Fire-Roasted Salmon
Spring and early summer are the best times to eat salmon in New Orleans. This is the time of year when Pacific salmon becomes available. Even though it's not a local fish, it's so good and so unique in so many ways that we can't ignore it. This is my favorite way to prepare salmon, one I've seen in two disparate places: Scandinavia (Sweden and Finland) and California (at the Meadowood Resort). The whole side of salmon is tied to a grill (in one case, a grill made of wooden poles). Then it's propped up in front of a hot fire--on the ground, or in a fireplace. Here's a recipe for getting the salmon ready for that.- 2 Tbs. light brown sugar
- 2 Tbs. sea salt
- 2 Tbs. dry mustard
- 4 Tbs. dill
- 2 whole sides fresh salmon, 1-2 lbs each.
- 4 Tbs. vegetable oil
1. Combine the sugar, salt, mustard and dill. Rub the salmon with the vegetable oil and coat with the seasoning blend.
2. You can grill the salmon, or tie it to racks or even sticks and expose it to an open fire. The grilling over a medium fire takes eight to ten minutes per side, or until the fish loses its translucence inside. If doing it over an open fire, it will probably take longer to reach that state.
3. Serve as is, accompanied by a cool salad. (Potato, rice, or pasta salads would be good, as would green salads.)
Serves eight.