Simplified Grilled Copper River Salmon

Why the hype about Copper River Salmon?

The Copper River in Alaska is about 300 miles in length... Rushing waters, strong currents and natural diet make for some pretty tasty fish. Unlike Atlantic farmed raised salmon, Copper River Salmon are strong fish full of natural oils and body fat due to the climate in which they live. The good thing about our strong fat fish friends is not only do they taste awesome; they are good for you as they are bursting with Omega-3 oils, which are recommended by the American Heart Association. Your ticker is not the only part that benefits from these fish: studies have also found that fish oil can help combat such ailments as psoriasis, arthritis, breast cancer, migraines and taste buds that have been yearning for something fresh!

One word comes to mind when I think about hot summers and Copper River salmon. …Simplify

I never understood why a chef would take such a great ingredient and mask it with a thick sauce. Thick sauces on salmon should be left to those species of fish which need it (take our mushy farm raised salmon from the east coast for example). Again, Copper River salmon feed naturally, live naturally and most importantly they are recommended as sustainable seafood by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch! (http://www.mbayaq.org/cr/SeafoodWatch.asp)

My favorite recipe for Copper River is simply grilled and paired with a great wine; it simply can not be beat.

Simplified Grilled Copper River Salmon

2 6-8oz Fillets of Copper River salmon (Coho, Sockeye or King)
Pinch of Old Bay Seasoning
1T Olive oil
½ cup Crofut River Valley White

Mix together Oldbay, Oil and River Valley White. Pour over fish and let sit for about 5 minutes. Then on a hot grill, place each fillet ands cook on each side for about 6 minutes per inch of thickness of the filet.


Nothing gets better in the first part of summer then Great Fish, Great Wine and Great Friends!

Relax and enjoy the summer,

The Dollarhides