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The Best Salmon I've Ever Tasted!
i never thought i would be moaning with delight over food at an airport but anthony's restaurant at the seattle airport had a sign outside the entrance announcing the arrival of copper river sockeye salmon and we had an hour before boarding so i made a bee line to the restaurant.
the salmon was described as oven roasted on a plank of alder wood, lightly swathed (i think this is my word) with beurre blanc. i asked my husband to order it medium rare (fearing they would overcook it) as i dashed off (i'm always speeding in airports--they make me hyper, i.e. i want to get in and out as fast as possible) to use the nearby facilities. he instead, in his infinite wisdom, ordered it rare to medium. my first forkful told me everything i needed to know. it was plush and moist with the faint but distinct flavor of the alder wood. it was served with pencil thin asparagus and rice pilaf which were also good. but the salmon was divine.
definitely the best food i've ever been served in an airport and the best salmon bar none. america the beautiful is becoming ever more so!
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As for the Copper River Salmon, I am very happy that you like it so much. We live right by the Copper and this salmon has spoiled us for any other.
The best way to prepare it (in my 20 some years of experience) is the method recommended by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Council--high heat (it is the fattest salmon) and quickly. I usually cook it in a foil pouch with soy sauce, ginger garlic and lime. Place in a preheated 450 degree oven for ten minutes per inch of thickness of your fillet. Add five minutes for the foil pouch if you use it.
The foil keeps all the lovely juices in and there is no clean up. In season, we have this several times a week.
Enjoy!
Reply to this Posted by: Marilyn Leahy | July 26, 2006 8:20 PM #
christing, i'm delighted to know the bottled cranberry juice worked!
i know it sounds like a long way off but then so is australia from here! i'm planning either to be invited or invite my self to the food and wine festival 2008 when my new book comes out. my dear friend anna schwartz has invited us to visit so that would be a good time for a trip. stay in touch!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | June 12, 2006 12:01 PM #
i hope a fellow blogger in FL can steer george to a local place for the durum! alternatively, if there's an italian neighborhood nearby someone's sure to have it. but don't get the coarser yellow semolina!
north dakota mill:
www.ndmill.com
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | June 12, 2006 11:59 AM #
would you know where i can purchase a bag of durum flour preferably in the state of florida, thank you, george
Reply to this Posted by: george bahen | June 12, 2006 11:13 AM #
Hi Rose,
I decided to try making the pie with just plain cranberry juice (the bottled ocean spray stuff) and it turned out great! I also decided to replace the cornstarch with gelatine so it would't go soupy in the fridge, I used 3 sheets of gelatine (1.3g each) and it was excellent--set but without that over-bouncy jellied feeling.
It's so lovely to know that you love Australia, hope you're planning to make a return trip at some point. I'd certainly love to have you here! I'm a pastry assistant and one of the chefs I worked with, Zoi Condos, has fond memories of learning from you.
Christine.
Reply to this Posted by: Christine | June 12, 2006 3:37 AM #
i'm so glad this served to remind you and i know you'll have an amazing dinner. i too love this time of year--in fact, so much so a few weeks ago i woke up in the middle of the night trying to remember if it was spring that was coming or fall and was so reassured to realize it was spring. with all the traveling i've been doing lately it's hard to keep track!
i'm sure you know this but wild salmon has SO much less fat than tank raised so becomes dry if overcooked (no more than 105 is my preference).
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | June 10, 2006 1:25 PM #
Rose,
Yesterday, at our local (SF Bay area) Costco, they were selling Copper River salmon for a really good price, but I didn't buy any. After reading your description of your wonderful meal in Seattle, I just called my husband and asked him to pick some up for tonight's dinner. We'll grill it with some wood chips and serve it with the lovely spinach, spring onions, and beets that I received this week in our CSA package from two fabulous local organic farms. I love this time of year!!
--Nancy Berry
San Francisco
Reply to this Posted by: Nancy Berry | June 10, 2006 11:34 AM #
Great tip on the temperature; cooking it without it getting overdry is the big challenge; that's why I love the salt method.
I just was about to post this thought when I read your reply: I bet the cedar plank would work well on the grill, too, as long as it's over indirect heat. This way you could enjoy the method without the smell in the house. Thanks for all the info on salmon. I do have the Pastry Bible and will check on what you're suggesting.
I love Salmon, too, but don't eat it often enough. The absolute best salmon dish I ever had was in Chinon, France, cooked in a sauce made with redwine of the area.
Living in Dallas, I don't get the advantages of fresh salmon very often as one would around places such as Seattle.
Reply to this Posted by: Zach Townsend | June 9, 2006 4:46 PM #
i will have to give up the skin one time in favor for this terrific sounding method. yes--i've also tried the cedar plank. forgot to mention the most important thing--i don't let the thickest part of the salmon go over 105degreesF. i could write a whole book on salmon or at least a mini book i love it so many ways--not least of which the ultimate party food: the coulibiac (if you have the pastry bible check it out. i use couscous instead of the usual rice which is more delicate. it's a lot of work but feeds so many people in the end maybe it's not....
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | June 9, 2006 4:36 PM #
Rose,
Cooking the salmon on salt will not result in a crispy skin; it's just a beautiful way to cook it so that it stays very moist and evenly cooked. I really love this method. The salmon actually doesn't become salty at all as long as it's cooked skin-side down, although I enjoy a little bit of the salt that gets on the bottom as a result. I also love this method because it's so easy to prepare. Take a cast iron skillet, place it on top of the stove, pour Kosher salt into the pan, covering the bottom completely, but not letting the salt pile up. Set heat on medium to medium high. When the salt starts to smoke a bit, place the salmon on top, skin-side down, and place a cover over the top (I use the lid to a large stock pot). Check the salmon on occasion that it's done to your specifications. It's important to use only a cast iron skillet as it's the only material strong enough to take the dry heat from the stove and salt.
I agree about the smell in the house. As soon as I take the salmon off the salt, I run water in the bottom of the skillet to supress the smoke and smell - then it's candles, candles, candles! It's usually not too bad if I wash the utensils and skillet fairly soon after using them.
The way you described your marinade sounds awesome. I've also baked salmon in the oven on top of an untreated cedar plank. Have you had this before? Just soak the plank in water for several minutes until good and wet. Brush with olive oil and set salmon (again skin-side down) on the plank. Put the plank directly in the oven for ?? minutes (I forget), just watching the salmon until it's done. If you've soaked the plank well enough, it may scortch some around the edges but will be fine. This method imparts a great, subtle cedar taste to the salmon...surprisingly very good and a great way to enjoy the salmon with just a bit of herbed butter to enjoy the cedar flavor in the background.
Reply to this Posted by: Zach Townsend | June 9, 2006 4:28 PM #
zach, your idea of cooking the salmon sounds excellent but my problem is that i adore the crisp skin--doesn't it get too salty or are you using just a little?
i bought copper river sockeye AND copper river wild yesterday and last night cooked the steak on a grill mat indirect having marinated it in soy, ginger, sesame oil, oj--feeling guilty for interfering even a tiny bit with the flavor but the wonderful salmon flavor still came through and was beautifully moist. the main advantage of using the grill is so as not to smell up the kitchen--also it's very even, but honestly the oven would surely work as well.
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | June 9, 2006 4:07 PM #
some of best adventures christine, have been in your country! and what a great place for extraordinary food. even the food magazines are on a higher plane.
re the cran/raspberry, i like the frozen stuff bc it isn't too heavily sugared. you could certainly use 100% cranberry but if you're referring to the bottled variety, it may have too much sugar. try reducing it. you'll know if it is too much sugary if it becomes very thick and/or starts to carmelize. do report back!
Reply to this Posted by: Rose Levy Beranbaum | June 9, 2006 4:03 PM #
Hi Rose,
I always love reading about your adventures, they make me hungry! I wanted to ask--do you know a good substitute for the cran/raspberry concentrate you call for in the glazed strawberry pie recipe in The Pie And Pastry Bible? We don't get that here in Australia. Can I use reduced cranberry juice, or would the cooked flavour be unpleasant? Thanks so much, looking forward to reading all about what you're up to!
Christine.
Reply to this Posted by: Christine | June 8, 2006 12:26 AM #
Sounds delicious, Rose! And I think you were lucky to have been in Seattle during Copper River salmon season!
I've bought some Copper River salmon when it's in season, but it's been awhile. To keep it very moist, I always cook it on top of nothing but kosher salt (skin side down) sprinkled in the bottom of a cast iron skillet, covering the skillet while the salmon cooks; this keeps it incredibly moist.
This puts me in the mood for some....
Zach
Reply to this Posted by: Zach Townsend | June 7, 2006 4:41 PM #