A Ban on Pacific Salmon Fishing? And Barb’s Recipe for Salmon Patties
Posted on 4 April 2008 under Fish, Food In The News
Oven-baked Lobster-Stuffed Salmon Pinwheels from The Fish Market
on Telegragh Rd. just south of the Ohio/Michigan state line, on a bed of
brown and wild rice. These pinwheels made for quite a tasty lunch.
While I’ve yet to see this in our own news programs in the US, the BBC is carrying an article titled “US mulls Pacific salmon fishing ban“. From the article:
The US government will decide next week whether to issue a complete season-long ban on salmon fishing off the Pacific coast of the US … The proposal comes in response to a drastic collapse in fish stocks … But fishermen’s groups say it will devastate their industry and cost the local economy billions of dollars … One measure of the population is the number of salmon heading from freshwater spawning grounds to the ocean, a process called “returns” … This year, the Chinook return is expected to number some 56,000; the minimum needed to keep the salmon fishing industry sustainable is at least 122,000 … In past years, returns upwards of 200,000 salmon have been common.
Salmon is by far my own favorite fish to eat. Last night’s dinner was a Tuna-Noodle Casserole … but as I didn’t feel there was enough tuna in the dish, I went ahead and added some good salmon to the mix before baking. I can see a Salmon-Noodle Casserole coming on in the near future with an even more unique combination of ingredients throughout the rest of the recipe.
At the same time, the numbers for Atlantic Salmon returns and the returns for Great Lakes salmon are considerably smaller than those for Pacific varieties where there are 1,200 miles of shoreline to fish larger quantities.
What this means is that the cost of salmon may very well end up going through the roof for whatever quantities of fish become available, even if the US decides on a limited Pacific salmon fishing season vs. a complete ban.
Just the other day I was watching on older episode of “Deadliest Catch” on the Discovery Channel. The king crab season had ended up being about three days. One of the deckhands mentioned how, years ago, the season might have lasted a few months vs. a few days, but the crab numbers are now far too low.
Could Pacific salmon become as expensive as king crab, where fisherman are getting $5 per pound? I can kinda see this happening.
Meanwhile, in honor of the Pacific salmon fishermen, try this recipe from my sister:
Barb’s Salmon Patties
Makes 4 salmon patties
Ingredients
1 lb fresh salmon, baked or grilled, cooled
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup low-salt saltine crackers, crushed
1/3 cup green onions, thinly-sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground pepper
olive oil (for cooking)
Flake the salmon. With the exception of the olive oil, combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, mixing well. Divide into four portions and make patties 3/4″ thick.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add a couple tablespoons olive oil and allow to get hot without the oil smoking. Add the patties; cook for three minutes on each side. Serve as desired.
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4 April 2008 @ 3:30 pm Posted by DurianDurian
Wow. Very interesting. I hadn’t heard of this.
A shame too becasue IMO pacific salmon is a gazillion times tastier than the Atlantic or Great Lakes variety.
Dave — can you tell me more about that salmon/lobster pinwheel?
4 April 2008 @ 3:41 pm Posted by Dave
Durian, I agree about the Atlantic salmon! As to the pinwheels Steve Gayle makes these at The Fish Market and that’s the only place I’ve seen them. I could ask for the recipe but I doubt he’d give this one out. They’re pretty popular.
4 April 2008 @ 6:01 pm Posted by Tonya
The Salmon Pinwheel looks REALLY good! Salmon was the first fish I ever ate! I didn’t even like fish sticks as a kid! Salmon, however, is very tasty, especially with a sauce drizzled on top! YUM!!
6 April 2008 @ 11:26 am Posted by Dave
Tonya I’ll take salmon any way I can get it, even in sushimi. When you get a chance try the salmon gravlax up at IKEA. The dill is what makes that one great!
9 April 2008 @ 2:12 pm Posted by DurianDurian
The lobster is the yellowish part, I take it. Is it a paste?
9 April 2008 @ 8:10 pm Posted by Dave
Durian I’m not sure what it’s made of exactly, but if it’s a paste I know Steve probably made the paste himself.