It’s Copper River Salmon time of year again!  This is one of my all time favorite fish and I look forward to its return every year.  The folks at the Alaskan Department of Fish & Game have taken great care to manage the runs each year to ensure that this delicious fish remains sustainable for a long time to come, so you can eat and feel good about the fact that you are supporting sustainable seafood.

All that field management comes at a cost for the consumer.  Limited runs means a higher price tag at the register, but when you think of the long term, it is worth it to pay a little more to support sustainable practices.  It’s an investment in not only our culinary future but the future of the wild life itself.  This type of management is something that makes sure that we have this delicious wild caught fish to enjoy for generations to come.

So this year I went out and picked myself up a whole Copper River Salmon and butchered it down to two gorgeous ruby red filets.  This left me with quite a bit of  “trim scrap” and bones.  I do not like wasting food, especially when it is as special as this salmon.  I took the trim scraps and sealed them for freezing for a later use.  Which left me with the bones.

Lately, I have been getting really inspired by a friend of mine who goes by the name of Lovely Lanvin.  She teaches Asian cooking classes and currently has an upcoming class at Williams Sonoma on June 11th.  When I looked at my bones I thought I should make a fish stock.  Then I looked at them again, and in a fleeting moment her wonderful inspirations of late made me shout out DASHI!

Dashi is a beautiful Japanese soup base.  If you’ve had Miso Soup then you have had Dashi.  There are several kinds of Dashi – some of which depend on the ingredients and some of them depend on if those ingredients were already used to prepare a Dashi.  This particular recipe is my own version of this traditional soup.

Having made Kombu and Katsuo Dashi many times in the past, I figured I would start off there.  I really wanted multiple layers of flavor for this broth so I decided to use Kombu, Bonito flakes, Dried Shrimp and toasted Salmon bones.  Something that celebrated using and respecting every part of this beautiful piece of Salmon.

After preparing and straining it I put it in a clear jar.  When I first looked at it, a pale golden broth that was perfectly clear, I got a little worried thinking that perhaps it might be weak in flavor.  Then I took a taste.  It was so rich and flavorful, the Kombu lent it’s salinity for a slight taste of the sea as a solid foundation to the Dashi.  This was followed up by the richness given by the layer of flavor from the Bonito and Dried Shrimp… and finally the bold, savory, toasty finish of the Salmon.  As satisfying a Dashi as I have ever made.

Now I know for some, this sound exotic and daunting, but Dashi really is one of the easiest soups that you can make and it is extremely versatile.  It is a good recipe to have in your culinary repertoire, as it is a base to so many beautiful Japanese soups and sauces.

For serving my Dashi I chose to go with fresh Herbs, little Golden Enoki Mushrooms and some glass noodles to let the broth really shine.  I hope that my little culinary experiment, born of not wanting to waste a beautiful ingredient, is something that you will try for yourself.  And I hope that I made Lovely Lanvin proud with this one!

In the Pacific Northwest there is one fish that is King, and that fish is Salmon.  Whether you get it at your local Farmer’s Market, the Fisherman’s Terminal in Ballard, from the flying fish guys at Pike Place Market or you catch it yourself, Salmon is best here in the Northwest.  Summertime is the perfect time of year for putting our local fishy royalty on the grill.  And there isn’t a recipe that is easier than this.

To take it up another notch without complicating things, you can throw the salmon on to a Cedar Plank (you can find these online and in some local grocery stores like Metropolitan Markets, PCC & Thriftway).

Cedar Planking gives the Salmon a rich, delicious smoky flavor and it really could not be simpler.  A few tips before you get started:

• Make sure that the wood you are using is Food Safe – a Cedar Shingle from the hardware store is loaded with industry chemicals that can make you very sick
• Soak the Cedar Plank for at least 3 hours in salted water before you plan on using it
• Use fresh Salmon – check out your local fish market, the fresher the better
• Keep the skin on the Salmon, it helps make it easier to remove the Salmon from the plank

Cedar Plank Salmon
This recipe can easily be doubled

• 1 Cedar Plank
• 1 lb Salmon, skin on, cut into fillets
• 1 Orange, cut into round slices, then halved
• 1 Red Onion, cut into round slices, then halved
• 5-6 sprigs of fresh Rosemary
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper, coarsely ground
• 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Red Chili Flake or Chili Threads

Soak your Cedar Plank for at least 3 hours in salted water (Just enough salt in the water so that you can taste it, all it really is there to do is help season the fish during grilling).
Pull the Cedar Plank out of the water soak and lay the Salmon, skin side down, on the plank.  Place half a slice of Orange and Red Onion in between each piece of Salmon, followed by a sprig of Rosemary.
Now to season it: Drizzle the Olive Oil over the top, followed by the Black Pepper, Salt and Chili.  Set this aside and get your grill ready.
You will be grilling over a medium high heat setting.  If you have a gas grill simply turn your dial to Medium-High.  For Charcoal, get your coals ready and hold your hand over the center of the flame about 6″ above the actual grill, if you can comfortably leave your hand there for about 7-8 seconds your coals are ready.

Now the simplest part – stick the planks on the grill, put the lid on the grill, wait 20-25 minutes and they are done.
Tip: Do not keep opening up the grill to check on the fish.  You will lose all the delicious smoke that has built up in the grill and your fish won’t get that nice smoky flavor.

I like to use the boards to serve the fish, either put them on a platter, baking sheet or piece of foil to prevent the scorched underside from leaving any marks on tabletops.  Enjoy!

Full disclosure: I have received no compensation from PCC , Metropolitan Market, Thriftway or any other organizations mentioned for this article.

Images by Kelly Cline ©2010 All Rights Reserved
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