It’s here. The 2025 Copper River King and Sockeye salmon season has launched. The Simplicity Shines with Copper River Salmon Campaign is underway. And, as a result, I’m launching into further recipe development with these rich and robust wild salmon from Alaska.
Yesterday, I found some gorgeous fillets at the Edmonds QFC for $19,99 per pound. I had asked for an eight ounce center cut. However, the fishmonger cut a one pound piece with the tail end intact. I opted to take it.
The tail end of the salmon is often thinner than a center cut. It doesn’t generally have as much fat.These pieces lend themselves to some very inventive preparations one of which is my Salmon Slider technique.
I first developed my Kid-Friendly Salmon Slider recipe for Real Food Magazine back in 2010. I did this because the article was featuring how to stretch one pound of sustainable seafood. (The economy was in a serious rut back then so that’s how I devised that concept. And indeed history repeats itself so I am revisiting that concept!)
And on a purely practical level, I had been making these sliders for my own children and their friends for some time. Everyone loved them, and they always flew off the serving plate!
The sliders only use about one or two ounces of salmon per serving and they are a perfect bite-sized way to feature this wonderful fish economically. The sliders appeal to children. They also make great finger food for a party. They can even be a light easy lunch.
Yesterday, I took that tail end, rubbed it with the Salmon Rub from Market Spice located in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. I drizzled it with oil and baked it in my Breville Smart oven at 400 F for about 10 minutes. The tail end cooked perfectly. It easily separated into quadrants. This made it a snap to plop onto the small slider rolls. A quick homemade chop chop coleslaw and some tartar sauce finished the gig.
These simple sliders are a great way to get a taste of the season in small bites!
Note: These sliders used only about six ounces of that one pound I purchased. The remaining ten ounces or so were baked or grilled for super quick midday lunches. Again, stretching one pound of Copper River sockeye by using it in different ways!
Dubbed the Noble Fish over forty years ago, Copper River salmon is indeed a seasonal taste luxury that has withstood the test of time. Thanks to the rugged Alaska region this fish calls home, these salmon–king, sockeye, and coho–are some of the finest salmon available to consumers.
Inherently silky, rich, and robust, they are a seasonal taste that seafood lovers have been celebrating for decades now. When these fish hit the market fresh in May, the annual celebration of salmon begins.
There’s no denying however that these fish come with a price tag that some folks scoff at. The price does fluctuate each year and throughout the season, but for savvy seafood cooks, there are ways to still appreciate these all-American beauties while at the same time being fiscally savvy.
The answer?
Watch the sales in season and avoid any waste.
Buy the fish whole, if possible.
Ask the fishmonger to fillet it, and use all parts of it.
Get creative and try different seasonings and techniques.
Think beyond dinner. Use the trim for breakfast.
I’ve known this for years but last week I was reminded of this when I ventured to Town and Country Markets in Shoreline. Family owned and operated, T&C has, in my opinion, the finest full service seafood counters in the area. Their Big Board Sale Notice featured whole fresh Copper River Sockeye for $7.99 a pound ($17 off the usual price). The Big Board also noted that the fishmongers would fillet the beauties for free.
Without missing a step, I was off to see my favorite fishmongers. I asked for a big fat sockeye and requested that they fillet it and cut it into six-ounce portions. I also asked to keep the carcass, which included the bones, the backbone, the tail and collar because I was going to make stock.
At home, the salmon was gorgeous. Fresh and silky and a small piece cooked beautifully for lunch. Simply sprinkled with salt, drizzled with a little olive oil and seared on my Le Creuset grill pan it cooked in minutes. Served over salad it was great.
This little exercise got me thinking.
How many ways could I use the salmon, fillets, carcasses, collars and even that swanky tail?
When I went back on Sunday to get another salmon, there was a line of seafood lovers patiently waiting and chatting to place their order for a Copper River salmon. The staffers were still serving everyone at a fast clip and with a smile!
I mentioned to one customer that I was going to use the fillets in a variety of ways and that I was going to vacuum pack some with my Food Saver to make easy lunches in the next month or so. She got on board and requested her fillets be cut into 6 ounce “lunch size portions”. She, too, was going to vacuum pack hers.
When she rejected the carcass and bones, she offered them to me and said, “No Bones about it. You can have em!” We all laughed and I was happy to snag them!
Another mom alongside with a baby in tow, got in the conversation. She asked me the best way to have hers cut. I told her to have them filleted and cut into six-ounce portions as the portions are a bit easier to cook than a whole fillet. She loved that idea.
When the guy asked her how she wanted hers cut, she pointed to me and said, “The same as her.”
Clearly, the love for fresh Copper River salmon, with its superior quality, remains a stalwart here in Seattle.
Well, I thought, of course those same techniques apply to a whole Coopper River Sockeye…And so my little experiment began.
My husband and I laid out all the pieces when I got home. We had gorgeous “lunch size” fillets, plus the tail ends, plus the carcass with the backbone and pin bones, Then I had the collars, which still had hunks of meat and cartilage. And I had the swanky tails which in many ways made me think of a mermaid…
So, here’s a little lineup of my creations this week:
Grilled on a Le Creuset Grill Pan
My first easy dish was to simply salt a six-ounce fillet, spray with a little oil and sear it on my preheated Le Creuset Grill Pan. I flipped it and finished the cooking on the other side. It was done in short order and made a great topping for a simple salad.
Sockeye Tagine with Cilantro
Next up? A Moroccan inspired tagine. The traditional clay tagine was perfect. It’s cone shaped dome naturally steamed the sockeye and it came out perfectly cooked and moist. Although most homes don’t have tagine at hand, the concept of baking the fish covered (perhaps lightly with foil) is one that can easily be adapted. The traditional flavorings of onion, garlic, pepper, cilantro and cumin added some culinary spunk to the dish.
Mermaid Broth
Next up? Go for the Stock Option! I don’t normally make fish stock with salmon bones, tails and collars but with these beauties I did. (For stock I generally use white fish such as halibut and cod.) I simply rinsed the carcass, added it to a large Dutch oven and then sprinkled on savories such as carrots, onions, celery and herbs. The tail flopped over the edge of the pan and I immediately chuckled and imagined a mermaid! The medley was gently simmered on the stove for about an hour. I let it cool, strained it and let it cool further. The fish stock came out clear and lightly flavored with scent of the sea. It went into a Leek and Tarragon sauce that I drizzled over yet another six-ounce fillet.
For Stock Option Round Two, made with another carcass, I used ginger, garlic, lemongrass, carrots, celery, scallions to bring some Asian influence on the project. I might use this in a coconut curry sauce of some sort…. still working that one out.
Monday Eye Opener
On Monday morning, I needed a power boost before launching at my desk, so ITook a tail end of the fillet, and with a sharp knife carved off some flesh strips on an angle. I seared those in a pan for about 20 seconds each side, salted and drizzled with a dash of olive oil. They were great with poached eggs and sour dough disks. And, frankly, it really did keep me fueled through the morning, which was great! My Cronometer Nutritional Tracker noted increases in protein and Omega Three fatty acid intake for breakfast that day, so Monday was off to a solid start!
The Bottom Line
I am still working through other concepts, but the bottom line is keep your eyes open for fish market specials featuring Copper River Salmon while its fresh and in season. And, when you do purchase these beautifies, ask questions, experiment and use it all up. Whether it’s bits of trim, the carcass, or the leftovers!
If you want more tips on using Copper River, fresh and in season, check out the tips I wrote last year for the Copper River Prince William Sound Marketing Association. Forty Tips to Enjoying Copper River Salmon.
For some background on the fishery itself, check out Forty Years of Fresh, which I wrote and which explores the history of how this fish made the leap from being relegated to cans to being celebrated fresh at markets and restaurants throughout the country.
My Other Posts on Salmon
Process This: The Ultimate Salmon Burger Recipe-this is a wonderful method for creating a salmon burger without the added fillers of panko, egg, and it uses small bits and bobs of the fish.
Peonies. Prince William Sound Salmon. Cruise Ships. Tourists. Sunshine. Sea Breezes.
Local peonies are stealing the show at the Pike Place Market right now!
The Pike Place Market I visited today is much different than the one I visited last January. Of course, TECHNICALLY and structurally it’s the same as it was back in January but this morning. the market wasn’t tenuously navigating Seattle’s unpredictable January weather.
Today, the market was strutting her seasonal stuff and loving it! Once again, I had to be downtown very early so after I “checked the box” on an errand well before 7:30 AM, I decided to stroll down the hill and head to the market. It was bright and sunny, and I figured it would be a great time to beat the crowds and see what’s coming in locally.
Alas, when I arrived I again found quiet streets and walkways. My first destination? The flower vendors who were clipping and arranging thousands of local peonies. One of my favorite flowers, the incredible array made me swoon. As much as I love to garden and have success with many things, my attempts to grow peonies have failed repeatedly. These bodacious pink orbs, frankly, made me green with envy! I didn’t buy any simply because I didn’t want to cart them all over. That being said, they were a bargain and the prices ranged from $10 a bunch to $20. Local. Seasonal. Gorgeous beyond compare.
On Ice: The King of all Salmon. This one from Alaska’s Prince William Sound
Next stop? The fish stalls. All the guys were sporting their waterproof orange pants, spraying the walkways, scooping crushed ice onto displays and answering questions from early birds like me. At Pike Place Fish Market they didn’t have any Copper River King or Sockeye because it’s been a rough season up there this far. They did have a massive 25 pound Prince William Sound king in a huge bin filled with ice. The adjacent tabletop display of Prince William Sound sockeye nearby also impressed.
Anticipating the Cruise Ship Crowds and Taking a Breather!
After that, I was ready for a breather so I traipsed over to the nearby park to do a little people watching and eyeball the massive cruise ship docked nearby. As I examined that Norwegian behemoth from afar, I knew the crowds from within would be emerging and heading towards the market so I beelined to breakfast at nearby Seatown, one of Tom Douglas’s restaurants. The Fried Egg sandwich with avocado, Bavarian Meats bacon and a side of crispy hash browns was just what I needed before trekking back UP the hill to catch my bus.
Seatown English Muffin Egg Sandwich with a Side of Bavarian Meats Bacon
While schlepping up to Third, I realized that the Market is indeed a living entity that shifts with each Seattle season.
On February 1, The Wall Street Journal ran an article entitled, “Instant Pot Anxiety? ‘I said a Prayer and Stayed the Hell Away.'”
In the piece, the author, Ellen Byron, interviewed various pot owners who had mishaps and struggled with operating the all in one appliance. I chuckled at some of the stories but admittedly the author was on to something. Every day when I peruse the Instant Pot Facebook feed, I see photos of Instant Pots in sealed boxes and cries for help and advice on how to take that first step to use the appliance. The posts weave into an interactive digital therapy session where fellow Instant Potters exclaim, “You can do it.” “Just start.” “My favorite easiest recipe is….” “Wear goggles and keep the kids outta the kitchen.”
As for me, I love my two Instant pots (6-quart duo and 3-quart mini) and use them daily without fail. Personally, I have never had pressure cooker anxiety because I started using the Kuhn Rikon stove top pressure cookers over twenty years ago. That being said, I can understand why some people hesitate. There are lots of buttons, The manual isn’t great. And, once you lock and load, commit to pressure and things start to rumble. there’s no turning back and you can’t open the lid and check the contents. It is indeed a leap of faith.
My solution for those folks who fret? Take the Instant pot out of the box, run the simple water test per the manufacturer’s instructions and make YOGURT!
Both of my machines have yogurt buttons and this cycle does NOT require putting anything under pressure. It simply creates a low heat that incubates your milk and starter and turns it into the rich luscious yogurt over the course of 8 hours. A miracle cycle in my mind!
I’ve tried various yogurt recipes but my favorites have come from This Old Gal and the only recipe I use now is her Instant Pot No Boil Yogurt Recipe which uses the whole Fairlife Milk found in many mainstream grocery stores such as Target, Safeway, QFC, and Winco. This particular milk does not require any preheating before making the yogurt so all I have to do is pour my half a gallon of whole milk into my 3 quart Instant Pot and whisk in two packets of YoGourmet starter. I then put on the lid, press the Yogurt Cycle and leave it alone for 8 hours. There is no pressure. No noise. No steam. No wiggles or jiggles. Just a quiet incubation on the counter.
At the end of the cycle, the mixture has transformed into thick luscious creaminess. I then put my all natural yogurt, still in the Instant Pot’s inner container, into my fridge, covered and let it sit, undisturbed, overnight.
I use my yogurt on everything from granola and citrus segments to baked potatoes and kale salads. And, I’ve discovered that it makes a great tartar sauce to dollop on Alaska halibut or salmon.
So, if you want to buy an Instant Pot but are feeling, well, pressured…skip “manual” button and go for Yogurt.
Even if you never make anything else, the savings from making your own yogurt will pay for the pot in no time.
Funny how a simple phone call from mom can chart a new course.
Back in 1995 my mom called me. I was living in Seattle and was a new mother. Mom was sitting at the kitchen table at home on Long Island. She didn’t beat around the bush. She got right to the point and told me I needed to eat more salmon. Huh?
Mom had read an article in The New York Times that morning and it was based on research coming out of Seattle’s University of Washington. Published on November 1, 1995 and entitled “Study Finds Anew a Benefit in Eating Fish,” the article presented findings from a six -year King County study that clearly showed how eating even moderately sized servings of seafood rich in omega three fatty acids held promising health benefits.
I soon received that hand clipped article as well as others addressing Vitamin D, darkness, breast cancer risk and more. They all mentioned the benefits of eating oily rich fish such as salmon. I took it to heart.
After all, beautiful wild salmon was readily available at the seafood counters and in the local waters all over Seattle and frankly I found it to be a restorative and positive way to take action on a brutal reality that wasn’t fun, pleasant or even remotely palatable.
You see, my mom was 2800 miles away suffering through metastatic breast cancer and would soon undergo a bone marrow transplant with a tragic outcome. My older sister, who was 36 years old had just conquered breast cancer and intensive chemotherapy. As for me, I was only 30 years old and was faced with a tsunami of risk heading my way.
Back then I was actively participating in the High Risk Breast Clinic at the University of Washington. When I moved to Seattle, the specialists at NY’s Memorial Sloan Kettering had told me to go to the UW. So, I heeded their advice, and every six months I showed up at the University of Washington Medical Center for a check-up.
Although I dreaded those darn appointments, being a journalist, I always took solace in the “news” that my docs shared each time. It seemed like research was breaking new ground daily. My wonderful doctors, who faithfully followed me for the next ten years, educated me and encouraged me to participate in the new technology and warned me that “false readings” were possible but part of the research. Hmm. Okay. And, indeed, when they were learning how to administer and read MRIs for breast cancer screening, I was on the table. I was injected. I was zoomed in and out of the MRI machine and I was often called back when some minuscule spot looked odd and they wanted to “dig further.” Dig they did.
To make a long story short, after a decade with UWMC, I was diagnosed in 2004 at the age of 39. It was early but the docs, like mom, didn’t tread lightly. I was told: “double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction.” No chemo or radiation would be necessary because it was so early. With little waffling, I agreed and had the surgery.
I’ve never looked back and have been grateful to have nipped that nasty beast in the bud so early.
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month and National Seafood Month, I was recently inspired to donate to Sea A Cure, a fundraiser bridging the seafood industry and the cutting edge research being done at City of Hope. The fundraiser popped up on my Facebook page and it resonated instantly.
For me, it was the amazing doctors and researchers, both here and in NYC, who dedicated their careers to finding solutions and better detection methods but it was also that simple no nonsense call from mom that cold rainy day in 1995.
Since then, I’ve known that I can’t always fix exactly what might ail me but I sure can take the helm and dish up a hefty dose of prevention right in my own little kitchen. That’s why over the years, wild salmon, as well as many other types of seafood, have played a big role in my every day cooking, writing and recipe development. It’s quick, easy, delicious, versatile, widely available and ridiculously good for you. What’s not to love? Clearly mom was on to a good thing!
If you want to see some of my salmon articles and recipes, click here and here.
If you are interested in knowing more about the Sea A Cure Friends of the Seafood Industry fundraiser click here. For more about City of Hope, check out these informative links.
Sometimes you get in a recipe rut. You make the same version of a recipe time and again. Then, there are instances when you decide you need a reboot.
You need to bust a rut and revisit your technique.
That’s exactly what happened to me last May.
I was attending the Nordic Culinary Conference at the Nordic Heritage Museum and Andreas Viestad, the author of Kitchen of Light and the host of the PBS Television series New Scandinavian Cooking was giving a demo on gravlax. My husband and I have been making gravlax for years but I thought it would be fun to learn or explore a new technique.
Generally, when we make it we use wild salmon that has been frozen and we make it during the winter months,usually around Christmas. We also used kosher salt and follow a recipe that essentially had us “burying” the salmon in salt. The results were good but I felt they could be better.
Hello, Nordic Culinary Conference!
While discussing the history and culture of gravlax and working at a very basic set up in the museum’s gym, Andreas sparked my Gravlax Recipe Reboot! He used a far gentler hand when curing his gravlax and he discussed the merits of curing the wild salmon first and then freezing it. Aside from neutralizing any potential health issues with eating wild salmon raw, this curing THEN freezing method also results in a superior end product because Andreas explained that the curing breaks down some of the proteins in the fish and removes excess water in the flesh before the fish is frozen.
At the end of that class we were all treated to tastings of his version. Memorable morsels indeed.
At home, I anxiously awaited the launch of Copper River sockeye season and once I could get my hands on some, I adapted Andreas’s basic gravlax recipe. While standing face to fin with my Copper River sockeye, I decided to adjust Andreas’s recipe even further. He calls for curing with dill seed and peppercorn but I left those out and wrote up my own version of the technique, using an even lighter more intuitive hand. The end product is buttery, fresh and deliciously decadent.
The sockeye gravlax slices beautifully.
It drapes like silk!
Missy Trainer’s Gravlax Recipe
Adapted from Andreas Viestad, Nordic Culinary Conference (May 2016) and Kitchen of Light.
Copyright 2016 Melissa A. Trainer
Ingredients:
1 Copper River sockeye salmon, (tested with a four pounder/2016 season), filleted, pin boned, washed and patted dry lightly with paper towels
1/3 cup fine sea salt*
2/3 cup sugar
½ large bunch fresh dill, chopped coarsely
Equipment: parchment paper, Saran Wrap, large baking dish, such as Le Creuset roasting pan, small sandwich sized Tupperware containers, and four cans of Oregon Fruit Products cherries to weight the fish
Put the sockeye fillets, flesh side up on the parchment paper. Combine the salt and sugar in a bowl and lightly sprinkle the sockeye flesh with the mixture.
I did this about three times and between each sprinkling the cure mixture would start to dissolve. This gentle subtle sprinkling technique results in a more refined texture. In the past and in many recipes they call for just dumping the mixture on the flesh, which essentially suffocates the poor bugger! After sprinkling, rub the mixture around a little bit to distribute it.
In my method, let the salmon talk back to ya! Let it suck up some of the salt sugar mixture and rest for a second before you “load it up” again!
After three or four sprinklings, you’ll probably have some salt/sugar cure mixture left. I didn’t use it all the first time…I just set it aside in a jam jar and saved it for the next round of fish.
Then top the salmon with the chopped dill and sandwich the two fillets together. Wrap the sandwiched fillets in Saran wrap, put in the roasting pan and weight it as evenly as you can with the Tupperware and canned cherries…or corn or beans or bricks. This compresses the salmon and helps to extract that excess water.
Refrigerate and turn daily for two to three days. Remove the cured fish, pat it dry. Do not rinse it. Leave the fresh dill intact. Cut into eight ounce chunks or whatever size you want. (Eight ounce chunks make it easy to avoid waste and use only what you need in each sitting.)
Vacuum pack if you have a Food Saver and freeze. Remove from freezer, let defrost and cut the gravlax thinly on an angle.
Drape the gravlax slices on whole grain bread, top with Scandinavian mustard and a garnish of dill.
Gravlax Twice as Good: Leftovers? Save even the smallest leftovers and tidbits and make a Scandinavian style potato salad with fresh cooked new potatoes, sour cream/mayo combo, celery, sweet onion, fresh dill and snippets of gravlax. The best!
*Salt: In prior seasons we always just used kosher salt but we now know that it is way too coarse and harsh. I switched to a bulk French fine sea salt from Whole Foods, which made a huge difference as the salt melts on the flesh within seconds.
