Is there any fish more maligned than carp or more loved than salmon? Right after our Go Fish blog went up yesterday – with Andy’s Corner devoted to musings on his dad and fishing – Gayle and Bob C, friends from grad school days at Colorado State U more than 46 years ago, rolled in for a visit. When the subject of carp came up, Bob talked about his army days in Germany in the early 1960’s where he was shocked to see little Bavarian restaurants whose specialty was – ta-da – CARP or “Karpfen.” Bob had apparently been brought up with the notion that carp was a fish no civilized person would eat. I did a little research and discovered that in Germany and a few other European countries serving carp at Christmas is a special tradition…and (mind you – I’m only repeating what I read; I don’t know this for a fact) – the carp may be “housed” in the family’s bathtub for awhile before it meets its demise. What a tradition. Loving and hating carp reminds me a little of the relationship Scandinavian-Americans have with lutefisk.
But on to a much-loved fish: Bob and Gayle, who focus on eating healthy foods, routinely buy frozen salmon at Costco. That shows how important it is to have friends. I hadn’t even thought about frozen salmon, especially frozen wild Alaskan salmon, which Bob and Gayle buy in quantity and defrost pieces as needed.
Slow-Roasted Salmon from Picnics by Sara Deseran
Here’s our all-time favorite AND Super Simple salmon recipe from Sara’s 2004 Picnics cookbook:
Super Simple Slow-Roasted Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 filleted side of salmon, skin on, 2-3 pounds, about 1 1/2″ thick with the pinbones removed – or use 4 fillets that are about 5-6 oz each and reduce the roasting time.
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Rub both sides of the salmon with the olive oil. Place the salmon skin-side down in a roasting pan. Generously sprinkle salt and pepper over the flesh side (figure about 1 tsp kosher salt/pound). Roast uncovered 30-40 minutes for the whole fillet or around 15-18 minutes for the 5-6 oz fillets. The salmon will look undercooked on the top, but if it flakes when gently pulled apart with a fork, it’s done. Remove from the oven and serve, either warm or room temperature, adding a topping such as lemon and capers if desired.
Big Little Meals 