Fish Market: Fresh Salmon Cakes!
Posted on 3 May 2008 under Fish, Michigan Cuisine, Shopping | No Comments
Click on any of these three photos for a larger version.
Oh yeah, these were tasty!
While shopping with my son this morning we almost drove past The Fish Market on Telegraph just south of the state line … again. I say “again” because I drive by the darn place all the time without stopping in. And “almost” because this time, I didn’t get that far.
And really, I should be stopping in more. Our friends Steve and Denise own the place, and Steve was in there today. The Fish Market has by far the best, the freshest seafood and seafood creations in all of SE Michigan and NW Ohio combined. And since Steve and Denise live right here in Luna Pier, we should certainly support their business much more than we do.
I decided to browse for something for lunch for Aaron and I. There were all kinds of crab cakes, lobster-stuffed salmon pinwheels, oysters on the half shell, Alaskan king crab (yeah, that Deadliest Catch stuff from the Bering Sea) … Lots of good choices in Steve’s shop today.
What caught my eye were these salmon cakes. At 99 cents each for about a 1/4 lb patty, getting ten of them was easy. They just needed to be sautéed in a pan with a little olive oil and with a bit of rice, they’d be a good lunch for Aaron and I.
And man, were they ever good! They have a rich salmon flavor that only comes out when they’re sautéed like this for a bit until the surface is a golden-brown. They hold together amazingly well, and are perfect by themselves … no bun, definitely no tarter sauce … not even a touch of lemon. These are just damn good.
There’s six more in the freezer. I know what I’m having for lunch this week.
I know I posted this recipe recently, but because of these nice salmon cakes I just have to post it again. Enjoy!
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.
Eat This Blog & Recipe: Grilled Cedar Plank Salmon
Posted on 15 April 2008 under Eat This Blog, Fish, Grilling, Michigan Cuisine, Recipes | 7 Comments
Salmon grilled on a cedar plank. I’ve never done this before, but man is it good!
(Click on any of these three images for a larger version.)
I’ve been meaning to try this for almost a year now. Mary had bought me these cedar planks for grilling fish and such, but as she doesn’t really like fish I’ve held off using them.
Until this evening.
I happened to have this two-pound slab of salmon and decided it was time to go ahead and do this. I’ll tell you what, this is about the easiest grilled fish there is. The fish ends up tender, flaky, moist and flavorful … just right to make for someone like Mary who’s never really liked fish even though she’s grown up right here in a fishing community.
The planks come with instructions, which I promptly read through. There are basic concepts about the plank that are simple. I only modified the seasoning for the fish but it seems the rest is rather straightforward …
Soak the plank in cold water for about 90 minutes. Preheat the closed grill to a temp of 350 degrees F. On my gas grill this was rather close to the lowest-possible setting on all four burners. Don’t go hot just to get it done! You want it to cook slow. Place the oiled-and-seasoned fish skin-side down on the wet plank, put it on the grill and close the lid.
Get some water and place it on standby. If that plank dries out and catches fire, you’ll be ready.
Let the fish cook. Really, don’t open the lid for at least 15 minutes. Start checking the flakiness of the fish at that point. You’ll get a feel for how much longer it will take after a while, so keep an eye on both the fish and the temperature of the closed grill.
Once the fish is able to flake apart easily across the entire filet, use a couple metal spatulas to remove the board and the fish together from the grill. Don’t you dare remove it with your hands … you’ll burn off your fingerprints! Metal … spatulas … get some …
This fish was brushed with olive oil (another part of the basic concepts), then seasoned with Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, granulated garlic, fresh chopped parsley and dill weed. That’s all … nothing else. Use your imagination and you’ll come up with your own combination.
I served this salmon with a pile of cooked brown and wild rices. I’m sure some grilled asparagus with some salt and pepper would have gone well with it as well. Too bad I didn’t have any asparagus or I’d have done just that.
Fishing News: Lake Erie Charters, and the Pacific Salmon Ban
Posted on 11 April 2008 under Canadian Food, Fish, Food In The News, Michigan Cuisine | 2 Comments
Some of the Lake Erie charter fishing captains who work out of the Luna Pier
Harbour Club at their annual fish fry in the marina’s store in December 2007.
The captains were kind enough to invite Mary and myself to this event.
MLive.com reported yesterday afternoon that Lake Erie fishing charter captains won’t be required to contact U.S. Customs and Border Protection with client lists if they venture into Canadian waters. From the article:
Customs officials told charter operators in March that they would need to call ahead an hour before they crossed into Canadian waters and provide a passenger list so that the government could conduct background checks … They also said everyone on the boat would need a a passport or two forms of identification … Customs officials decided last week to change their mind and now say U.S. citizens will need only to report if they plan on stopping at a Canadian port — not if they just plan to fish or drop anchor. Proper identification will be needed only if boaters visit a foreign port.
This directly affects a number of fishing charters operating out of marinas in Luna Pier, Bolles Harbor, LaSalle and other coastal areas along the lake. Mary and I have met a number of these charter operators and frankly, the majority have enough going on to have to deal with the extra amount of busy-work this regulation would have generated.
In more distant news that affects salmon availability, the Associated Press is reporting progress on a ban on Pacific salmon fishing for the 2008 season. From the AP report:
West Coast fisheries managers voted Thursday to cancel all commercial salmon fishing off the California and Oregon coasts this year … The council’s decision still must be confirmed by NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal agency in charge of salmon management … The governors of Washington, Oregon and California have already signed letters seeking a disaster declaration. Congress will be asked to make a fast decision on money to alleviate the suffering of fishermen and any other negative effects the cutback might have, said Brian Gorman, a NOAA Fisheries spokesman.
As I mentioned in previous posts, it’s great to see governments and fishermen alike agreeing on these issues in a vast effort to ensure future fishing, looking at long-term goals while dealing with short-term problems.
Pacific Salmon Ban Finally Being Reported In US Media
Posted on 7 April 2008 under Fish, Food In The News | No Comments
Chef Cedric’s Asparagus & Wild Mushroom-Stuffed Salmon Terrine, one of the
Frog Leg Inn’s specials this past February. Fresh Atlantic salmon lined an oiled
bowl, and the inside was stuffed with an asparagus and wild mushroom stuffing.
This was steamed for about 20 minutes, and was then inverted into a basil cream
sauce.
A few days ago I blogged about the strong possibility of there being a ban on Pacific salmon fishing this year due to depleted stock. The article I referenced was from the BBC across the pond to the east. This is finally being reported by US media outlets, with CNN posting an article today. From CNN’s article:
The stunning collapse of one of the West Coast’s biggest wild salmon runs has prompted even cash-strapped fishermen to call for an unprecedented shutdown of salmon fishing off the coasts of California and Oregon … “There’s likely no fish, so what are you going to be fishing for?” asked Duncan MacLean, a fisherman from Half Moon Bay. “I have no problem sitting out to rebuild this resource if that’s what’s necessary.”
It’s excellent to see everyone being on the same page on this issue. I only hope this agreeability isn’t being misrepresented by suppressing quotes from other fishermen.
A Ban on Pacific Salmon Fishing? And Barb’s Recipe for Salmon Patties
Posted on 4 April 2008 under Fish, Food In The News | 6 Comments
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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