Wild For Salmon

Our Wild for Salmon blend was actually created for and named after our friends at Wild for Salmon a commercial salmon business that for seven weeks each year travels to Bristol Bay, AK to catch and flash freeze wild salmon. They are located in the same home town as we are and have only been in business for about 10 years and are growing each year. Their salmon is nothing short of remarkable!

 

Yes it's Good For You

Surely you've heard that consuming salmon several times a week is good for you. According to the National Institute of Health "the anti-inflammatory health benefits of a diet rich in oily fish, such as salmon and mackerel comes from their constituent polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids.  These omega-3 fatty acids also protect against heart disease, periodontitis, arthritis, and other inflammatory conditions."

 

Wild or Farm Raised?

The real challenge is coming to the realization that not all salmon is created equal. The best salmon is wild, West Coast salmon, preferably king or sockeye. In your favorite supermarket you are most likely getting farm raised salmon (which because of their bad reputation has now been remarketed as "ocean-raised") which is not as healthy as wild salmon. Genuine wild salmon only accounts for about 20% of all salmon sold in the US.

"Farm raised" or "ocean raised" means that the salmon are raised in pens in the ocean and the fish don't get lots of swimming room, are prone to disease (and therefore fed antibiotics) and are high in mercury. In addition because of their pellet diet they don't have the same natural pink coloring of wild salmon and their diet is supplemented with artificial colorings to give this desired appearance. In several studies factory farmed salmon has been reported to have 16 times the cancer linked pcb's than wild salmon does.

 

How to Use It

There are numerous ways to prepare and cook salmon - you can bake it, broil it, grill it or poach it. There are also a variety of marinades, rubs and sauces. For this heart-healthy fish, the key to optimum flavor is to not overcook it or it will become dry and tough.

When selecting salmon a good rule of thumb is to choose center cut salmon and then cut into appropriate sizes at home. Allow 4-6 ounces of raw salmon per serving.

We like to use about ½ to 1 tsp of seasoning per 4 ounces of salmon. We always recommend going with less seasoning than more to start as you can always add more.

We love this rub as the ideal compliment to salmon. A quick sprinkle and rub 10 minutes prior to cooking and you're good to go. Our Wild for Salmon spice rub marries with the juices of salmon to form a delicious glaze (when baked or grilled) and this is a flavorful departure from the usual lemon and herb seasonings so common with salmon.

We especially like to grill our salmon and have found leaving the skin on makes it less likely the fish will fall through the grill rack. A general guideline is to grill your salmon for approximately 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness. For grilling salmon filets expect them to cook in approximately 4-5 minutes. Do not turn over when grilling. For salmon steaks expect cooking time to be 4-7 minutes. Turn once to cook on both sides.

 

What's In It

Hand blended with brown sugar, paprika, sea salt, black pepper, cacao powder, cumin and red pepper flakes.

 

Flavor Profile

The flavor has a hint of smoky sweetness with a little bit of background heat.

If you love salmon, make sure you also try our Grilled Salmon and Bristol Bay Salmon Seasoning.

 

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