Even though this is a very large recipe, the rewards of making the recipe are many and, without the numerous volunteers, it would be an impossible endeavor.)

It all starts in early May when the South Haven Steelheaders host a 2-day fishing tournament with over 130 boats participating.  The fish caught in the tournament are frozen by a local processor for use in the above recipe at the South Haven Blueberry Festival in August.  The visitors come from far and wide (even from merry old England !) to enjoy the Festival events – and particularly the Steelheaders Fish Boil.

The day of the cookout begins around noon as the volunteers gather to peel the mountain of onions.  Even though this is done out-of-doors, to see a group of 15 grown men in a circle around barrels of onions, all on the verge of tears, is a humbling sight.  The minimal use of only one box of bandages is testimony to the professional cutting abilities of these great senior citizens.  The potatoes are then washed and cleaned and placed in a large barrel alongside the onions for later use.

At mid-afternoon, volunteers do the final setup of the tables, serving tables, and chairs.  Additionally, the five specialized 20-gallon cooking pots are set up, with burners large enough to be used for hot-air balloons.  These are placed in the most efficient manner to avoid giving heat stroke to the pot-watchers and to prevent burning the hair off the arms of the cooks.

As people begin to get into line, they are given the opportunity to purchase souvenir tee shirts as mementos of the annual feast.  Once the dinner bell is sounded at 4:00pm , the first of over 1200 people arrive to be served.  The line never shrinks until just before the 8:00pm closing time.  From 4:00-8:00pm , dinner is served to 300 people per hour – or 5 people each minute – or 1 hungry patron every 12 seconds!  Each one gets a generous helping of boiled salmon, potatoes and onions smothered in melted butter, along with tangy coleslaw, a dinner roll and a beverage.

The whole production, from procurement of the supplies to the cooking and the serving, takes extensive coordination of the buyers, setup volunteers, cookers, basket-fillers, suppliers of the buffet line and cleanup personnel.  Once a rumor floated about that a woman in line was about to have a baby.  But this was immediately debunked when it was discovered that it was only our frantic coordinator having a cow!  Sedatives, first aid and CPR were administered by an unconcerned bystander (volunteers were already tied up with their own duties), and the dinner proceeded without incident.

The one job that resulted from the drawing of the short straw was for the person in charge of melting the 80 pounds of butter.  Done a half-gallon at a time, if the pot is not watched constantly, the inevitable boil-over makes for a very slippery mess and summons ridicule and heckling from all the workers.  This occasionally even makes the Evening News and the unlucky person is humiliated for a minimum of 6 months, or until the next year’s pot-watcher makes the same mistake.

As the serving time begins to wind down and there is still a seemingly endless line of hungry patrons yet to be served, an emergency cry goes out for more potatoes, more onions, and still even more butter.  A mad dash to the local grocery store ensures that we are resupplied for the final dinner rush, and the remaining people will be rewarded for their perseverance in waiting up to an hour in line for their blueberry (festival) salmon dinner.

After the tables are cleared, the pots and coolers are cleaned, and the dinner is once again an overwhelming success, the proceeds earned from the dinner will be used to fund contributions to local athletic teams, college scholarships, and numerous other charities in the community.  All of the volunteer Steelheaders can sleep well.  Before they know it, it will be time to do it all over again.

Tom Peterson