I was never a big salmon eater, until a friend prepared the fish for me like I am going to describe below, and I have been hooked ever since. Salmon is a "strong" fish ie: fishy. But it's the skin, not the flesh that is the culprit. Salmon is loaded wth vital omega-3 fatty acids is one of the worlds healthist foods.
I will only eat fresh-caught salmon, the farm raised fish lacks flavor and/or is super fishy and has dye added to it to make it appear pink (its actually grey otherwise). My salmon of choice is Alaskan sourced and my absolute favorite is from the Copper River. Have you heard of Copper River Salmon? The "run" (season) is very short, and you can catch the tail end of it right now. I mark my calander every year for the run because Copper River salmon is the gold standard. You will never find a better piece of salmon. Seriously. Get to your local market and try it today. It is so delicious that I do not mask the fish with any spices, relish or sauce.
Grilled Copper River Salmon
Salmon Filet, 4-6 oz is a nice size portion
Sea Salt
Lemon Juice
Fresh RosemaryPreheat grill on high. Place fish, skin side down, on a square of heavy duty aluminum foil. Do not PAM that foil, you want the skin to stick to it. Sprinkle the fish with salt, rub with olive oil and top with a big sprig of fresh rosemary. Lightly close the foil to create a pouch. Place the foiled up fish directly on the grill grate, close the lid, grill 8 minutes. Open the foil and grill another 2-3 minutes. Tip the foil pouch onto the dinner plate and peel back the foil, leaving the skin behind, stuck to the foil. Turn the fish over so it's pretty side up, give it a drizzle of [good] olive oil, a squirt of lemon, and if you're trying to impress someone top it with another sprig of rosemary or grilled lemon slices to garnish. For a super treat, cedar plank the fish rather than using this foil method. Enjoy!
3 comments
LOVE Copper river salmon. When it’s out of season, our go-to is wild-caught Alaskan Sockeye. A very easy way to make it (if you like cumin) is to combine a healthy teaspoon (I never measure) of cumin, dash of powdered ginger, and a big “glug” of olive oil in a small bowl. Squeeze 1/2 to whole (depending on your taste) lime on the salmon filet, salt/pepper, brush with cumin/oil mix & grill. This bakes well too for those winter days where grilling seems too ambitious ;-)
SPE, let me know what you think if you try it. Fresh Market should have Copper River. If you are in metro Milwaukee, Grasch’s in Brookfield has the best Copper River salmon. But Sendiks will have it, too, I think. The secret is to get that skin off. I will need to look for that seasoning at the Spice House (love that store!)
I never heard of Copper River Salmon, I will try the Fresh Market by me tomorrow in search of it. I never buy “farm raised” sea food of any kind I pay the extra money for “fresh caught – never frozen” and you are correct Salmon is a strong fish, so if a person does not spend the money for good salmon they may not try it again. Will give your recipe a try, I usually sprinkle mine with “salmon seasoning” from The Spice House in Milwaukee – yummy!