There are many fish in the sea. May as well get a fresh one!

In my last blog, I talked about the different types of Pacific Salmon and several people asked which type I prefer. For me, there is no contest. The answer hands down is- whatever is freshest.

Salmon connoisseurs will quibble about the pros and cons of Chinook vs. Sockeye, wild vs. farmed, northern vs. southern hemisphere, and yes, there are differences, but I find that freshness and fillet quality is FAR more important.

How to get the good stuff...

Whole Fish: Take a good look at the eyes- they should be clear and bright, not sunken or cloudy. The gills should be a deep red and the skin shiny and slippery to the touch. When you pick up the fish it should feel firm, not floppy.


Salmon Fillet: Give it a poke! Press the fillet with your finger- the flesh should spring back, not leave your fingerprint in it. The flesh should have a bright orange-red hue with nice marbling and there shouldn't be any low tide-type smells.

Here in Sandpoint, check out Yokes Fresh Market or Super 1. (You can pick up our Cedar Grilling Planks at both of these locations too!) Any of the guys at the fish counter will be more than happy to help you out. They will even fillet your whole salmon if you ask nicely.

The best way to prepare this fresh salmon you pick up is unequivocally on a Outdoor Gourmet Cedar Grilling Plank. Duh!

Here's how that's done...

Welcome to your weekend! -KB

Specifically Pacific, Salmon that is

When at the fish market or cold counter, there seems to be a array of salmon choices- Chinook, Coho, King, Copper River, and Sock Eye. So... what are the differences?

Here's a crash course in Oncorhynchus genus of the Salmonidae family, in which pacific salmon, trout, white fish, and graylings fall. The order is Salmoniformes, for all my aquaculture dorks out there.


--> Sock Eye: (Red) Oncorhynchus Nerka: Sockeye salmon have dark blue-black backs, silvery sides and white bellies. The average size is 6-9 pounds and are 4-5 years of age. The Sockeye's flesh is ruby red in color and is the most sought after salmon in Alaska due to it's wonderful flavor and color. The Sockeye run is second largest after the Pink Salmon Run. When Oncorhynchus Nerka is landlocked it's call Kokanee. Spawns in fall.

Chinook: (King) Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha: Chinook Salmon have a blueish-green back with silvery sides and a white belly and black spots on the back and tail and silver splashes in the tail. Chinook salmon range from 25-126 pounds and are 5-7 years of age. The flesh of the Chinook salmon is highly prized for it's rich salmon flavor and firm flesh. The natural numbers of wild King salmon is quite low compared to the other species of salmon, but is being managed to maintain the historical escapement goals and is in no way endangered in Alaska. Is both commercially harvested and is also a prize sport fish. Spawns in the fall, runs springm summer and fall.

Pink: (Humpies) Oncorhynchus Gorbuscha: Pink Salmon are bright steely-blue on their backs with silvery sides and large black spots on their backs and tail fin. The male Pink salmon develops a large hump on its back and hooked jaws before it spawns. Pink Salmon are the smallest of the Pacific salmon. The average weight is 3-5 pounds and mature at 2 years old. The flesh of the Pink salmon is a very light pink color and must be processed very quickly to retain the freshness. The Pink salmon is generally used for canning. Pinks also produces the largest havested numbers of salmon in Alaska. Spawns in fall.

Coho: (Silver) Oncorhynchus Kisutch: Coho Salmon are bright silver with small black spots on their backs and on the upper part of their caudal fin. The average weight is 6-12 pounds. The flesh of the Coho salmon is light pink and has a very delicate flavor. A very difficult salmon to keep fresh because of it's feeding habits. The flesh tends to soften very quickly unless dressed immediately after being caught. Spawns in fall.

Chum: (Dog) Oncorhynchus Keta: Chum Salmon have greenish-blue backs with silver splashes in the tail. It looks very similar to a Sockeye when ocean fresh. Chum or Keta range from 6-17 pounds and are mature at 3-6 years old. The Chum has very light colored flesh and is very mild in flavor. Spawns in fall.

Steelhead: (Rainbow Trout) Oncorhynchus mykiss: Run in both the Summer and Winter here in the Northwest. Rainbows are freshwater only, while Steelhead are anadromous (go to sea). They average between 8-11 pounds and make the anglers of this area disappear twice a year to the Clearwater, Salmon, Skagit, St. Joe Rivers and many others only to return when they got the big one. Spawns in Spring.

Coastal Cutthroat: (Sea Run Cut Throat) Oncorhynchus Clarki Clarki: Cutthroat trout usually have a distinctive red or orange streak under their lower jaw, which may not be as obvious when they are found in saltwater. Spawns in spring, up-river migration in summer and fall.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/fishing/regional/fishresources/salmon.html

Welcome to your weekend! -KB

P.S. No matter the fish, they all taste GREAT on our Grilling Planks! Find them here at deep discounts!

Omega-3

Every couple years, a basic nutrient is glorified and/or villified with updated dietarty studies. Carbs were uncool and high-protein diets were the thing. All of a sudden, anti-oxidants cure everything from wrinkles to ringworm. While most of this is metabolic mumbo-gumbo, the American Heart Association has found that Omega-3 Fatty Acids have a wide range of benfits and increasing your intake of fresh fish, salmon in particular, is one of the best ways to increase your intake of said OMG-3's.

Since the release of the studies in the early 2000's, the American intake of salmon has spiked to four times what is used to be in the '90s.

OmegA-3'S Roll

Every cell in our body is surrounded by a cell membrane composed mainly of fatty acids. The cell membrane allows the proper amounts of necessary nutrients to enter the cell, and ensures that waste products are quickly removed from the cell.


So, here is just another great Cedar Planked Salmon Recipe to aid you cell membrane health and well-being.

Ingredients

1 Outdoor Gourmet Cedar Grilling Plank
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons Cointreau (orange-flavored liqueur)
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
6 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
1 cup orange sections (about 2 oranges)
3/4 cup diced peeled avocado (about 1)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Combine syrup, Cointreau, and rind in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 3 minutes). Cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper over fish; brush fish with syrup mixture.
Place fillet on the grilling plank, skin down.

Place plank and fillet on a preheated grill and close lid. Cook fillet for 12-15 minutes per pound. The plank will smolder, creating smoke. That's what gives the salmon its wonderful taste. If flame occurs, douse with spray water bottle.

When the salmon is cooked to your liking, serve it at the table on the plank. Place on a cutting board or platter and serve by sliding a spatula between fish and skin.

Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, orange sections, avocado, orange juice, onion, bell pepper, chives, and lime juice in a medium bowl; serve with fish.

Welcome to your weekend! -KB

The Hot Wing Massacre and Redemption

Everybody has one thing they are really good at- some are talented artists, or singers, or dancers, while others tell funny jokes. I am not very artistic and my singing voice leaves something to be desired. My jokes leave even more to be desired, but man, I can make some good chicken wings! It's practically a savant talent, but I cannot take all of the credit for my phenomenal wing-making skills. My momma, who cooks just about everything very well, makes some darn good teriyaki wings herself, and all three of my sister have been known to crank out some wings themselves. So, it must be genetic, but enough of tooting my own horn...

This past weekend, I had a group of ten I was grilling for and I had a magnum of drumsticks marinating in Honey Ridge Farms mild Honey BBQ Sauce. The grill was pre-heated, the cedar planks were soaked, so we slapped the chicken on the planks and got it going on the Weber charcoal kettle, while the corn and brats occupied the gas grill.

The trick to any backyard BBQ is timing- getting all the grub on the grill at the right time, so everything is ready at the same time. And this weekend, my timing was off, way off. The brats and corn came off the flame, but the charcoal grill was taking a looooong time and we had a group on hungry people. So my fellow pit master and I had the bright idea to move the grate of the charcoal grill to the gas grill to give the oh-so-close-to-being-done chicken that last little kick of heat and get these people their dinner.

Disaster struck and our shoddy-at-best method of moving the grate failed. Ten-hungry-BBQ-goers worth of chicken hit the ground with a thud and a clang, getting a healthy coating of "floor spice." But not to worry, Trucker, the trusty labra-mut, who lives by the mantra "dirt don't hurt" promptly swooped the situation and got straight to clean up.

So... brats and corn it was, for everyone but Trucker, that is.

Not one to except defeat (especially since I hadn't been all that modest about my wing chefin' abilities and failed to produce anything but dirt chicken), I tried, tried again the next night. This time I used two different marinades: Honey Ridge Farm's BBQ Sauce and a generic hot wing sauce, which I added some honey to. Any marinade with honey as a main ingredients will really aid the texture and appearance of the wings.

Below I have listed my basic method of prepping these wings. Note: The time in the oven will be longer the larger pieces of chicken you use. i.e. if you decided to use full-size drumsticks apposed to wings and drumettes.

Cedar Planked Hot Wings

· Marinate wings and drumettes in desired sauce (BBQ, teriyaki, hot wing sauce) for at 2-6 hours

· Soak Outdoor Gourmet Cedar or Hardwood Grilling Planks at least 2 hours, preferable more.

· Preheat oven to 350°, then bake wings for 25-30 mins.

· Preheat Grill to medium heat, then place planks and wings on grill after baking is completed.

· Leave on grill for 10-12 mins. The planks will smolder, smoke, and possibly even catch on fire! It’s OK- don’t panic! That’s what wood does when you put in near an open flame. Just have some water on hand to douse the flame with.

Remove wings from grill and enjoy with homemade Bleu Cheese dressing and celery.

Homemade Bleu Cheese Dressing

Take all the ingredients and mash ‘em together!

• 2 Tablespoons Buttermilk
• ¾ Brown Cow Greek Yogurt
• 6 oz. Roquefort Bleu Cheese
• Fresh Ground Pepper and Sea Salt to taste
  

The second round of wings was thankfully a success! Everyone was fed enough and my good name was cleared, but there is still photo evidence of that one time I dumped roughly 12 lbs. of chicken on the ground due impatiences and bad engineering.

Moral of the story: Good things are worth waiting for and Jimmy-rigging the grill will just end in tears and a well fed dog.

Welcome to Recovering from your Weekend! -KB