by Scott Sadil
It usually starts with the blackberries. My sweetheart, who attends to such things, scouts out a likely patch, harvests a few pails, and makes the best cobbler I’ve ever tasted, especially with the appropriate mound of vanilla ice cream melting on top.
The pace quickens. Pickles. Salsa. Pesto. Tomato conserva. If you’re lucky to have a garden that does what it’s supposed to do, you have enough of everything you need to can or freeze some of this bounty, or dry your peppers, say, and maybe those shell beans that are going to come in so handy on a short, cold winter day.
And then right in the thick of it – or maybe, if you’re on top of it this year as you promised last summer you would be, right after the first big rush – the salmon and steelhead arrive.
They’ve been trickling in all summer. But not until August do the number of anadromous fish coming over Bonneville Dam give anglers real reason to grow excited, and it’s only the second half of the month, as we approach Labor Day, that totals suddenly erupt.
16182. 28202. 22438. 15633. 14645. 16676 . . . These are chinook numbers. Coho or silver salmon, most of which arrive a little later in the year, total about a quarter of the chinook numbers, steelhead about one-tenth.
Needless to say, that’s fish enough to imagine you might be able to get your share.
If you’re lucky, persistent, or simply good, you will find yourself with fresh fish this time of year. For some of us, this may be the only chance we get to bring home meat following a day on the river. Or you might want to ask around, see if anyone you know has an extra fillet or two to share – maybe in exchange for a jar of your own fresh pesto.
Then what?
Elsewhere I’ve mentioned my fondness for Diane Morgan’s bell pepper and vine-ripened tomato gazpacho with blackened salmon. There is no better use than gazpacho for a few extra pounds of fresh tomatoes begging for your attention, especially if you’ve already put up plenty of jars of salsa for the winter. Blackened salmon? Mix the blackening spice and store whatever you don’t use in a jar in the cupboard. You’re going to want to master this technique for salmon or any other fresh fish that comes your way.
But here’s another one of Ms. Morgan’s recipes you might like to try.
It’s actually a recipe, explains Morgan, sent to her by Gary Lopiccolo, now called “Josie’s Favorite,” in honor of his then recently deceased mother Josephine Marie Lopiccolo. The recipe calls for leeks, not something I have in my garden during the late-summer salmon and steelhead season. I substitute, instead, oversized scallions, tucked in here and there in the beds since spring.
I don’t notice the difference, maybe because the last two years I’ve planted leeks meant to overwinter, but by the time I got to them, in early spring, they were already trying to flower, with tough stems rather than the sweet, tender flesh that makes leeks so special, especially in the depths of winter.
Anyway, leeks or scallions, you can’t go wrong with this recipe – even with a few substitutions.
“Josie’s Favorite: Pan-Grilled Salmon on Braised Leeks with Parmigiano-Reggiano”
Serves 4
½ stick unsalted butter
6 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut into one-inch lengths; or three to six scallions, soaked in ice water to make them mild and crisp, then sliced into one-inch lengths, green tops included
2 cups chicken broth or similar
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
4 salmon fillets, skin on and scaled, pin bones removed, skin dried by wiping with a knife
2 tablespons olive oil
¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
In a big sauté pan or cast-iron skillet, melt the butter (you can substitute olive oil) over medium heat. Add the leeks/scallions and sauté, stirring frequently, 8-10 minutes. Add the broth, stir, bring to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, 35-45 minutes, until greens are very tender, moist but not too soupy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm.
Since I don’t have a genuine grill pan, I cook my salmon for this recipe in another cast-iron skillet. First I rub all sides of the fillets with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then I heat the skillet until it’s hot, almost smoking. Add the salmon, skin side up, and sear on one side, about four minutes. Now turn the fillets, skin side down, and cook until salmon is almost opaque, but still very moist, about another 4 minutes.
To serve, place a scoop of braised leeks or scallions in a shallow pasta bowl. Top with a piece of salmon. Scatter a generous amount of the grated cheese over the works and serve immediately.
Gray’s angling editor Scott Sadil recommends Diane Morgan’s Salmon to anyone who cooks fish of any kind.
