Note: Today, a quick post that really evokes a sense of place. Food writer Cheryl Sternman Rule takes us on a fishing expedition in Alaska. Enjoy! —AK Photographs by Cheryl Sternman Rule When the server set the salmon carpaccio in front of me, I felt like whispering in her ear. "Just so you know," I’d say, "this fish and I have met before." And it was true. A day earlier, on Prince William Sound in southeastern Alaska, I’d bore witness as the commercial fisherman on whose boat I was riding netted three sockeye, pulled out their gills, and tossed them to the bottom of her bow-picker. There was blood, yes, but there was also something beautiful about the process—its simplicity....
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On Fridays, Deb Harkness of Good Wine Under $20 drops by with Serious Grape. Photograph from 松林Ｌon Flickr Now that it's spring I can't go by the fish counter at the local market without wanting some salmon. I don't know if it's the color, the freshness of its flesh, or the fact that it goes so well with spring vegetables like peas and asparagus. No matter the reason, salmon is finding its way onto my dinner table regularly. If this is happening to you too, you might be wondering what wine makes a perfect partner for this rich fish. Once upon a time, the rule was "white wine with fish." That rule doesn't hold anymore. To prove it, I made...
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Megan of Brooklyn Farmhouse makes a dish perfect for when you're in, as she says, an "I-know-I-should-cook-dinner-but-I-kinda-don’t-feel-like-it mood." I have to admit that I'm in this mood just about every other day when I get home from work, so this seared salmon with balsamic glaze and watercress jumped out at me. Confession: Until recently, I hated salmon with a passion. It was on my death list, along with beans, lentils, and some other things I won't divulge at this time. That said, I love salmon now, and a dish that takes under ten minutes to make is certainly worth a try even if salmon is on your death list....
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I'm not sure what to make of The Slammin' Salmon, the latest slapstick comedy from Broken Lizard (the same folks behind Beerfest and Super Troopers). Finally, a movie with salmon in the title! Basically, Michael Clarke Duncan's character runs a Miami seafood restaurant and challenges his waitstaff to make the most money in one night. They do crazy stuff, some of which is funny. The trailer, after the jump....
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Longtime fisherman Randy Hartnell; photo from Vital Choice My Alaskan friend recently shipped me ten pounds of fresh salmon he caught in the Kenai River. Not a bad cardboard box to find waiting on your doorstep. My first batch—cooked with lemon, sea salt, and pepper— was so tasty, I wanted to jump up and down and invent a happy dance called "The Salmon." Unlike the light pink, over-boiled salmon at Ikea (sorry Ikea)—and most salmon of my childhood (sorry Mom)—this one was a deeper, almost-red shade. Why is Alaskan salmon so much better? To understand, I went to Randy Hartnell, a longtime Alaskan fisherman and founder of a wild fish and berries company called Vital Choice. After over twenty...
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Two food-related opinion pieces in the New York Times this morning. Fryer Grease as Fuel: Greg Melville says, "Unfortunately, Americans don’t gorge themselves on enough French fries and jalapeño poppers to power every car, but vegetable vehicles like mine suggest that fossil fuel dependency is not as intractable a problem as we may believe." Give Salmon a Rest: Author Taras Grescoe advocates avoiding salmon until the fish's numbers increase. "I’ll wait for next year and hope the West Coast fisheries show signs of recovery. Until then — or until salmon farmers convince me they’ve cleaned up their act — I’ll be eating closer to the bottom of the food chain."...
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I didn't know gravlax was so easy to make (except for that you have to wait two or three days to eat it) until I read this post on Apartment Therapy: Kitchen. I've pretty much always lived near purveyors of delicious gravlax, but if you're not so lucky you've now no excuse not to make your own! If you like salmon and you've never had gravlax, you owe it to your tastebuds to try....
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