eG Cook-Off #82: Salmon

[gfweb]

1 hour ago, heidih said:

 

That miso salmon looks good. What were the other glaze components?

Dark miso, honey and soy in roughly equal amounts. Maybe a little less soy. I put it on the filet and let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then steam cook to 120 f internal temp. Sometimes I've torched the glaze to get a little caramelization. 

[David Ross]

This is a series of photos from back in 2012 of cold-smoked salmon I made during our eG Cook-Off #59, https://forums.egullet.org/topic/142515-cook-off-59-cured-brined-smoked-and-salted-fish/ (I'll be posting my gravlax with Aquavit recipe soon).

 

I still use this recipe today, although I typically don't pay the premium price for Copper River salmon.  I'll wait into mid-June and buy fresh Alaska salmon that doesn't carry the pr and marketing price of Copper River-but is just as good.  We have a couple of shops in our region that buy the salmon direct from fishermen in Alaska and bypass other vendors in the distribution chain to keep the price down.  They fish it, ship it from Alaska and it's down in the Spokane area with a day from when it's harvested.  

 

Back in 2012 the price for fresh Copper River salmon was $29.99 a pound on May 19.  That's about as cheap as it gets for us so I imagine if anyone in the Midwest or East can get fresh Copper River salmon it goes for much more.  

-

 

The shop cleaned and boned the salmon-

 

A lot of recipes use too much salt for my tastes, so I use a ratio of 1/3 cup of Kosher salt to ¼ cup of sugar. I also add a tablespoon of Salish Smoked Alder Salt.  It's a sea salt that is smoked with alderwood boards that come from an old smoked salmon cannery in Alaska.  Alder is one of the traditional woods used by Native Americans for smoking and roasting salmon.

 

I buy a whole side of salmon and cut it in half. Each salmon filet is liberally dusted with the salt/sugar mix then allowed to cure, covered, in the refrigerator for 7 hours. I don't add any herbs like dill for this recipe.

 

After curing for 7 hours, I rinse off the salmon and then put it back in the refrigerator for another two hours, uncovered, to dry out the flesh. Then I cold-smoke the salmon in my digital smoker (smoke only, no heat), using alder wood chips.

 

Sliced as thin as I can get it. 

 

[David Ross]

"Smoked Salmon Candy" is a traditional dish we make in the Northwest.  Similar to regular hot-smoked salmon, it involves some unique and different steps.  The result is smoked salmon that is salty and sweet yet very moist.  It has a deep, vibrant red color with a glossy, almost transparent finish.

 

Legend says that Smoked Salmon Candy is the creation of Native Canadians who married the process of brining, drying and smoking salmon with pure maple syrup. I first had Smoked Salmon Candy as an appetizer at the Waterfront Hotel in Vancouver, Canada. I remember the menu description led me to believe it was basically a smoked salmon dish with traditional garnishes--then the plate arrived at the table and I realized that I was in for a new experience--small logs of deep-red, almost transluscent salmon with a rich, oily sheen nestled alone on the plate. The salmon had a firm, yet soft texture, somewhere between cold-smoked salmon and what we know as salmon jerky. But it was anything but the dry, chewy texture of a jerky. The sweet flavor of Canadian Maple Syrup was counter-balanced by a good measure of salt. It was a revelation for me. I had never tasted smoked salmon so unique and so delicious. That's when I first fell in love with Smoked Salmon Candy.

 

I first made Smoked Salmon Candy during our Cook-Off #59: Cured, Brined, Smoked and Salted Fish.  The first question I asked was about using sodium nitrite in the cure.  I had never used it on fish, only meat.  Apparently sodium nitrite is sometimes used in the brine for smoked fish to kill any bacteria during the unsafe temp window of 40-140 used during smoking.  In the end I didn't use it, only pickling salt.

 

The process of crafting Smoked Salmon Candy at home takes me a week--2 days of brining, 4 days of drying and 1 day of smoking. I start with a whole side of Wild Alaska Sockeye Salmon. Frozen works well, but we prefer fresh spring salmon to celebrate the season. I cut the salmon into 1" wide filet strips and then let them sit in the brine for 24 hours.

The brine-

10 cups water

1/2 cup pickling salt

2 cups dark brown sugar

1 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp. black peppercorns

I've tried this recipe with 8 cups water to 1 cup salt and it was far too salty for my tastes.

Into the brine-

The salmon comes out of the brine and is rinsed in clean, cold water. The next step, drying, was a shock to me at first.  I've cured salmon before but always let it dry in the cool fridge.  The traditional recipe I started with calls for drying at room temperature or outside.  But the recipe works perfect and there hasn't been any danger drying the salmon in the back pantry. Most recipes call for drying the salmon for 1-2 days. I stretch it on this point and dry the salmon, uncovered, at air temperature, for 4 days. I check the salmon by touch each day to make sure it isn't getting to dry and still has some spring to the flesh and develops a sheen on the surface. The idea is to dry the meat and concentrate the flavors, yet not take it to the point where the flesh is fully dried-out. The salmon filets on a rack over a cookie sheet to dry-

After 4 days of drying at room temperature, I brush the filets with a mixture of 3/4 cup clover honey and 1/4 cup water. The maple syrup and brown sugar in the brine sweeten the meat of the salmon, and the honey is the "candy" glaze-

The next step is smoking.  I use a Bradley digital smoker.  It uses little "bisquettes" which are small, round compacted discs of wood chips.  In the Pacific Northwest we use the traditonal alderwood for smoking salmon.  The Bradley smoker works well for me because I can set the time, temperature and the bisquettes are automatically fed into the smoker.

Of course, this was a few years back when the smoker was new and clean.  It's got a good layer of smoke now, which actually is much better.  The first run in a new smoker doesn't always result in the best smoked flavor. I smoke the salmon "candy" filets over alderwood at a temperature of 140 for about 5 hours. The salmon turns out to the have just the right balance of smoke and isn't over-cooked at this temp and time.

 

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Salmon was supposed to be tonight's dinner.  Amazon left the salmon out of my delivery.

 

But to make perhaps a more useful post, I had ordered sockeye on sale.  Previously I had tried king, which I thought was very good.  For grilling, how does king compare with sockeye?  Sockeye is less expensive, even not on sale.

 

 

[kayb]

@David Ross -- Oh, dear sweet baby Jesus. That looks and sounds absolutely stunning. Be assured it is on my list to do, with your instructions carefully copied and saved, as soon as I get moved and can commence cooking again!

 

 

[liamsaunt]

On 5/13/2019 at 5:53 PM, dans said:

 

I order from the place next door. They aren't throwing fish around and will cut it whatever way you ask.  I just received a notice that they are taking orders for copper river salmon (king and sockeye).

 

We went to the Olympic Peninsula for a wedding one time and stopped at the stall at Pike Place Market. We got a whole salmon cut into steaks and packed to travel. People were raving about the salmon when I cut out the bone, tied it into a "burger" then grilled it up.  We have ordered some sent to us on the east coast a few times. Unfortunately, we sibned up with Cape Ann Fresh catch and they have salmon equally as good.

Check the two of the out:

Pure Food Fish Market

Cape Ann Fresh Catch

 

 

I'm in Cape Ann Fresh Catch too!  Hello fellow Massachusetts person!  🙂

 

Last night, I used my Cape Ann Fresh Catch salmon to make a sheet-pan roasted salmon nicoise salad.  The recipe is from the New York Times.  Here's a link: 

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020220-sheet-pan-roasted-salmon-nicoise-salad?action=click&module=Local Search Recipe Card&pgType=search&rank=1

 

It was simple and quite good.  The potatoes, olives, tomatoes, green beans and salmon all get roasted on the same pan (potatoes going in first of course).  I especially liked the dressing.

 

 

 

[David Ross]

14 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Salmon was supposed to be tonight's dinner.  Amazon left the salmon out of my delivery.

 

But to make perhaps a more useful post, I had ordered sockeye on sale.  Previously I had tried king, which I thought was very good.  For grilling, how does king compare with sockeye?  Sockeye is less expensive, even not on sale.kng

 

 

For my tastes I always prefer sockeye over king salmon-grilling, smoking, curing, just about any type of preparation.  I think it has more flavor and a higher oil content than king salmon and it's a stretch then for me to pay the price of king salmon.

[rotuts]

@liamsaunt

 

I might have said the before

 

you have the most colorful plates of food Ive ever seen.

 

At Home , and at a restaurant.

 

exceptionally appetizing 

[BonVivant]

I like salmon and eat it every week. Often cure a piece for weekend lunches. Have made salmon almost every which way, too. But not this...

 

Ate it on train journeys in Japan. Couldn't stop after just 1. Saved 1 last bundle to take home and made it last and last. Hope to visit Hakodate again so I can get more, and ship it home. I also bought many bags of dried squid. It tasted better than Chinese or Taiwanese versions. My jaws hurt so nice for days.

 

I bought the entire display! (Many stalls have free samples, you can always try a small piece before deciding to buy)

 

Besides home-cured salmon I also like it hot smoked (I use an old wok).

 

 

I cry again

I swear again

I drink again

I smoke again

[David Ross]

This is a new salmon dish I made a few months back.  It was sort of an adventure and part of our Avocado Cook-Off here https://forums.egullet.org/topic/158091-eg-cook-off-81-the-avocado-finding-new-popularity-in-the-kitchen/. I knew I wanted to do something different with avocado and I wanted to pair it with salmon.  I had never heard of pickled avocado, it was just a thought that popped into my head.  I started with an online recipe, then tinkered with it a bit to add some different spices so the dish would have Mexican flavors. Then using the pickled avocado I used it in a watermelon salsa to go with pan-roasted salmon.

 

I don't remember now, but I'm pretty sure this was fresh, albeit farmed, Atlantic salmon.  It looks better when you photograph it than it tastes.  The farmed salmon we get isn't from the cold waters of Northern Europe.  It doesn't have much flavor or color.  I might have been better off using frozen wild salmon. Wild salmon would have the bold taste to go better with the flavors of the salsa. 

 

Pickled Avocado-Watermelon Salsa-makes 3 cups

½ cup white vinegar

½ cup water

1 tbsp. Kosher salt

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

6 fresh cilantro sprigs

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 tbsp. finely diced jalapeno

1 tsp. lime zest

2 unripe avocados

1 cup, seedless watermelon cut into small cubes

½ cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp, minced jalapeno

½ cup finely chopped cilantro

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Combine the vinegar, salt, sugar, coriander, mustard and cumin seeds and water in a small saucepan over high heat.  Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.  Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the brine into a container.  Add the cilantro, garlic, jalapeno and lime zest to the brine.  Let the brine cool to room temperature.

 

Cut the avocados in half then remove the pit.  Peel off the skin and dice the avocado into small cubes.  When the brine is cooled add the avocado cubes. Cover the container and refrigerate the avocado overnight.  The pickled avocado will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

 

Before serving, drain the pickled avocado from the brine.  Place in a bowl and add the fresh watermelon and avocado cubes, the onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice and olive oil and gently toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  The salsa should be served the same day you combine all the ingredients.

 

Salmon-

4, 6-8 oz. salmon filets

2 tsp. mustard powder

2 tsp. chili powder

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. olive oil

 

Heat the oven to 400.  Rub each salmon filet with some of the mustard and chili powder and season with salt and pepper. 

 

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil.  Add the salmon filets and brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the salmon for another 4-5 minutes or until the salmon is firm to the touch and done.

 

Pan-Roasted Salmon with Pickled Avocado-Watermelon Salsa-

[JoNorvelleWalker]

I tried sockeye.  Sadly I found it dry and unappetizing compared with king salmon.  Sad, because it was less than half the price.

 

[Owtahear]

On ‎5‎/‎13‎/‎2019 at 7:27 PM, David Ross said:

For years I've been watching Chef Michel Troigros craft his siganture salmon dish with sorrel sauce.  I think I could pull it off fairly well-the salmon is cut thin and only touches a hot pan for less than a minute.  The challenge for me will be to find fresh sorrel.  I've seen it a few times at one of the few upscale markets we have but I'll venture out and see what I can find.  Maybe our farmers market will have sorrel once they open in a few weeks.

 

 

I am trying to master this dish.  I see Sorrel in Whole Foods right now, and it is salmon season, so I was thinking of making another go at this later this week.

[liuzhou]

@liamsaunt

 

I'm not a big fan of cooked salmon, but that is a very appealing plate and great photograph.

[David Ross]

While salmon is a staple in Japan, I haven't found many recipes where salmon is used in countries in Southeast Asia.  Is it just a matter of the waters being too warm to support salmon or is it just not as popular as other fish?  

[KennethT]

10 minutes ago, David Ross said:

While salmon is a staple in Japan, I haven't found many recipes where salmon is used in countries in Southeast Asia.  Is it just a matter of the waters being too warm to support salmon or is it just not as popular as other fish?  

Southeast Asia is tropical - so I don't think salmon would do well there. In the western hemisphere, consider if you would find salmon in the caribbean or in hawaii...

[David Ross]

40 minutes ago, KennethT said:

Southeast Asia is tropical - so I don't think salmon would do well there. In the western hemisphere, consider if you would find salmon in the caribbean or in hawaii...

Good point.  When I've been in Hawaii I was always suspect of salmon on restauranthet menus.  I think, "why would I order salmon that's been flown in from thousands of miles instead of ordering fresh, local Hawaiian fish."  

[David Ross]

I'm working on my next salmon dish.  I'll be using a technique that Native Americans here in the Pacific Northwest have been using for generations-grilling salmon over alderwood.  I adapt the technique to my outdoor grill and use small alderwood planks.  I'm thinking of introducing some Asian flavors to the salmon.

[David Ross]

Grilling on wood planks has become very popular.  Yet, grilling salmon on wood planks and stakes has been practiced for millennia.  When we were kids growing up in The Dalles, Oregon, Mother and Father would take us every summer to a traditional Native American salmon roast.  The salmon were fished from the Columbia River that borders the north side of The Dalles.  I still remember the taste of that wild salmon-moist, tender with just a hint of alder smoke.  Alder grows in the forests on the west side of the Cascade Mountain range that runs from British Columbia down through Washington, Oregon and into Northern California.

 

Back then, (the 1960's), the salmon roast was a very traditional affair without some of the commercial-style trappings you'll find today. But the salmon is just as delicious today as it was in 1967.

[Owtahear]

12 hours ago, David Ross said:

I'm working on my next salmon dish.  I'll be using a technique that Native Americans here in the Pacific Northwest have been using for generations-grilling salmon over alderwood.  I adapt the technique to my outdoor grill and use small alderwood planks.  I'm thinking of introducing some Asian flavors to the salmon.

Living in Pennsylvania, I have found that cold smoking is pretty easy.   Except obviously now through October.  When the temp is in the 40's and below, it is easy turn my conventional gas grill into a cold smoker, by lighting charcoal and wood chips in an aluminum tray, keeping the temp down below 50 degrees and cold "smoking" my cured salmon filets.  It works, and it is as good if not better than the stuff you buy at high end places in the market or online at $40-50 a lb.    Unfortunately now, at this point, with the extremely fresh salmon from Alaska, it is no longer that simple as the weather has gotten much warmer.   Sure, still can cure it, make a great product, but cold smoking now requires additional equipment.

[David Ross]

The annual rush here in the Pacific Northwest has been begun with the Copper River salmon now turning up in markets.  My emotions vary between happiness and shaking my head in frustration.  The Copper River is commanding prices nearing $60 per pound right now.  The market of course is priced based on what peope will pay, but the years of marketing, PR and rising the Copper River up to a social media iconic status has pushed the cost pretty much beyond reach.  If you dine at a restaurant serving Copper River salmon right now you will pay a premium, but you're only buying one plate.  At some of the markets that sell Copper River salmon they require you buy a whole or side of salmon.  I have to shop at a place that will sell me only a few filets.  I don't need a whole salmon at that price but can handle a few filets.  What I've done for a few years now is to wait a few weeks and let the Copper River price come down.  Even better, wait until the salmon from other rivers in Alaska, (that don't subscribe to the Copper River juggernaught), is available.  It's just a rich and has as much deep flavor as Copper River.  

[gfweb]

On 5/21/2019 at 10:09 PM, Owtahear said:

Living in Pennsylvania, I have found that cold smoking is pretty easy.   Except obviously now through October.  When the temp is in the 40's and below, it is easy turn my conventional gas grill into a cold smoker, by lighting charcoal and wood chips in an aluminum tray, keeping the temp down below 50 degrees and cold "smoking" my cured salmon filets.  It works, and it is as good if not better than the stuff you buy at high end places in the market or online at $40-50 a lb.    Unfortunately now, at this point, with the extremely fresh salmon from Alaska, it is no longer that simple as the weather has gotten much warmer.   Sure, still can cure it, make a great product, but cold smoking now requires additional equipment.

 

I use wood pellets in a little tube which generates no heat. Only the ambient temp is an issue in the summer. 

 

I wonder if you could put the fish on a tray sitting on ice and cold smoke that way.

[scubadoo97]

On 5/23/2019 at 8:01 AM, gfweb said:

 

I use wood pellets in a little tube which generates no heat. Only the ambient temp is an issue in the summer. 

 

I wonder if you could put the fish on a tray sitting on ice and cold smoke that way.

 

I usually just put a tray full of ice in the smoker on the shelf below the fish here in Florida when using a cold smoking device 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

 

Yuanyaki salmon, Japanese Culinary Academy's Complete Japanese Cuisine, Mukoita I (pp104-105).  A bit of googling tells me Yuan was the first Tea Master to grill with mirin.  Good.  Now if I only had a yanagiba.

 

[David Ross]

Last week I was working on how to combine Korean flavors with salmon.  I've been doing Chinese dishes for years and started dabbling in Japanese cooking a few years back, but have never done any Korean dishes at home until last year.  One of the local Asian markets was bought last year by a Korean family and now it's my favorite of the three markets in town.  They specialize in Korean ingredients and the lady and her husband who own the shop couldn't be more nice.  When I was in the market looking for a specific Korean Doenjang soybean paste, she was curious I had the right one.  She thought I wanted Japanese Miso, but when I explained the recipe she was quite pleased.  She directed me to the correct package of Korean Japchae noodles for the salad I planned on making to go with the salmon.

 

In this recipe I made a paste using Doenjang and slathered that over the top of the salmon.  The salmon was grilled on alder planks on the outdoor grill.  The Doenjang is stronger than Japanese miso and has a bit of heat, but I loved it.  I'll use it again and test it against recipes for Japanese miso.  Most of the planks sold for grilling are cedar, but I prefer the alder for a milder smoke flavor.  

 

The Japchae noodle salad wasn't something I've made before but I thought it was crisp and refreshing.  The noodles don't have much flavor but I liked the texture and they went well with the vegetables in the dressing.  I had some salmon leftover and put that into the salad the next day.

 

Korean BBQ Salmon with Japchae Noodle Salad-

Chilled Japchae Noodle Salad-

10 oz. Korean Japchae noodles-glass noodles made from potato starch

1 bunch fresh spinach

½ cup fresh bean sprouts

½ yellow onion, thinly sliced

½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced

½ cup julienned carrot

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, mincd

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. dried red chili flakes

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

 

Heat a pot of water to the boil, then add the Japchae noodles.  Cook the noodles until tender, about 7 minutes.  Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water.  Drain the noodles again.  Place the noodles in a large bowl.

 

Heat another saucepot of water to a simmer and add the spinach.  Cook the spinach until wilted, about one minute.  Drain the spinach then roughly chop.

 

Add the spinach, bean sprouts, onion, red bell pepper, carrot and olive oil to the bowl with the noodles and toss to combine. 

 

In a small bowl add the garlic, soy sauce, chili flakes, vinegar, sugar and sesame seeds and stir to combine.  Pour the dressing over the noodles and vegetables and toss to combine.  Place the salad in a container, cover and refrigerate to chill, at least one hour while you make the salmon.

 

Spicy Korean BBQ Salmon-

½ cup Korean Doenjang soybean paste

½ cup Mayonnaise

2 tbsp. Korean Gochujang chili paste

1 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. dried red chile flakes

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

4, 6oz. salmon filets

1 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and cracked black pepper

4 alderwood, (or cedar), grilling planks, soaked in water 1 hour

2 fresh lemons

1 tsp. black sesame seeds

 

In a bowl add the soybean paste, mayyonnaise, chili paste, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice and whisk to combine. 

 

Brush the bottom side of each salmon filet with olive oil.  Sprinkle the top side of each salmon filet with salt and cracked black pepper.  Using a spoon, spread a layer of the Spicy Korean BBQ sauce over the top of each salmon filet.

 

Drain the alder planks from the water. Place each salmon filet on one of the planks and grill. Cut the lemons in half.  Grill the lemons to create grill marks while the salmon is grilling on the alder planks.

 

Serve the salmon directly on the planks sprinkled with black sesame seeds.  Serve the grilled lemons with the salmon. Serve the chilled Japchae Noodle Salad on the side.

 

[David Ross]

14 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

Yuanyaki salmon, Japanese Culinary Academy's Complete Japanese Cuisine, Mukoita I (pp104-105).  A bit of googling tells me Yuan was the first Tea Master to grill with mirin.  Good.  Now if I only had a yanagiba.

 

Looks delicious.  I'm having something similar for dinner tonight. (and I also make it for breakfast).