Ok, I am no Chef. However, for years I have been cooking Salmon on our grill and it comes out PERFECT.

I always buy the cheaper salmon which is usually on sale and a few dollars less expensive per pound than Sockeye Salmon. I always buy three pieces weighing a total of 1.25-1.5 lbs.

I combine OJ, lime juice and honey, brush the Salmon, lightly sprinkle with Jane's Crazy Mixed up salt and pepper.

Wrapped in foil, with plenty of the mixture on the bottom, so it does not burn.

Grill at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Let it stand 5-7 minutes and then enjoy.

Like I said, it is the one thing I grill that brings a smile to my face.

Today, for the first time ever, they only had Sockeye Salmon.

What the hell? I spend the extra money and treat the family to a treat.

Not so much.

The Salmon was over cooked and none of us finished it. We also noticed a lot more bones than I have ever had (we usually find 1 or 2 at the most, among the three steaks)

I was unaware Sockeye was that different. It had a darker color than the Salmon I usually buy, but looked to have the same texture.

Help!!!! What did I do wrong?

Steve, I cook mine at 350 for 20 minutes and serve it right away. I do this will all varieties of salmon and it seems to work well.

Maybe try a lower heat and skip the rest?

Generally Sockeyes are smaller than the farm raised you are likely usually getting, that was probably the biggest difference. Were they thinner cuts?

I usually only eat wild caught Sockeye or other pacific salmon. The Atlantic/farm ones don't have as much flavor and usually have coloring added. I am surprised that you like the lower end better, most don't. I think either they were smaller cuts (most likely) or you varied something else you normally do.

Thanks Jeff, I'll give that a try.

Is there a noticeable difference between the Sockeye and just the plain old Salmon?

Thank you Skins2881.

Same total weight, but yes, the filets may have been a little thinner.

quote:

Originally posted by P-220:
Thanks Jeff, I'll give that a try.

Is there a noticeable difference between the Sockeye and just the plain old Salmon?

I can only tell the difference when I splurge and buy fresh, wild Copper River salmon. I stay away from anything farmed.

Only buy wild salmon. The farm raised salmon has high Omega 6's and a little Omega 3's which is just the opposite of what you want.

Safe, Sustainable Farmed Salmon?
What can you tell me about the new sustainable farmed salmon? Is it really a safe alternative to ordinary farmed salmon?
March 4, 2010

You’re referring to a specific method for farming Pacific coho salmon that was approved in January 2010 by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood WATCH program. (Seafood WATCH is the aquarium’s effort to raise awareness of the link between the seafood we eat and the health of the oceans.) A little background on farmed salmon: almost all salmon served today is farmed ("Atlantic salmon"), which has less flavor, less protein, and more fat than wild salmon, and its health promoting ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids may not be as favorable as in wild fish.

It likely also contains residues of pesticides, antibiotics and other drugs used to control diseases that occur when fish are crowded together in the open-net pens of fish farms. Those diseases may escape and decimate wild populations of salmon. Moreover, it takes several pounds of feed fish to produce one pound of salmon. The net result is greatly accelerated depletion of the numbers of fish in the oceans.

That is why I have recommended choosing wild Alaskan salmon. It tastes better, is more nutritious than farmed Atlantic salmon, and eating it does not have the environmental impact or health consequences of relying on farmed salmon.

The news that Seafood WATCH has approved the new salmon farming technique is certainly welcome. I understand that this action followed several months of investigation by scientists who inspected the production facilities and reviewed feed ratios, fish contaminant and pollution discharge levels at the salmon farms.

Seafood WATCH explained that the new farming methods contain the fish and water in closed systems, such as tanks, rather than releasing them into the environment. In addition, the use of disease-free source water and strict security protocols "minimize the spread of disease to the wild" and "impact the environment less than open net pens." Its approval of the farming method means that the salmon from these new farms will be assigned a green "best choice" rating on the Seafood WATCH website and pocket guide to ocean-friendly seafood.

In order to be accorded the "best choice" designation, the salmon itself must provide the daily minimum of omega-3 fatty acids (at least 250 milligrams per day) based on 28 grams of fish and have levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels under 11 parts per billion.

Limited supplies of the new farmed salmon are scheduled to be introduced in the Pacific Northwest this year. Although my personal favorite is still wild Alaskan salmon, I checked to see how the new tank farmed salmon will be priced, and found that this has not yet been determined. Andrew Weil, M.D.

https://www.drweil.com/diet-nu...nable-farmed-salmon/

Holy crap, I had no idea.

The key is internal temp not cook time. The key is to get the thickest part to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything over that it will dry out. My cook time changes week to week depending on how thick/thin the peice of salmon is.

When I buy sockeye I have to cut the cook time to about 75% of the farm raised Scottish/Faroe islands salmon that my family enjoys every sunday.

If you want a treat (and you are on the eastern part of the country) try any salmon from Scotland or the Faroe islands. It will cost more but it is amazing! It has a higher fat content and it is super flavorful/moist.

quote:

Help!!!! What did I do wrong?

Biggest mistake - You cooked to time not temperature. I lived in Alaska for 5 years, and I've cooked a metric shit ton of salmon. 130F to 145F is absolutely perfect, juicy, safe salmon. Here is a thread I started last week on recommended leave in thermometers and instant read thermometers. I stick my leave-in thermometer's probe in the thick part of the meat and pull about 135F.

Smaller mistake - Steaming salmon on the grill (aka wrapped in foil) you're not getting any of the malliard reaction (caramelizing sugars) that gives the great grilled taste. Leave the skin on, place the salmon on foil, trim foil to fillet's size, and brush lightly with olive oil. Grill at 400F, and do not flip. About 2 minutes before done (i.e. about 120F internal temp) then baste it with OJ, lime, and honey concoction (or whatever glaze you want to use). Pro tip - there is a fat layer between skin and meat so slide a spatula between meat and skin. Leave the skin on the foil and serve the skin free meat to your family.

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:

quote:

Originally posted by P-220:
Thanks Jeff, I'll give that a try.

Is there a noticeable difference between the Sockeye and just the plain old Salmon?

I can only tell the difference when I splurge and buy fresh, wild Copper River salmon. I stay away from anything farmed.

Living in Alaska turned me into a salmon snob, and I can tell the difference. I only eat wild caught king salmon (aka chinook), silver salmon (aka coho), and red salmon (aka sockeye). King's have the strongest taste, and silvers are my favorite. Humpies (aka the pink salmon sold as canned salmon at stores) and dog salmon (aka chum) are what Alaskans feed to their dogs. I don't know any Alaskans would feed farm raised "Atlantic" salmon to their dogs.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Help!!!! What did I do wrong?

Biggest mistake - You cooked to time not temperature. I lived in Alaska for 5 years, and I've cooked a metric shit ton of salmon. 130F to 145F is absolutely perfect, juicy, safe salmon. Here is a thread I started last week on recommended leave in thermometers and instant read thermometers. I stick my leave-in thermometer's probe in the thick part of the meat and pull about 135F.

Smaller mistake - Steaming salmon on the grill (aka wrapped in foil) you're not getting any of the malliard reaction (caramelizing sugars) that gives the great grilled taste. Leave the skin on, place the salmon on foil, trim foil to fillet's size, and brush lightly with olive oil. Grill at 400F, and do not flip. About 2 minutes before done (i.e. about 120F internal temp) then baste it with OJ, lime, and honey concoction (or whatever glaze you want to use). Pro tip - there is a fat layer between skin and meat so slide a spatula between meat and skin. Leave the skin on the foil and serve the skin free meat to your family.

Damn, tatortood, I always love your input on cooking. You do things often times very similar to me (and I've stole a thing or two from you).

Here's my recipe for salmon that has got zero complaints. Super easy too.

• Make garlic butter like you are making some garlic bread, but use olive oil and add a dash of onion powder to it.
• Coat both sides of the salmon with garlic butter and sprinkle generously with Chef Pauls Blackened Redfish
• Place on foil with edges bent up slightly to make a shallow bowl skin side down (the fish is frying partially the first half) * be careful
• Grill between 375-400ish lower for thicker, higher for thinner.
• Grill to thickest part is 120ish*
• Turn grill up to high
• Flip, the foil will stick to the skin and pull all the skin off. When flipping flip to part of grill that is not currently being used to cooked on.
• Brush now skinless side with light coating of garlic butter and sprinkle with Blackened Redfish.
• Cook two minutes
• Flip again to original part of grill that you were cooking on
• Cook 90 seconds.
• Service right away, tent until serving, but not too long.

I end up at 140-150* Best right at 145*, some people won't eat it if it's too rare.

I also do a similar glaze as well sometimes, but I prefer the blackened over glazed most times. Glaze is similar to yours but I have garlic and soy sauce in it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Skins2881,

Rare-er Salmon beats Dry/Overcooked Salmon every day that ends in Y.

And what tator said, cook to temp, not time, that way any difference in cut/size doesn't matter.

I use Makers Mark Salmon Marinade.

1 fillet of salmon or salmon steaks (the fresher the better)
2 tablespoons of honey
1 splash to an ounce of Maker’s

1) Mix the honey and whisky together (consistency and flavor are up to you. I like it a little thicker, so it holds better)

2) Spoon the mixture onto the fish as a marinade then put the steak or fillets in the fridge

3) Place salmon on the grill (use aluminum foil to keep it from sticking)

4) As salmon cooks (about 1 to 2 minutes per ounce), continue to baste.

5) Give one last coat before serving

The Maker’s gives it a nice smoked flavor without a long marinade and the honey sweetens and holds the whisky on the steak.

Where does everyone get their Salmon? The local grocery stores are not well stocked, and the age of the fish is suspect.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Rare-er Salmon beats Dry/Overcooked Salmon every day that ends in Y.

And what tator said, cook to temp, not time, that way any difference in cut/size doesn't matter.

I also suspect that you simply overcooked it a bit. Temperature is the most accurate way to go. James Beard's rule of thumb is to cook fish at normal temperature (your 400 is normal or a little higher) for ten minutes per inch of thickness. But using a thermometer is better.

There is Canadian baked salmon, which is something like 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then 10 minutes per inch at 300 degrees. The high heat sears the outside which locks the juices inside the meat. This is a great method, the meat always tastes moist.

Internal temp of 130 is when I pull my red salmon. Overcooking fish is a terrible waste.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:

quote:

Originally posted by P-220:
Thanks Jeff, I'll give that a try.

Is there a noticeable difference between the Sockeye and just the plain old Salmon?

I can only tell the difference when I splurge and buy fresh, wild Copper River salmon. I stay away from anything farmed.

Living in Alaska turned me into a salmon snob, and I can tell the difference. I only eat wild caught king salmon (aka chinook), silver salmon (aka coho), and red salmon (aka sockeye). King's have the strongest taste, and silvers are my favorite. Humpies (aka the pink salmon sold as canned salmon at stores) and dog salmon (aka chum) are what Alaskans feed to their dogs. I don't know any Alaskans would feed farm raised "Atlantic" salmon to their dogs.

If it wasn't so damn expensive to ship, I'd send you a bunch of silvers. I caught about 250 of them in my nets this past August and wasn't even trying all that hard. At first I was pretty excited but now I'm sort of over it. I still have over 100lbs of the stuff but the only stuff I like to eat right now is the smoked stuff. After eating salmon every day for 2 months, me and my wife just got sort of sick of it.

We get the wild Sockeye and IMO it's so much better than the regular. Leave the skin on. Place it directly on the grill (that cooks by indirect heat). I don't time it, I just look in on it after about 5 minutes. When I see the lines between the layers start to turn a white-ish color, it's done. With the Sockeye being thinner, it takes less time to cook.

My wife is from Port Angeles Wa. and we'd visit her family twice a year when the Kings were running and again when the Coho (silvers) were running and I'd bring the boat of course. While she visited I'd fish. Worked out well all around. That said, we've cooked and grilled tons of Salmon over the years.

First and foremost, leave the skin on. Secondly, forget the aluminum foil. I just clean the grill, oil it and brush a little olive oil on both sides of Salmon. Never sticks to the grill after doing this.

I like my Salmon coated with a mixture of brown sugar, Chile sauce, lemon pepper and salt. My wife likes hers with a hollandaise, dill and lemon pepper mixture.

With fillets, I cook the thick end over coals and the thin end indirect. I've cooked enough of it to know when it's done without a temp prob. 135- 140 degrees. Comes out great every time.

I've never eaten farm raised Salmon and never will. Fresh King, Coho and Copper River fillets are the only cuts we will ever purchase.

Use a temp probe in the thick end and cook till around 132 and let it rest for a few minutes for the best results.

In answer to your question regarding Sockeye Salmon, neither of us care for it so we never get it and I can't help you there.

Jim

PS: I almost forgot to say that adding a few Alder chips is great for a light smokey flavor.