Every spring I order real wild Copper River salmon from Alaska. I get enough to last us all year and put it in my freezer. It's so much better than the farm raised salmon in the grocery store and fresher than the wild salmon they sell that's been sitting out, for who knows how long, defrosted in the fish case. Some of that stuff looks pretty sorry.
I order my salmon from this place and it comes on dry ice, each fillet individually vacuum sealed so you can take out from the freezer just how many pieces you need at a time.
These are absolutely gorgeous fish – so fresh and firm with bright silver skin. I order two kinds, the cheaper Sockeye salmon and a little of the more expensive King salmon. The King salmon fillets are thicker than the Sockeye and and are a little higher in fat, which contains all those great Omega-3 fats.
I'm getting down to the last of the salmon in my freezer for this year and I had just a couple of the King salmon fillets left.
I wanted to fix them a little differently and was thinking of making a wine sauce for them but I thought a red wine sauce might be a little too much and a white wine sauce wouldn't be enough for these rich fillets.
For some reason, I thought about the bottle of Pama pomegranate liquor out on our bar (we usually add a little of this to a glass of champagne) and I thought it might make a great sauce.
Boy, did it ever. It was just about perfect with this wild salmon. Use a nonstick skillet if you have it – it's a little easier on the fish.
Salmon in Pomegranate Sauce
Ingredients:
2 large salmon fillets
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Dried thyme
2 leeks, sliced thinly
1 cup Pama pomegranate liquor
Instructions:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Brush salmon fillets with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, sprinkle with a little thyme and place salmon, skin side up, on hot skillet.
Sear for two to three minutes, without moving fillets. When a nice brown crust forms, remove fillets to a plate. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and add leeks. Saute briefly and then add the Pama liquor. After a minute, add salmon back to skillet, skin side down, lower heat and cover. Let the salmon cook in this liquid for just a few minutes. If you are using a thinner salmon, like a Sockeye, it won't take very long.
You do not want to overcook the fish! It is better to take it out and let it sit for a couple of minutes because it will continue to cook. Remove salmon to a platter and pour pomegranate juice and leeks over salmon.
Elaine McCardel shares her love fresh, homemade Italian cooking and food photography on her blog The Italian Dish.