So excited to announce my first sponsored post of 2020!
When Sitka Shares reached out to me to review their salmon delivery box and write a few recipes, as well, I, first thought it was too good to be true, but accepted immediately and was so excited to get started. I love cooking fish and it's really the only "animal product" we keep in our kitchen. I received a box of 3 Wild Alaskan Coho Salmon filets and 2 filets of Black Rockfish (Black Bass). What a deal!
How Sitka Salmon Shares Works
Sitka Salmon Shares is a completely integrated boat-to-doorstep seafood company. They are striving to rebuild America’s seafood system by actively supporting sustainably sourced seafood and independent, family fishermen. Community Supported Fishery (CSF) members purchase their very own "shares" of Sitka Salmon Shares harvest. Similar to preorders or vegetable shares which is offered at many farmers markets or community centers (if you didn't know this and would like more info definitely look into it and ask your farmer's markets!), these purchases determine how much fish our fishermen catch! After that, CSF members receive a monthly home seafood delivery - their "share" - of the wild Alaskan catch, ranging 4.5-5lbs per month and ranging 3-9 months during the CSF season (April thru December). This program allows the fishermen to receive a fairer wage for their work. You have the option of ordering a Salmon Lovers box, a Premium box which offers Dungeness crab legs, a box with all white fish, and a spring/summer variety.
Jerk Sauce
Do you have a favorite type of fish? Don't get me wrong, I'll still eat anything, but salmon takes the win as my number one favorite fish to cook and eat. I also always eat it with the skin on, which I know is a controversial discussion. If you typically eat your salmon with butter, garlic, and a pinch of salt then this recipe will definitely excite your taste buds.
Jamaican jerk is a signature, staple sauce in Jamaican cooking. I love the smells that happen when it's rubbed on chicken and then cooked in the smoker. If you've never experienced that, I advise you come to Brooklyn to attend one of the many caribbean and african food festivals we have each summer. Whenever I make a plan to attend an outdoor festival in Brooklyn, I know I'm getting jerk chicken (or oxtails!!) and rice and peas. No questions.
This recipe I have is quite simple and only requires several ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry plus a blender to grind it all up. When I applied this sauce to my salmon and place it on the stovetop griddle, those smells from last summer came rushing back and I knew I had something. There were two ingredients I had to omit due to not being able to find it and when I did the price was a little steep; Pimento seeds and allspice.
Ingredients:
1 tsp of salt
1 whole onion
2 tbsp paprika
6 garlic cloves
4 sprigs of rosemary
2 tbsp browning sauce (store bought)
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp sugar
1 and a half scotch bonnet pepper (add more if you like more spice)
2 tsp black pepper
Step 1:
CLEAN YOUR SALMON and pat dry with a paper towel. Place salmon into a bowl and set aside. A room temperature salmon is best to get the skin crispy. So before cooking, always sit salmon aside for about 15 minutes.
Step 2:
Add all jerk sauce ingredients to a blender and blend for about 1 minute or until sauce is well mixed.
Step 3:
Rub jerk sauce all over your salmon filet and cover with plastic wrap while you prepare the sides you're serving with it and your cooking pan. I made string beans, basmati rice (squeeze a lime all over the rice), and a side salad with swiss chard, yellow peppers, little bit of avocado, and slices of grapefruit.
Step 4:
I used a Scan Pan USA stove top griddle. However, anything cast iron is a great tool to use to make salmon, non-stick comes in at a close second best for me. However, use what you have. If you don't cover the bottom of the salmon with the jerk sauce, sprinkle a generous amount of salt on the skin AND on your pan. Add a little butter or oil (it needs a fat). The pan should be really hot to fire blast the fat on the skin. Click the video below for the sound your pan should make when cooking the skin side down.
*** You'll know the skin side is finished when it's not sticking and easy to lift. You’ll be tempted to lift the fish or move it around the pan to see how it’s coming along, but the very best thing you can do is to keep your hands off and wait. I learned this the hard way for many years.
** When pan-searing salmon, the bulk of the cooking is done with the skin side down. You'll start to notice the color of the salmon changing slowly around the edges and moving up towards the top, so pay close attention. Once the color has changed about 3/4 of the way up, you'll know it's time to flip and cook the other side.
Step 5:
Carefully lift and flip so the skin side is up and the other 1/4 can cook through, about 3-5 minutes, depending on the heat of your pan.
How do you typically serve your fish? Do you stick to a solid butter and garlic duo? Do you have other fish marinades to share? Let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to like this post.
@brunchwithsam
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