Chefs say simple is best when preparing salmon

Betcha didn’t know we had wild salmon in Nevada.

Kokanee salmon spend most of the year in Lake Tahoe, parts of which are in Nevada and California. Every fall they return to Taylor Creek, a few miles over the California border, to spawn and die.

While Kokanee salmon exist in other parts of the country, there’s no commercial fishery for them in Lake Tahoe, so if you want to try it, you’ll have to catch one first. A representative of Tahoe Sport Fishing said they recommend three South Lake Tahoe restaurants where fisherfolks can take their catch to be prepared. At Artemis Grill, James Laidler said that’s a common occurrence during the summer.

“Whatever you bring in, we cook it up for you,” he said. Laidler added the restaurant’s chef will prepare the fish however the customer wants; if there is no preference, the chef will probably grill it and serve it with lemon and capers.

“It’s really, really good,” Laidler said, noting the flavor is somewhat more delicate than that of most wild-caught or farm-raised salmon. “It’s fresh.”

Although freshwater salmon isn’t available in local supermarkets, spokeswoman Janette Rizk said Whole Foods Market carries rainbow trout (which are related to salmon), catfish, whitefish and tilapia, all freshwater fish.

Whether you choose one of those or the more commonly available salmon, local chefs have tips for preparing it. In general, they say, simple is best.

“The way I like to prepare it is just sear it in a hot pan and butter-baste it,” said Jose Mendoza, executive chef at Hank’s Fine Steaks & Martinis at Green Valley Ranch Resort. “Use a nice cast-iron pan, sear the fish with a little bit of butter, butter baste it with a litle bit of brown butter and throw in some aromatics. I like thyme and garlic and shallots. I cook it all in the pan.” Mendoza said he likes his salmon medium-rare, and the butter-basting method lends itself to that.

“I’m real simple,” said Jay Calimlim, executive chef of Della’s Kitchen at The Delano. Calimlim said whether you leave the skin on depends on personal choice, but he likes to leave it because there’s so much flavor in the skin.

“I just want the food to speak for itself,” he said. “It’s up to us as chefs to bring out the best in the actual ingredients. We put the trust in the fisherman or the farmer or the rancher to get the best out of the individual animal. We don’t want to damage the fish in any way before it hits the plate.”

He prefers to pan-roast his salmon with salt and pepper and maybe a little citrus.

Mendoza said his favorite types are Scottish and Alaskan salmon. Of the Scottish, which he said is both wild-caught and farm-raised, “I like really just the texture and color of it. It’s a brighter orange. The flavor is a little bit meatier.”

Of the Alaskan, which is wild-caught, he said, “it’s all about the size. These come in really big, so if you want to impress somebody with the thickness or the size of the salmon steak, this is what you want to go for. And it’s wild-caught, so everything is way better about them — the flavor, the texture.”

Alaskan salmon, he said, is good as sashimi.

Calimlim said he prefers coho salmon, because it’s richer, with more flavor.

“People who don’t like salmon just don’t like salmon,” he said. “If you enjoy salmon, I think coho’s the way to go.”

SLOW-ROASTED SALMON WITH FENNEL, CITRUS AND CHILIES

1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 blood or navel orange, very thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 Meyer or regular lemon, very thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 red Fresno chili or jalapeno, with seeds, thinly sliced

4 sprigs dill, plus more for serving

Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper

1 2-pound skinless salmon fillet, preferably center-cut (or use cod, halibut, John Dory or turbot)

¾ cup olive oil

Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Toss fennel, orange slices, lemon slices, chili and 4 dill sprigs in a shallow 3-quart baking dish; season with kosher salt and pepper. Season salmon with kosher salt and place on top of fennel mixture. Pour oil over.

Roast until salmon is just cooked through (the tip of a knife will slide through easily and flesh will be slightly opaque), 30-40 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer salmon to a platter, breaking it into large pieces as you go. Spoon fennel mixture and oil from baking dish over; discard dill sprigs. Season with sea salt and pepper and top with fresh dill sprigs.

Serves 6.

— Bon Appetit

GRILLED KING SALMON WITH ASPARAGUS, MORELS AND LEEKS

1 pound slender asparagus, trimmed and cut in half diagonally

1 large leek (white part only), thinly sliced and rinsed well to remove dirt

3 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

¾ teaspoon kosher salt (divided use)

½ teaspoon pepper (divided use)

½ pound fresh morel mushrooms, rinsed well and halved lengthwise, or ¾ ounce dried morels (see note)

¼ cup fino sherry or dry white wine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 king or coho salmon fillet (1½ pounds, 1 inch thick), with skin

1 cup whipping cream

Boil asparagus until barely tender-crisp, 2 minutes; drain and rinse asparagus in cold water.

Heat grill to medium-high (about 450 degrees).

Cook leek in butter in a large frying pan over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes. Add thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and the morels; cook, stirring occasionally, until morels are tender, 5 minutes. Stir in sherry and reduce by half, 30 to 45 seconds. Set vegetables aside.

Fold a 12-by-17-inch sheet of heavy-duty foil in half crosswise. With a knife tip, poke dime-size holes through foil about 2 inches apart. Oil one side of foil. Rub fish on both sides with oil and put skin side down on foil. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Set salmon on foil on cooking grate; grill, covered, until fish is barely cooked through, about 10 minutes. With 2 wide spatulas, slide fish from skin to a warm baking sheet; tent with foil. If you want crisp skin, continue to cook skin on foil until crisp, 1 to 3 minutes more. Remove foil from grill, then gently peel off skin, using fingers or a wide spatula (skin may break into pieces). Set salmon skin, if using, on a platter.

Add cream and asparagus to mushrooms and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring; boil longer to thicken sauce if you like. With 2 spatulas, set fish on skin. Spoon half the vegetable sauce over salmon and serve the rest on the side. Serve immediately.

Note: Soak dried morels in hot water until softened, 8 minutes. Squeeze out water; cut in half.

Serves 6.

— Sunset magazine

Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at reviewjournal.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.