Uneasy Rhetoric

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. A time of heat, a time of grilling, a time of emptying your wallet of its contents for just a little taste of the world’s best salmon.  But if you’re trying to eat locally, like, within a hundred miles of Sacramento, don’t bother reading on.

Copper River salmon is back, and it’s as expensive as ever: $29.99 a pound at Taylors. Unfortunately, at those prices, I’m almost afraid to cook it.

I first tasted Copper River salmon when I lived in Oregon where, even though we were awash in local salmon, grocery stores would hang big banners proclaiming the availability of this Alaskan wonderfish.

What makes it so great? Copper River salmon tends to have redder flesh than most wild salmon. It’s more oily, more fatty. The taste is much stronger, so if you’re not a fan of fatty fish, you might want to avoid it. I love the stuff and have it at least once, and usually only once, a year. I’ll probably wait to see who else gets it, if I can get it for a few dollars less a pound, and I’ll probably only buy a half pound (a four-ounce cut of this fish will go a long way).

It will be baked, lightly seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper. I won’t risk this fish on the grill.