The salmon forecast for 2010 has just been set at 138 million slightly lower than last year due to lower pink catches. In particular it is predicted that Chinook and sockeye harvests will be higher and coho and chum about the same.
Due to the lower numbers of salmon returning the Alaska department of fish and game has allotted more than $1 million for salmon research. The agency is looking for help to develop salmon assessment projects and to better understand why king and chum salmon numbers have declined.
The following recipe comes from What’s Cooking With Doc a wonderful food blog written by a Chef and Cardiologist:
Follow the directions for basic bread dough or basic pizza dough recipe. If you have premade crusts you can use those, or can buy some (I won’t tell). The Lemon-curry hollandaise is my basic hollandaise sauce recipe. To make it a bit healthier I have substituted olive oil for the butter. Any item you wish to use as a topping is fine, I like the flavor profile of the smoky and fatty (with good omega-3s) smoked salmon with the citrus and spice of the lemon curry sauce. The chevre adds an extra tang and richness. This is perfect with a wine such as Chenin Blanc or champagne (which, face it, is about perfect with everything).
Basic Bread or pizza dough
Lemon-Curry Olive Oil Hollandaise
125 ml of olive oil (not EVO)
Juice of 2 lemons
3 egg yolks
1 tsp curry spice
Pinch salt
Pinch white pepper
Heat the oil and lemon juice to medium heat. Do not let the oil get too hot or when you add to the eggs you will just end up with scrambled eggs.
Place the egg yolks in a metal bowl you can place over a pot with simmering water (a double boiler in which you can remove as needed from heat). When the oil mixture is warm, gently add ¼-1/3 of it to the eggs and whisk. This will temper the egg mixture.
After incorporation, gently add the remaining oil mixture. Heat the mixture over the simmering water and whisk. You are looking to have a light frothy mixture. Remove from the heat as the sauce starts to thicken. Set aside.
Preheat you oven to 550 degrees F. Stretch the dough out into desired pizza sizes, I recommend 8-12 inches. Place the thin layer of sauce on the dough along with some chevre and some capers, if you like. Bake for about 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
Remove and top with the smoked salmon, season with salt pepper-I also like a little fresh tomato, dill and basil- and enjoy.
The following recipe comes from the wonderfully written food blog, Food thought For
Balsamic vinegar- Garlic- salmon
Ingredients
1 lb of Salmon fillet- cut into squares. It is best to use wild caught as the farmed variety is full of carcinogens fed to the farmed fish
1 medium size onion. Coarsely chopped
1 Tomato- coarsely chopped
3 cloves of garlic- finely chopped
2 tbsf smoked paprika
1 tsp of balsamic vinegar
2 tbsf Basil or Dill
3 tbsf of olive oil
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Method:
Mix the paprika, Dill/ Basil and crushed garlic. Pat dry your fish and season both sides with half the spice mixture, salt and pepper.
In a shallow skillet, heat 1.5 tbsf olive oil . For oilve oil, it is best to heat at low heat. Helps retain all the goodness and flavors of the best oil in the world! When oil is hot, add the fishes to it slowly.
Fry two minutes on each side to allow nice browning. When both sides are done ( ~ 4 minutes), add the balsamic vinegar. Let things mix and match for a minute and then dish it out on a serving tray.
Now add the rest of the olive oil to the same skillet, and add the onions and tomatoes and saute briefly for a minute. Add the remaining spice mixture and saute for another minute. Season with salt and pepper and dish it out over and around the salmon.
The US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has declared the Yukon Rivers low salmon run a Commercial fishing disaster. This could be a good thing as it may pave the way for relief funds for the area. The communities along the Yukon river depend on salmon for food and income. They have suffered significant hardship in recent years.
The declaration of a disaster may earmark federal funding for research and payments to the more than 800 fisherman in the area. The last two years has seen historically low salmon returns and 2010 is not predicted to be any better.
The last time a federal fishing disaster was declared was in 2000 in regard the Bering Sea snow crab and the salmon fishery in Norton.
Lets hope the communities along the Yukon get the assistance they need and the salmon return home.
The letter that was drafted for the protection of salmon after more than five hours of discussion. A meeting was just held in Anchorage Alaska with represenatives from the fishing industry, the developers of the pebble mine project and local villages from the Bristol Bay area.
Some people desire a state fish refuge in the Nushagak and Kvichak river drainages but others feel it would hamper economic development.
The Alaska Board of fisheries did a good job at the hearing listening to all sides of the proposal and came to the conclusion that additional protection was needed for the salmon in the Bay.
Local fisherman were happy with the outcome and are watching the process very carefully.
The University of Berkeleys Center for Japanese studies made the Worlds longest California roll this month to honor the 50th anniversary of the Japanese studies center. The students even got dressed up as Ninja’s for the occasion!
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute was more than happy to help. The 330 foot California roll had 180 lb of salmon, 200 lb of rice, 80 lb of avocado and 80 lb of cucumber with the last 15 feet full of tofu for the vegetarians.
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute joined in on the event to help raise awareness of the Alaskan sustainable salmon fishing industry.
The Halibut fishing season finished Nov 15th after starting in March. Homer Alaska is once again America’s number one halibut port with more than 12 million pounds crossing its docks this season, with Kodiak coming in second. The total catch this year was 42 million pounds.
More demand this year from the retail sector as more and more folks are opting to eat halibut at home instead of in expensive restaurants.
Salmon
Alaskan fishermen delivered 162 million wild salmon this year, this is the 11th biggest catch since Alaska got its Statehood, worth an estimated $370 million.
The following recipe comes from healthy delicious a wonderful blog filled with gourmet, easy to prepare and healthy recipes.
I decided that I wanted to try something with pumpkin seeds – pepitas – and thought that a pesto would be nice. I encrusted some salmon filets in a mixture of sun dried tomatoes, spicy pepitas, and cilantro and then cooked it until it was crispy on the outside and coked to about medium inside. The rich and spicy flavor of the salmon paired perfectly with a soft, creamy polenta. The completed dish had a Mexican/ South American feel to it, while still seeming very upscale.
Salmon With Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Spicy Pepitas
Ingredients:
1 Tbs butter
1/2 onion, minced
1 bay leaf
1 cup cornmeal
1 ounce queso oaxaca or mozzarella
1 large handfull cilantro
3 Tbs spicy pepitas (see note above)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 lb salmon, cut into four filets
Method:
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until it is softened.
Meanwhile, bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add boiling water and bay leaf to the softened onions. Whisk in cornmeal. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to bubble and thicken. Stir constantly, until the mixture is smooth and not gritty (this might take up to 30 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
Meanwhile, pat the salmon dry and let it rest while you prepare the pesto.
In a small food processor or mini-chop, combine the sun dried tomatoes, cilantro, and 2 Tbs pepitas. Process until a thick paste is formed. Spread the paste in a thick layer over the skin of the salmon.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the salmon skin-side down and cook until crisp – about 6 minutes. Turn and cook until pink in the center – another 3-4 minutes.
Spoon the polenta onto 4 plates. Top with salmon and garnish with a sprinkling of the remaining pepitas and some cilantro.
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