Chinook Salmon Recipes

Ingredients

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For Sauce

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sambal (chili sauce or paste)

1 tablespoon sriracha

¼ teaspoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

For Salmon Cups

12 ounces salmon, cubed

2 tablespoons kewpie mayonnaise

1–2 tablespoons sriracha

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon sesame oil

½ tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

½ teaspoon chili powder

3 nori sheets, each cut into 4 squares

1 ½ cups cooked sushi rice

Optional Garnishes

1 avocado, sliced

1 cucumber, diced

Green onion, thinly sliced

Sesame seeds

Unagi (eel) sauce

Directions

1. To make sauce, mix together the mayonnaise, sambal, sriracha, sesame oil, sugar, and lemon in a small bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Cut the salmon into small cubes. In a bowl, combine the salmon with the mayonnaise, sriracha, lime juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and chili powder. Mix together until marinaded evenly. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 
4. Add a spoonful of rice to each nori square, then press into a cupcake tin (tip: waiting until the rice has cooled off will help prevent the nori wraps from wilting).
5. Spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the marinated salmon mix onto the top of each nori and rice bowl.
6. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. You can turn the oven to broil for an additional 2 minutes for a caramelized look.
7. Remove the cups from the oven. Add the sauces and garnishes of choice. Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership.

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Ingredients

1 green chile, seeded and thinly sliced

1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped

3 vine tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 pinch each of sugar and grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for frying

1 small bunch of fresh dill, chopped

1 small bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped

3 ½ tablespoons butter

2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

4 cups each of fresh spinach, zucchini, and asparagus

⅔ cup light cream

⅔ cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 lemon, zested

Generous pinch of white pepper

4 large eggs

Sea salt flakes and ground black pepper, to taste

1 large can of Alaska pink salmon, drained

Toasted sourdough bread, to serve

Lemon wedges, to serve

Directions

1. Make a relish by placing the chile, onion, tomatoes, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and sugar in a bowl. Mix well, then stir in the olive oil and chopped herbs. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter with a large drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan, over a gentle heat. Add the shallots and cook for 2 minutes, being careful not to color the shallots.
3. Add in the zucchini, spinach, and asparagus, stirring to combine, and continue to cook for another 5 to 7 minutes until the water from the spinach has evaporated.
4. Add the light and heavy cream, mustard, lemon zest, grated nutmeg, and white pepper. Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then carefully stir in the pink salmon directly from the can. Further season to taste.
5. Make four wells in the salmon mixture and crack in the eggs. Cover the pan with a lid and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, or until the egg whites have set and the yolks are runny.
6. Serve with the red onion and dill relish, strips of toasted sourdough, and wedges of lemon.

Photo/recipe courtesy of Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.. For more great recipes with Alaska seafood, visit Wild Alaska Seafood.

Ingredients

4 coho salmon (about 8–10 inches each), cleaned, with heads on

½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing grill

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 sprigs fresh thyme

4 scallions, trimmed and cut lengthwise

Chopped fresh parsley

Lemon wedges

Directions

1. To make the marinade, combine the lemon juice, garlic, ginger, olive oil, and vegetable oil. Rinse the salmon and pat them dry. Generously salt and pepper the cavity of each fish and place two thyme sprigs and one split scallion into each cavity. Place the salmon in the dish with the marinade, turn to coat, and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
2. Light a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium high. Generously brush the grill with lots of vegetable oil. Remove the salmon from the marinade and place on the grill. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes per side, gently turning the fish and brushing liberally with the marinade, until the fish flesh is opaque and flakes lightly.
3. Serve each fish garnished with chopped fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

Recipe courtesy of Lucia Watson, Chef/Owner of Lucia’s in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Ingredients

3 tablespoons shallots, minced

¾ cup merlot wine

1 ½ cups huckleberries, frozen

¾ cup blueberries

1 ½ tablespoons sugar

1 ½ cups huckleberries, fresh

1 ½ tablespoons honey

Sea salt to taste (about ⅛ teaspoon)

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons sherry vinegar

8 7-ounce portions sockeye salmon

Directions

1. In a heavy bottomed stainless steel pan, combine the shallots and merlot. Bring to a slow boil and reduce to about 3 to 4 tablespoons. Add the frozen huckleberries, blueberries, and sugar. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half.
2. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the fresh huckleberries, honey, sea salt, and pepper. Gently mix the compote together. Add the sherry vinegar. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and honey to your preference. The compote is best served at room temperature, but should be refrigerated between uses.
3. For the sockeye salmon, season it lightly with kosher salt (just a pinch) and a little crushed fennel seed (about ½ teaspoon per 7-ounce portion). Grill it over a BBQ grill, or bake in the oven. Health code recommends cooking all fish to 145 degrees Fahrenheit, but if you prefer your salmon cooked medium-rare, cook it to 120 degrees.
4. Top each portion of salmon with about 2 tablespoons of the huckleberry compote and the side dishes of your choice. (Serving suggestion: with a wild mushroom gourmet rice blend, steamed broccolini, and spaghetti squash with honey and butter).
5. Notes: You can use either fresh or frozen huckleberries for the entire recipe. You can also substitute the huckleberries with blackberries to make a Blackberry Compote instead.

Recipe courtesy of Chef David Buchanan, owner of Chef's Resources.

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Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 stalks celery, minced

1 small onion, minced

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 jalapeño, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 bunch of scallions, finely chopped

4 cups vegetable broth

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 cups canned corn

2 cups half and half

1.5 pounds salmon, skin discarded and cut into 1-inch pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro and croutons for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add in the celery, onions, carrots, jalapeños, garlic, and scallions and cook, stirring often, until softened. About 8 minutes. Add the broth, salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with two tablespoons of water to form a slurry. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the broth and bring to a boil. Let the soup boil for about 2 to 3 minutes to thicken.
4. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, and stir in the corn and the half and half. Layer the raw salmon on top of the simmering soup and cover the pot with a lid.
5. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through.
6. Top with fresh cilantro and croutons, and enjoy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership.

Ingredients

Pecan Sauce

3 cups olive oil

2 cups chopped onion

16 cloves garlic

1½ cups pecans

5 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon molasses

1 cup water

Broccoli and Currants

4 cups broccoli florets

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup diced onion

½ cup currants

1 teaspoon chili

Salmon

8 5-ounce salmon filets, skin on

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons cooking oil

Directions

Pecan Sauce

1. Add onion, garlic, and olive oil to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for about 7 minutes, until onions and garlic are soft.
2. Add pecans and simmer for 5 minutes, until it has a toasty, nutty smell. Add lemon juice and molasses.
3. Pour mixture into a blender. Add water. Puree on low speed, gradually increasing the speed until mixture is smooth. Pass through a fine mesh strainer using the back of a spoon and set aside for serving.

Broccoli and Currants

1. Preheat broiler. Bring heavily salted water to a boil. Put broccoli in water for 90 seconds. Strain and place on a rack to cool to room temp.
2. In a large sauté pan, brown the butter and add the diced onion. Cook until soft. Add in chili, currants, and broccoli. Toss to combine.
3. Place in the oven under broiler. Cook until the edges of broccoli begin to char and crisp (about 3 to 5 minutes).

Salmon

1. Season the filets with salt.
2. Heat a cast iron pan on high heat. Add cooking oil. When oil is hot, carefully place the filets skin side down in the pan. Gently press each filet down to ensure skin is in even contact with the pan before adding the next filet.
3. Cook until the skin begins to crisp and take on a golden-brown color (about 3 minutes). Gently flip filets and turn off heat. Let sit for about 2 minutes to continue cooking before serving.

Recipe credit: Chef Barton Seaver, NOAA Chef, 2008 Great American Seafood Cook-off

Ingredients

1½ pounds sockeye salmon filet, skinned

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb

½ cup very thinly sliced red onion

6 tablespoons seasoned rice-wine vinegar

Kosher salt

½ cup parsley leaves, gently packed

½ cup cilantro leaves, gently packed

¼ cup tarragon leaves, gently packed

¼ cup spearmint leaves, gently packed, torn if large

Coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Trim the salmon of any gray fat and pull out pin bones with fish tweezers or needle-nosed pliers.
2. Holding a knife at a 30 degree angle to the cutting board, cut the salmon into six wide slices, about ½ inch thick. Arrange the slices in a shallow baking dish.
3. Lightly crush the coriander and fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle or by putting them in a skillet and using the bottom of a heavy pot to crush them.
4. Sprinkle the crushed seeds over the fish, then pour on ½ cup olive oil. Marinate the fish in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
5. Toss the fennel bulb and onion with the vinegar and let the salad sit at room temperature while the fish is marinating.
6. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Remove the fish from the oil and use your fingers to wipe off most of the marinade, but allow some of the oil and crushed seeds to remain on.
8. Arrange the filets on a baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fat between the layers of fish just begins to turn opaque and the fish flakes slightly when nudged with your finger. It will appear to be underdone because the color will be vivid, but it will be fully cooked.
9. Meanwhile, finish the salad: tip the bowl with the fennel and onion to drain any excess liquid. Toss in the herbs, drizzle with remaining olive oil, and toss again.
10. Spread the salad onto plates and carefully place a fish filet in the center of each. Sprinkle the fish with a pinch of sea salt. Serve right away.

Recipe credit: Jerry Traunfeld, Executive Chef of The Herbfarm in Woodinville, Washington

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