Copper River salmon season, the mega-hyped celebration of Alaska’s first major spring run, has begun with all the antics and jostling of a charter boat full of first-timers vying for the big one.
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Helicopters and police escorts, buttons, banners and all manner of tastings and special menus have been brandished to promote this big, beautiful, orange-fleshed fish with the “good fat” and full flavor. It has become an annual event that even some skeptics concede is a feel-good rite of spring.
Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game estimates the commercial catch at just over 1.2 million fish this year. But only about 60,000 of those will be king salmon, which, at an average 26 pounds each, are the most sought-after fish of all. Most of the kings will likely come early in the season, and expectant stores, as well as restaurants all over the country, are getting their share flown in.
Restaurant people and even fish biologists agree that the hype has held up ever since it began in the 1980s because the timing is perfect and the product is as good as its press. As the season’s first major run of wild salmon, it comes right around Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, signaling spring as surely as tulips and asparagus.
In Seattle, says Wilson, people get so excited “it’s like their taste buds and their emotions are now trained to start expecting it.” It doesn’t hurt that the season for the scarcer kings is just three or four weeks long, the perfect scenario for creating high demand.
Besides, it has a great-sounding name and great eating qualities: firm, brilliantly colored flesh and a high oil content that creates layer upon layer of flavor. Far from being a bad thing, the oil is loaded with cholesterol-lowering omega 3 fatty acids.
Matt Stein of King’s Seafood Co., which operates nine restaurants in greater Los Angeles, credits the fish’s high fat content for its “great complexity” and richness. The fish is “a fabulous product” that, even without big promotions, will represent a third to a half of entree sales in Stein’s restaurants.
Steve LaHaie of Shaw’s Crab House in Chicago has had equally good luck with Copper Rivers. Even though the restaurant has a huge menu with lots of choices, he’ll sell “an amazing” 80 to 120 orders a night. What’s more, at $25 to $26, “it’ll be the most expensive fillet of fish all year, and we’ll sell it all.” The name is almost like a brand, LaHaie says.
SALMON WITH CITRUS-BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
A refreshing citrus sauce works well with wild or farm-raised salmon. From “The Union Square Cafe Cookbook,” by Danny Meyer and Michael Romano.
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped each: parsley, basil, mint
1 teaspoon each: grainy or Dijon mustard, finely minced shallot
1 small clove garlic, peeled, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 pounds salmon fillet
1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place orange juice, vinegar, oil, parsley, basil, mint, mustard, shallot, garlic, salt and pepper to taste in jar. Close lid; shake well to blend.
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2. Place salmon in foil-lined pan; spoon a little of the vinaigrette over fish. Bake until cooked through, about 12 minutes per inch of thickness. Spoon remaining vinaigrette over each serving of fish.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 250 Fat ……….. 13 g Saturated fat .. 1.9 g
% calories from fat .. 47 Cholesterol .. 80 mg Sodium …….. 170 mg
Carbohydrates ….. 3.4 g Protein ……. 29 g Fiber ………. 0.1 g