It’s wild salmon season, the time of year when Sockeye, King, Coho, Chum and other varieties appear, fresh from the northern waters of the West Coast, Canada and Alaska.
Wild salmon are as mysterious as they are delicious, and therein lies the allure.
After growing to maturity in salt water, these mystic, leaping fish swim upstream to the freshwater regions of their birth, where they reproduce and die. But lucky for us, they first gorge on everything in sight.
That’s when fishermen swoop in, hooking preternaturally red Sockeye, beautifully marbled King, even the rare, delicately flavored white (or ivory) salmon at the tail-end of their life cycle — when their fat and flavor profiles are at their peak.
Salmon aficionados know that wild salmon, which runs from spring to fall, is superior tasting to the commonly available, farm-raised Atlantic salmon. And for Joel Knox, CEO of Atlanta-based Inland Seafood, there is only one way to eat it: Plainly grilled or pan-seared — flecked perhaps with just a sprinkling of sea salt.
“In my opinion, God does a better job than man raising salmon,” says Knox, whose seafood-distributing company sells to grocery stores, markets and restaurants across the Southeast. The rich, complex, sometimes gamey flavor of wild salmon, he says, is determined by the water in which it swims and what it eats.
Just as oenophiles can taste terroir (or soil) in wine, salmon lovers can taste what Knox calls the “aqua.” The trace minerals in fresh water, and the fat content of the fish, impart the distinctive flavor that makes wild salmon so prized.
So these days, you can find Atlanta chefs working magic with wild salmon in its purest state — served raw as sushi, crudo, and ceviche. In June, the restaurant Lure in Midtown even held a Salmon Week, during which executive chef David Bradley offered the likes of salmon crudo with juniper-cucumber-lemon granita and salmon roe; salmon tartare with muscadine puree, fennel oil, candied fennel and black pepper; and lightly cured sockeye salmon with tomato confit and dashi gelée.
Meanwhile, at the newly opened Lusca in Buckhead, chef Angus Brown has been serving eyepoppingly red sockeye, grilled medium rare and adorned with nothing more than salt, pepper and a squirt of lemon. Guy Wong, chef at Miso Isayaka, lacquers fat strips of wild salmon with house-made teriyaki, presenting it Japanese style with a bowl of rice. And Jon Schwenk, the top toque at C&S Seafood & Oyster Bar in Atlanta and Hugo’s Oyster Bar in Roswell, has come up with the genius idea of mixing brown butter and tamarind pulp into a sauce, then drizzling it all over wild King salmon, Japanese eggplant, baby bok choy and blistered sweet peppers. Divine.
There are plenty of other ways to savor wild salmon, too.
Grilled or broiled, it can be used to dress up summer salads. Leftovers can be flaked, shaped into salmon patties and pan-fried. You could even batter fry it — though Knox would probably scold you for doing so.
Just take care to treat it tenderly and not overcook. If you are pan-frying, sear it flesh down to seal in flavor; then flip it. You may also cover the pan to intensify the heat and cook it through. Likewise, if you are broiling the fish, browning it flesh side up, close to the flame, will help trap in those natural juices — just like searing a steak. Grilling, as with all fish, is tricky. Just be sure to oil the rack to prevent sticking, and place the lid down to magnify the heat.
Then all you need is a fork.
Recipes
Salmon cookery requires a little technique — because the flesh is so tender and delicate. Here are three wild salmon recipes from Atlanta chefs, each employing a different cooking method. There’s an easy-to-put-together grilled salmon with salad; broiled salmon with home-made teriyaki sauce; and pan-seared fish with a sauce of browned butter and tamarind — plus charred peppers, Japanese eggplant, baby bok choy and cashews. All are terrific.
Ray’s Grilled Copper River Salmon with Heirloom Tomato and Goat Cheese Salad
Serves: 4
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Ray’s Restaurants has a history of promoting and serving wild salmon during the summer running season. Mike Fuller, the corporate executive chef for the restaurant group, likes to keep it simple — a hunk of Copper River salmon is paired with a summer salad of heirloom tomatoes, bitter greens, basil and chevre (goat cheese). Fuller sources his chevre locally, from The Capra Gia Cheese Company in Carrollton (capragia.com).
Vegetable or canola oil for brushing grill racks
4 (6-ounce) filets Copper River salmon (block cut)
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces arugula or watercress
4 large, ripe heirloom tomatoes (cut into 1-inch pieces)
8 tablespoons fresh goat cheese
4 large basil leaves, washed, plus more for optional garnish
Heat grill to high, and brush racks lightly with vegetable or canola oil.
Pat salmon dry and season generously with sea salt, black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Place salmon skin side down on hot grill, cover, and cook until medium-rare (about 6-8 minutes, or until the internal temperature is about 120 degrees at the center). You may test fish for doneness by inserting a thin knife gently between the flakes and taking a peek.
Place greens in a large bowl. Top with tomatoes and goat cheese. Tear basil into pieces and drop into bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Toss very gently so as not to break up the cheese. Taste and adjust for seasonings.
Place a mound of tomato salad in the center of serving plate. Place a piece of grilled salmon on top. Garnish with basil leaves if desired. Serve.
Per serving: 381 calories (percent of calories from fat, 51), 40 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 22 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 103 milligrams cholesterol, 179 milligrams sodium.
Guy Wong’s Wild Salmon Teriyaki
Serves: 4
Hands on: 15 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
For this classic Japanese treatment, Guy Wong, chef of Miso Isakaya in the Old Fourth Ward, brushes hunks of wild salmon with sweet teriyaki sauce and serves with bowls of plain white rice. Less expensive Keta salmon (aka Chum or Silverbrite) is a good type to use with this preparation. Fat wedges of King salmon cook up beautifully, and flake like a dream. You may not want to use the most expensive sake for this sauce; Bluegrass Soy Sauce, aged in bourbon barrels and made in Kentucky, adds a nice smoky hint (bourbonbarrelfoods.com).
6 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoon sake
2 tablespoons mirin
3 cup water
4 (6 ounce) thick-cut wild salmon filets
4 cups cooked white rice (for serving)
Place brown sugar, soy sauce, sake, mirin and water in a medium sauce pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer gently until the sauce is reduced by half, about 45 minutes. (You should have just a little over 1½ cups of teriyaki sauce.) Set aside. (Reserve at least half of the sauce for a future recipe or to use as a sauce with cooked fish.)
Heat the broiler on high for about 15 minutes. Place salmon on a baking sheet or broiler pan, skin side down. Brush generously with teriyaki sauce, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the fish and brush again with teriyaki sauce. Cook until the fish is opaque and flakes easily, about 4 more minutes. Brush again with sauce and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve with bowls of cooked rice, drizzling any remaining pan sauce on top of fish. If desired, serve with a small dish of teriyaki sauce on the side.
Per serving: 476 calories (percent of calories from fat, 13), 39 grams protein, 59 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 6 grams fat (1 gram saturated), 88 milligrams cholesterol, 509 milligrams sodium.
Chef Jon Schwenk’s Seared Wild King Salmon with Japanese Eggplant, Blistered Sweet Peppers, Tamarind Brown Butter and Cashews
Serves: 4
Hands on: 40 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Jon Schwenk — the chef of C&S Seafood & Oyster Bar in Atlanta and Hugo’s Oyster Bar in Roswell — creates a killer tamarind-brown butter sauce, and drizzles it over wild King salmon and veggies. Look for packages of small sweet peppers in the produce section. Tamarind pulp can be found at ethnic markets. Even if it’s labeled “seedless,” you may need to pick through it to remove seeds and stems.
¼ cup canola oil
1/8 cup sesame oil
2 Japanese eggplants, cut into ½-inch pieces
6 miniature sweet red, yellow and orange bell peppers
2 heads baby bok choy
1 stick salted butter
¼ cup tamarind pulp
4 (8-ounce) wild King salmon filets
salt and pepper
½ cup roasted salted cashews
Whisk the canola and sesame oils together, and set aside.
Place about 2 tablespoons of the oil mixture in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Reserve on a plate. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of oil mixture in the skillet. Add peppers and cook until just tender and quite blistered, about 8-10 minutes. Reserve on plate with eggplant.
Place a bowl of iced water by the stove. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat, and blanche bok choy until just tender, about 3 minutes. (You’ll know the bok choy is ready when when the stem ends gives when pressed with tongs.) Dunk the bok choy in ice water to stop cooking. Let sit for a few minutes. Drain, cut bok choy in half and set aside. (If the heads are tiny, leave whole.)
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon so that the butter browns but does not burn. (When the foam turns brown, it’s ready.) Place butter in blender with tamarind pulp, and blend until fluffy. Pour into a small sauce pan and set aside.
Wash and pat dry the salmon. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place about 4 tablespoons of the oil mixture in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. When the pan in quite hot, slide in the salmon fillets, skin side up. Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until the fish is medium rare (about 120 degrees at the center).
Reheat the vegetables until just warm — either in a sauté pan or in the microwave. Reheat tamarind-brown butter sauce over low heat.
Divide the vegetables between four plates. Top with salmon. Drizzle tamarind-brown butter sauce over fish and around the plate. Garnish with cashews and serve. (You may also serve the dish in a large platter, allowing guests to help themselves.)
Per serving: 735 calories (percent of calories from fat, 64), 50 grams protein, 17 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 53 grams fat (18 grams saturated), 180 milligrams cholesterol, 417 milligrams sodium.
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