Copper River Salmon Gemisch

The arrival of Copper River Salmon is one of those big deal events for some in Seattle. The flesh of this salmon is higher in fat than fish from other origins, particularly farm-raised. The fish have to lay on extra fat to survive the long trip to their hatching place to spawn. More fat equals more flavor. In mid-May the first fish get flown on a special Alaska Airlines flight. (Too bad they’re dead already and can’t consume peanuts on the way down.) The price is exorbitant at first, but eventually it falls to affordable. QFC, a local chain, had it on sale this week for $9.99 per pound. I picked up a slab on the way home from work for dinner.

Our usual recipe is to plank the salmon with garlic, onion, brown sugar, orange rind, and basil. Unfortunately, I forgot to pick up an orange along with the fish. Plan B was to plank it and serve it with a mustard vinaigrette over salad. This is an adaptation of a recipe I found in a book called Savory Flavors with Wood (Nature’s Cuisine, 2004). The text of the book was written by an acquaintance of mine, Judith Dern. The “secret ingredient” in the vinaigrette was suggested by our French professor. It adds just a wee bit of umami action to the dressing.

Salmon with Mustard Vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tbsp. white wine vinegar

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

Secret ingredient: a few drops Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce (I used Red Boat)

1 lb. salmon filet

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil

3 cups kale

cucumber and red bell pepper

Oil a cedar or alder plank big enough to hold the piece of fish. Preheat grill. Whisk the oil, vinegar, mustard, fish sauce, salt, and pepper together until smooth. Place the fish on the plank and drizzle with some of the vinaigrette. Roast fish on plank on medium-high (400°) until fish just starts to flake when tested with fork. While the salmon’s on the grill, tear the kale into bite-size pieces and divide between two salad plates. Add cucumber, red bell pepper, or other vegetables as desired. Serve salmon atop the kale salad. Drizzle some of the remaining vinaigrette over the salad. Serves 2-3.

We had some leftovers that Julian turned into salmon salad the next day. He chopped in some red bell pepper, moistened it with a little extra vinaigrette, and threw in some capers. It wasn’t the tidiest lunch, but it certainly was tasty.