Salmon Marinade
Savoring the Jewels of the Sea
There are many types of excellent fish on the market and salmon is one of the most loved by North Americans. This gourmet delicacy tastes great on its own, but you can also spice it up a little by making a salmon marinade. A lot of people don't always associate fish with marinades, but once you try a mouth watering salmon marinade you'll never want to eat the fish without one again.
Some of the ingredients you may want to add to a salmon marinade could include salt, pepper, lemon pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, onions, crushed red pepper, garlic cloves, dried rosemary, sweet white wine, tomato juice, plum tomatoes, red wine vinegar, sugar, rosemary sprigs, cherry tomatoes, sesame seeds, wasabi powder, soy sauce, brown sugar, dill, capers, cilantro, sour cream, mustard, scallions, turmeric, garlic powder, butter, red pepper flakes, lemon peel, orange peel, mango, papaya, mint, basil, balsamic vinegar, shallots, jalapeno peppers, olives, coriander, ginger, horseradish, chives and walnuts.
As you can see, there are numerous ingredients that can go into a variety of salmon marinades. You can check out some recipes to follow or create your own salmon marinade. Gravad lax is a Swedish specialty that is made by soaking the fish in a salmon marinade of sugar, salt and dill. Scottish smoked salmon may be marinated in Scotch whisky and be hot or cold smoked.
Remember that there are various types of North American salmon available and the different kinds may lead you to use a different flavored salmon marinade. Just about all varieties of salmon in North America are found off the Pacific coast, with about 90 percent of these are in Alaskan waters. Among the best Pacific salmon is the superior Chinook or king salmon. This species has a high fat, soft textured flesh. Other high fat salmon include the Coho or silver salmon, which has firm textured flesh along with the sockeye or red salmon, which also has firm flesh. The pink or humpback salmon are also available and they aren't as fatty as the other types of salmon. This is also the smallest and most delicately flavored of the Pacific salmon. The chum or dog salmon however, has the lowest fat content of them all. There is, of course, a lot of farmed salmon available on the market as well.
Depending on the variety of the salmon, it is sold whole, in fillets or steaks. The best tasting salmon is fresh and stored gutted, on ice, in the refrigerator. Remember there are various ways to cook your salmon including baked, fried and grilled on the barbecue. You may want to experiment with cooking methods and salmon marinades to see which your favorite combination is. You shouldn't leave your salmon marinade on too long as fish shouldn't really be marinated more than an hour. If it is, the delicate meat will probably break down and turn to mush.