Now is the season for wild Alaskan salmon, but you won’t find it fresh in our stores. Once caught, it is blast frozen to lower the core temperature to 40 below, freezing the fish all the way through before the cells begin to break down.
Treated this way, the salmon remains “fresh” for as long as it’s kept deep-frozen. Of the five Alaskan salmon varieties, the three you’ll find in our fish markets and co-ops are king, coho and sockeye. Wild-caught salmon is considered the best choice by the prestigious Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program. Farmed salmon, like other livestock, involves crowded manmade environments that can leave the fish susceptible to infections and diseases that require antibiotics.
Wild-caught salmon that swim in clear, cold water are generally healthier and certainly tastier. These fish are high in Omega 3′s, vitamin D and minerals, especially iron. Because of their natural diet, which is rich in crustaceans, the color and flavor of wild-caught salmon is deep and distinct.
Wild-caught salmon is not inexpensive, but its rich, ruddy, lustrous flesh makes it well worth the price. This fish has so much flavor that it needs little more than a sprinkle of salt, pepper and a few herbs. It’s best to cook it in a heavy skillet (nonstick or cast iron) that’s large enough to not crowd the fish. Set the pan over a hot flame so the fish sizzles on contact. It will brown and crisp without overcooking when transferred to a hot oven.
Toss cherry tomatoes into the pan for pops of color and flavor. Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs — parsley, basil, thyme — and serve with boiled baby new potatoes and spoon the blistered tomatoes and lush pan juices over it all.
Pan-Roasted Salmon with Cherry Tomatoes
Serves 4 to 6.
Seek out wild -caught king, coho or sockeye salmon, rich in flavor and deeply colored. This recipe can be easily varied. Swap out extra-virgin olive oil for the butter; and dill and parsley for the basil and thyme. From Beth Dooley.
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. chopped basil
- 1 tbsp. chopped thyme
- 3 scallions, trimmed and sliced in half
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 salmon fillet, 1½ to 2 lb.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
Directions