mini elk. 

It’s definitely a little more earthy than whitetail, but not in a funky, gamey way at all. There’s just a lot more going on. 

I’ve got so many questions on waterfowl. What’s your favorite?  

We chase wood ducks in the early season and during the early part of the 2nd split. They’re always tasty -- I’ve never had a bad wood duck. 

I love chasing black ducks. They always seem to be in the tiniest little back holes. The black duck is basically a mallard that’s evolved to live in the boreal forest, the dark forest with these little creeks. They can tuck into the shadows. I think because of their adaptations is one of the reasons I like hunting them so much. They’re not in these big flocks. They’re super wary. It’s hard to get more than a handful of black ducks to jump into your spread. 

I also love hunting canvasbacks. I’ve never had a bad one. Every one I’ve tasted has been exceptional. And they just bomb the spread in a way like nothing else does. Also, the whole history of them and the recovery, it’s just such a rich, rich thing. 

Any other divers? 

We had the opportunity in North Carolina this past season to shoot some redheads and bluebills. Just like every other waterfowl or any animal, they’re really just a product of their environment. I opened up the birds and their fat was very, very light and very creamy. They were honestly cleaner than a couple of mallards we’d shot, and I ended up smoking a few of them. The crop had had SAV [submerged aquatic vegetation] in it and no shellfish. I think you can determine a lot that way. If they’re like that, without the fishy smell to them, I’d treat them just like any other premium puddle duck. I’ve had some pretty bad divers and I know they don’t have a good reputation as table fare, but the ones we got were super clean. 

Canada geese are the same way. They don’t have a great reputation for table fare but the ones we eat, they’re about as clean as they get. 

I had a friend tell me that people who don’t like Canada geese basically just don’t know how to cook it. 

Yea they’re basically grain finished. They’re hitting those ag fields, picking up whatever they can of the soy and corn and winter wheat, and they get pretty fat. There’s rarely a marshy one in there. Second to venison, it’s basically our staple. 

So, finishing up, you have a couple of recipes of critters that I admittedly did not know tasted very good. How about skate? 

Skate is delicious. They are very similar to scallops in texture. You filet it just like flounder, but it’s got a linear structure, so it’s like scallops but length-wise and flakes off in these ribbons. Really delicate, and you can pan fry it with lemon, wine, and butter. Straight-up fried is good, too. If I served it next to flounder, I think a lot of people couldn’t tell the difference, but I think most people would prefer skate. Honestly, I just think it’s better. 

Beaver ham (photo via Elevated Wild)

And lastly, I had no idea that beaver was something you could eat. 

Beaver is completely underrated protein. The closest thing I can describe it to is bison. It’s really beefy, but very, very lean, and little milder, and has a dark red color like venison. Unlike venison, it’s got a lot of fat that is tasty, and it’s just a little different. 

You’re working with the hind quarters, and the back straps are really thin, really nice. I can’t say enough good things about it. I just finished a 30 lb. batch of beaver bratwurst last night. 

Any favorite traditions each year? 

Every year, I try to make at least one big meal of Peking goose or a couple of Peking ducks. It’s almost a weeklong process, a big production. I use an air compressor to dry it out and separate the skin. You’re basting it in oil to get it crispy. It’s pretty incredible. 

I just love cooking for friends, and sitting around a fire and telling stories after the hunt. Those are my favorite moments of the year for sure.