Just as the buzz over the annual Copper River Salmon run
(and unreal prices, that are now down to normal, whew!) is
winding down, we in Seattle are now faced with the awesome
Yukon River King Salmon.
Without the hype of the Copper River Salmon, Yukon King
Salmon are making one of their rare appearances in Seattle.
Most of the annual catch wound up in Japan because they
could afford the prices. With their economy in the dumps,
Seattle got its chance this year. Priced lower than Copper
River Kings, this one is about 15% higher in fat content.
A basic primer. Salmon build up a store of fat while in the
ocean, to prepare themselves for their journey up the river
and streams of their "birth". The longer the river, the
higher the amount of fat stored.
The Copper River is about 350 miles while the Yukon is about
2,300 miles. In either case, the best fish is caught at the
mouth of the river, not after it has lost much of its fat
heading upstream.
I bought a pound of it, and grilled it with no condiments. I
placed it on a bed of sorrel sauce (courtesy of Elisabeth).
What can I say. It was fantastic. While I admit that most of
the country is happy when they receive farmed salmon, or
lesser quality of wild salmon, we are quite fortunate in
Seattle to receive some seriously good salmon.
For those in Seattle wanting to try some, you can buy it at
Mutual Fish, Uwajimaya and Metropolitan Markets.
Here is the sorrel sauce recipe:
* Exported from MasterCook *
Salmon in sorrel sauce ("Saumon a l'oseille"😉
Recipe By : Elisabeth Bouynot Serving Size : 2
Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Dinner Fish French
Lunch Main Dish Seafood
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method --------
------------ -------------------------------- 600 ml
fumet de poisson (fish broth) 175 ml heavy cream 50 ml
dry white vermouth (Noilly-Prat or similar) 2 shallots --
finely chopped Sorrel (the various recipes I have go from
"a few leaves" to 500 grams) 75 g butter Juice of 1/2
lemon 400 grams salmon fillet
Put together in a pan the fish broth, the shallots, the
vermouth and half the cream. Bring to a strong boil and
reduce to a quarter of the original volume.
Meanwhile, wash and dry the sorrel, remove the stalks and
cut the leaves in very thin shreds.
When the reduction is finished, add the rest of the cream,
the butter, and the sorrel (keep a few shreds for decor).
Reduce a bit more, add the lemon, salt to taste and serve
over (or under) salmon.
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--
Alan
"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the relig-
ion, and avoid the people, you might better stay home."
-- James Michener