Herb’s Sweet & Tangy Salmon Sauce

Photo by Richard Uhlhorn

Just one more recipe to finish out the month of salmon recipes. This one comes from Beecher Hill House. Its tangy goodness will make your mouth water before you even taste it! - Morgan

Contributed to Savoring Leavenworth: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes for Leavenworth, Peshastin and Cashmere by Pamela Kiehn, Beecher Hill House.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 cup ketchup

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice and zest from 1 lemon

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar, Worcestershire, ketchup, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and add lemon juice and zest.

Spread on salmon fillet and roast or grill, reserving some of the sauce to serve warm with the fish.

Wine Pairing Suggestions:

Waterville Winery Gewürztraminer

Willow Crest Winery Riesling

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

 

Contributed to Savoring Leavenworth: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes for Leavenworth, Peshastin and Cashmere by Taelor Feinberg, The Oil and Vinegar Cellar.

This recipe offers a wonderful balance between savory, sweet, and tart flavors. Best yet, it’s easy, healthy, and delicious!

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 8-12 minutes

Serves: 2

2 salmon fillets (about 4 oz. each)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 tablespoons good quality aged balsamic vinegar (Cinnamon Peach 18-year Aged Balsamic Vinegar recommended)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel. Rub the salt, pepper, and rosemary over the salmon. Let sit for 10 minutes. Place the fillets on a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes.

Combine the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar in a small bowl, stirring to mix.

Remove salmon from the oven and change the oven setting to broil. Brush the balsamic brown sugar mixture on the top of the salmon. Broil for 3 minutes, allowing the mixture to crisp. The salmon is done when it can be easily flaked with a fork.

Serve with fresh salad greens or sautéed asparagus.

Recipe Tip

Try adding a pinch of ground cinnamon to the rub to give it an extra boost of spice.

Wine Pairing Suggestion:

Ryan Patrick Vineyards Rosé

Salmon in Balsamic Blackberry Wine Sauce

 The month of salmon recipes goes on! Add some local blackberries for a fresh and seasonal meal!

Contributed to Savoring Leavenworth: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes for Leavenworth, Peshastin and Cashmere by Marlies Egberding,  The Savory Table.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2

1 small onion, minced

1 clove garlic, diced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped

1 cup balsamic vinegar

2 cups blackberry wine (Pasek Cellars Blackberry Wine recommended)

2 fillets salmon

Garnish

1 cup fresh blackberries

Sauté onion and garlic in butter on medium-high heat until the onions are translucent and slightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add rosemary, balsamic vinegar and blackberry wine and simmer on medium heat, stirring often. Simmer sauce until it has reduced to about 1 cup.

Place salmon skin side down on a broiling pan. Broil on low with the oven door open for about 10 minutes for every inch of fillet thickness. It is done when it can be easily flaked with a fork.

Serve sauce warm over salmon and garnish with fresh blackberries.

Recipe Tip

Allow the sauce to cool completely and use as a delicious salad dressing!

Wine Pairing Suggestions:

Wedge Mountain Winery Lemberger (Semi-Sweet)

Wine Tip:

Offset this slightly sweet sauce with a drier wine. Salmon, an oily fish, can handle a red wine. Most white fish, however, should be paired with white wine.

Broiled Columbia River Wild Chinook Salmon

Photo by Richard Uhlhorn

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's fishing season in North Central Washington! I'm celebrating with a month of salmon recipes. For more information on fishing regulations for your area, go to http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/. - Morgan

 "This recipe has been a family favorite for more than 30 years. I’ve tried other barbecued and baked salmon recipes over the years, but always come back to this one. It’s one of the most requested fish recipes in our family and is now being passed along to a third generation" - John Little, Rio Vista Wines

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Marinating time: 30-90 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes per inch of thickness

Serves 4-6

About 4 pounds 1 to 1-1/2 inch thick fillet of Columbia River salmon

Marinade

Soy sauce, about 1/4 cup

Lemon pepper, added after fish is marinated

Basting Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 cube butter

Sprinkle a generous amount of soy sauce on the flesh side of fillet. Add additional soy sauce as it is absorbed. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30-90 minutes. If short of time, make fork holes in the flesh to aid absorption.

Remove the marinated fillet from the refrigerator, place on broiling pan and sprinkle liberally with lemon pepper.

To make the basting sauce, melt a cube of butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave and blend 50/50 with soy sauce until smooth. Baste the salmon on the meat side with the blended sauce and then broil, skin side down, about 4 inches from the top oven element. A good rule for cooking fish is 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Check the fish every 2 to 3 minutes and continue to baste. A brown, bubbly crust will form. DO NOT OVERCOOK! When it can be easily flaked with a fork, it’s done.

Recipe Tips

• Substitute Columbia River salmon with Lake Chelan Lake trout, Rufus Woods Triploid trout, or Columbia River Steelhead.
• The season for Columbia River Chinook salmon opens in July. (For more information, go to http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/)
• Contact local fishing guides if you need help catching one of these beauties.
• Visit Rio Vista and try our fantastic Columbia River smoked salmon and smoked cheese.

Contributed to Savoring Chelan: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes by John Little, co-owner and winemaker at Rio Vista Wines.

Wine Pairing Suggestions:

Rio Vista Estate Chardonnay*

Rio Vista’s Loony Red (Yes, we recommend a red wine with this fish.)*

Lake Chelan Winery Pinot Noir Rosé