Welcome to the most Alaskan blog post I’m likely to ever make. The one in which I instruct you to eat salmon, as it is a glorious food source almost unmatched in nutritional benefits. It’s almost perfect… unless you are a vegetarian or hate fish.
If you enjoy fishing, as I do, you have two options. Either you are a catch-and-release sports fisherman or you are going to be bringing home dinner. I am the later, as I don’t personally ascribe to risking killing an animal I have no intention of eating. So, it’s of good fortune I happen to love fish. Salmon is a hell of a fish to catch, very thrilling and satisfying when you land a big one. It is also among the ‘fishier’ fish, and cooking it is the difference between gagging and enjoying your meal.
It’s important for you to enjoy your food. For one, life is too short. On another level, salmon is a fantastic and healthy meal. A filet of salmon is power-packed with high quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids and a smorgasbord of vitamins and minerals. There are four major specifies of salmon in Alaska that we love to fish. High among them is the King Salmon, also known as the Chinook Salmon. It’s both a fun catch, averaging around 30 lbs, and has a delicious distribution of fat within the meat. The perfect fish for steaks. Which leads me to my most important point.
If you are going to eat salmon, and you definitely should, you really need to know how to prepare it. There are two variations I really enjoy, for different reasons.
The Filet. The better the filet is cut, with minimal bones, the better it is to eat. A good filet means less work, more pay off. It’s also important to eat these filets sooner rather than later. The longer the fish stays in the freezer, the fishier it will get. Keep that in mind if you want a light seafood dinner. Place your filets on a baking sheet, set your oven to 400 degrees and season. I like to use either a salt rub of lemon slices. Bake for 15 minutes until the meat flakes easily.
The Steak. Steaking a salmon is to cut it into slices from head to tail with the spine in. Baking these is just as simple as the filet, it’s the bones that are the problem. These are also fantastic for grilling but I do not have the experience in that regard. Also grilled fish is drier, and personally I would rather eat a succulent meat. So once you have the steaks arranged on a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil across the tops. This helps seal in the fats and oil, maintaining moisture. Salmon steaks are best mildly seasoned. They need nothing more than a sprinkle of lemon pepper and they are good to go. Bake for 15 minutes and you are ready to eat.
Stay nutrition, keep your salmon delicious and have a good meal. Don’t forget the tartar sauce.
Living My Crazy Fabulous Life 