It was. The batter is very lightly fermented, so the mild flavour really went well with the fish and eggs.
2 Likes
I think the USDA requirements for freezing apply to wild salmon which is intended to be consumed raw. There are fisheries well-known for their delivery of fresh-never-frozen seafood to the consumer. Specifically, I’m thinking of the Copper River fishery:
Even Sam’s Club advertises fresh-never-frozen Copper River sockeye:
https://www.samsclub.com/p/fr-sockeye-salmon-10-lb/prod18290808
3 Likes
Faroe Islands’ farmed Atlantic salmon is excellent. It’s the best I can buy in southwestern Ontario.
I bought some frozen British Columbian wild salmon in Dec, which was okay. I wouldn’t go out of my way for it again.
I have had prepared Norwegian salmon when I stayed at a condo near Vail. I don’t see Norwegian salmon for sale in Ontario.
I have bought fresh wild BC salmon at Costco that contained live worms. They go with the territory.
I don’t think there’s a rule that salmon has to be frozen in Canada to kill parasites, since it’s understood by most people that salmon has to be cooked, or frozen before being used for gravlax, tartare, or sushi.
My friend’s Swedish wife always freezes salmon before preparing gravlax. I would think most Norwegians and other Scandinavians do this step, too. Worms and salmon go together.
2 Likes
We also freeze before smoking or making gravlax. But for cooking, if I can get a fresh, wild sockeye or king, I’ll take it over frozen any day.
When we charter fish, of course, everything gets vac-packed and frozen right there at the harbor. It’s really the only way for us to get it home and store it.
2 Likes
This is why Canadians are just superior beings.
1 Like
And as far as farmed fish goes, I’m a huge fan of the Columbia River farmed steelhead for smoking (I never thought I would admit that, but there you go - my gullet got the better of my moral compass).
1 Like
Oh, of course! I’m just saying, for gravlax and other cured salmon things, salmon is a type of fish that should be frozen first, no matter where it was raised or swam free.
Re: Columbia River farmed steelhead
We all make cost benefit choices for the environment, our pockets, our health, etc.
I haven’t seen that exported to my time zone. We have steelhead, which I think is probably Canadian sourced. I don’t buy it too often.
1 Like
LOL
Not at all
My local grocery store has a sign up, asking people to not touch the raw fish behind the glass counter, and to not help themselves to the raw fish behind the glass counter. Only the staff have the codes for the scale, so it’s ridiculous that some shoppers have been trying to help themselves to the fish behind the glass.
Which leads me to believe people in southwestern Ontario have been touching the raw fish, and all fish should probably be cooked (and dried out in the process) to 165 degrees, if fish has been purchased at the Loblaws that has posted this sign, to kill any finger germs from the people who can’t keep their hands to themselves.
no. 1 feedback i’m getting is to give detail/context, i will get there, baby steps
2 Likes
Interesting. I’ve never frozen the Norwegian (farmed) salmon I tend to use for gravlax, knowing it had been frozen previously.
Why?
Sorry if I was unclear. I was referring to wild caught, fresh fish for gravlax and/or smoking.
Gotcha.
We’ve all been there. Before you know it, you’ll be banging away at your keyboard with extremely detailed posts documenting every step, technique, substitution, and lessons learned!
5 Likes
Salmon with white bean puree, flavored with smoked paprika, rosemary, and garlic with steamed green beans to accompany.
Puree was about 90 grams of soaked Great Northern Beans cooked with 2 cups of water, 2 bay leaves, a half cap of salt free Mrs. Dash onion and herb seasoning, 2 fat garlic cloves, and a healthy shake or 4 of smoked paprika. Once brought to a boil, they went in a 275F oven and cooked until tender, about 90 minutes. Then they were pureed with my immersion blender. I thought they were more runny than I wanted at that point, so I reduced them on the stove on medium high heat, stirring occasionally until they looked right (approaching hummus) and added a glug of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Salmon was seasoned with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika and roasted in a 400F oven for about 9 minutes.
Green beans were BirdsEye Steamfresh and were nuked for 4:30 minutes at 1000 watts (which is “high” on our microwave).
11 Likes
That looks really good! I may give the bean puree a try. Did you cover it in the oven? Instead of taking an immersion blender to it, I would probably try using a potato masher for a more rustic result.
1 Like
I did have it covered. Usually I do the last 30 minutes uncovered, but they were done sooner than I thought they would be. So, I just reduced it.
I was specifically trying to get a smooth puree, but would certainly use a potato masher for instances I wanted texture. If you try this I hope you enjoy it!
