The Riches of the Pacific Coast

I grew up in a fishing family, not the commercial kind, but the sports fishing kind. As such, I have been lucky enough to have access to fresh Pacific Coast seafood for my entire life, including Halibut, Lingcod, Salmon, Dungeness crab, Oysters, etc. A few weekends ago, my boyfriend and I joined my father for several days of Coho Salmon fishing out of Newport, OR. Also known as a Silver, the Coho Salmon is a smaller species than the King Salmon, but is one of the more popular for sports fishing as it is a very active fish once hooked, leaping, spinning and running. Due to degraded and polluted environments and over fishing, the natural or wild Salmon populations have been nearly depleted and therefore, have been supplemented by hatchery fish. As such, when fishing for Silvers, you can only keep hatchery fish. Genetically and environmentally, hatchery fish are the same as native in that they cohabitate and follow the same behaviors. So how does one tell the difference between the two as the fish is thrashing wildly on your line? As a Salmon fry, a tiny dorsal fin is laser cut off without any impact to the life of the fish so when they reach maturity, they are identifiable to a Sports fisherman. A slow eye and a split second too late, and that beautiful and tasty fish can slip right off your hook and away it goes. :)

Luckily, we had a wonderful weekend, with plenty of fishing, and a good amount of catching. ;) Our ratio of native to hatchery was about 2:1 one, which while somewhat disappointing on the catching side, is hopefully a good sign of the reviving native Salmon population.

Nothing beats fresh Salmon. We prefer to do very little with it during the cooking process as the flavors are so rich. Our favorite way is wrapped in tin foil, seasoned with salt, pepper, olive oil and a little butter and then thrown on the BBQ. The key thing is to not overcook it. It should be slightly translucent pink in the middle, but warm. Remember, it will keep cooking once you take it off the grill and put it on your plate. Because we haven’t over dressed the salmon itself, I love to provide some fun sides. Sour cream mixed with chopped fresh dill is a big favorite. In addition, raid your herb garden for a medley of fresh herbs, like thyme, oregano, chives, rosemary, and finely chop and mix with softened butter. Then use the butter wrapper to shape it back into a role or cube and stick back in the fridge to harden. Just before serving, slice into quarter inch patties and serve along side of the Salmon. Advise your guests to put the herb butter directly on the fish so it melts, and enjoy!

Summer is the ideal time to enjoy the riches of the Pacific Coast. Most people don’t have access to a fishing boat, or aren’t interested in taking a charter to do the catching themselves, so the best way to get fresh and seasonal seafood is to make your way down to the fishing docks where you will find many small commercial fishermen and women selling directly to the consumer. Besides Coho Salmon, you can also find Tuna, Halibut, many kinds of Rockfish, and shellfish. A bit later in the season you can get Chinook or King Salmon, a larger species with slightly more robust flavor. Of course, you can also find fresh seafood in your local super market, just be sure to ask what is in season and has been line caught (instead of net). If you are interested in learning more about the efforts to protect the Salmon, I would encourage you to check out these resources: the Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition, SAFE for Salmon and The Salmon For All Organization.

We shared our bounty with several friends this week. And as a special treat for my guests, I saved some Dungeness crab meat and served a crab and Gruyere crème brullee. It is a huge hit, and very delicious! Here is the recipe (serves 6):

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

Meat from one full cooked Dungeness crab (legs and body)

¼ cup fresh chives

2 large eggs and 2 large egg yolks

¾ cup heavy whipping cream and ¾ cup half and half

¾ cup (3 oz) shredded Gruyere cheese

½ teaspoon salt

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Shredded Parmesan cheese

Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 275 ⁰F

Sautee the crab meat in the butter for about 5 minutes and then mix in the chives, remove from heat.

Whisk eggs until pale yellow in color, whisk in heavy whipping cream, half and half, shredded Gruyere, and salt and pepper. Combine with crab mixture.

Place 6 standard size crème brullee ramekins in a shallow baking dish. Divide custard mixture among the dishes. Fill the baking dish with warm water, about half way up the dishes.

Put into the oven and bake for 35 – 40 minutes until the centers jiggle just slightly. Remove from oven and baking dish and place on a cookie sheet or fire safe surface.

Sprinkle with 1 – 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese and use a crème brullee torch to melt the cheese and just slightly brown the top. If you don’t have a crème brulle torch, you can also put back in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes (be very careful not to burn!).

Serve warm.

To top off the savory dinner, I picked some local pie cherries to make a tart and tasty cherry pie! What a feast!