Alaskan King Salmon with Yellow Pepper Saffron Sauce
Making the most of Alaska’s best protein: Tips to really enjoy your special meals:
King salmon:
Possibly my favorite fish, there isn’t much better than a medium rare king salmon fillet, and not
much more depressing than an overcooked dry piece of salmon. When I grill it I always leave
the skin on, get the grill very (500-600) hot, I coat the flesh with olive oil and alder smoked salt
and cracked pepper, then sear it for 2-3 minutes flesh side down until it releases from the grate.
Flip skin side down for another 4-7 minutes. Flipping it onto a sheet of aluminum foil will make it
a lot easier to get it off the grill.
One of my favorite ways to top it is with this yellow pepper saffron sauce!
Alaskan King Salmon with Yellow Pepper Saffron Sauce
The recipe came from Food Network, but after years of tweaking it there are several key tips to
make this dish really stand out. When done correctly guests will try eating the sauce with a
spoon and pour it on anything else you are serving that evening, it is that good
2 yellow peppers, charred on the grill, seeded and coarsely chopped.
The trick to getting the skin off is to let the yellow peppers sit in a covered bowl for
20 minutes.
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
5-8 cloves garlic, crushed
*saffron is a delicate flavor, if you put raw garlic in the sauce it overwhelms
everything else, instead blanch the garlic before putting it in the blender and the sauce
will have a great flavor without the bitterness of raw garlic
Two pinches of saffron threads
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup pure olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
In a blender or food processor, combine the peppers, vinegar, garlic, saffron, honey,
and mustard and blend 30 seconds. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until it
emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Drizzle each serving with the sauce and put the rest out on the table, your guests will
want it!
About Dave Johnson