First Copper River

Had my first Copper River salmon of the season Saturday night at a restaurant in Pittsburgh celebrating our daughter's college graduation. We did the touristy kind of thing, going to Monterey Bay Fish Grotto on Mount Washington. An absolutely spectacular view of the city. And amazingly the food lived up to the view. Consumed a bottle of 2004 Domaine Serene Grace Vineyard PN with the meal. A lovely wine....definitely PN but somewhat restrained in its flavors and nose. Nicely balanced and very smooth.

[Jenise]

Wow, forget the salmon, you had a Grace. Never had that one myself. Was it twice as good as the Evanstadt, or just twice the price?

Wow, forget the salmon, you had a Grace. Never had that one myself. Was it twice as good as the Evanstadt, or just twice the price?

Tough question. Well it was very, very, very good. We tasted the Evenstad, two years ago, and have a bottle in the cellar. Cannot recall if we tasted the Grace at that time but I think not. So no recent basis for comparison. Certainly, it was much better than the Yamhill Cuvee. But this was certainly a positive experience. I would not turn down another bottle.

On a normal day, the Grace is out of my price range. But the pricing seemed kinda reasonable at $116.....at a restaurant in Pennsylvania no less. IIRC, restaurants et al only get 16% off retail from the PA state monopoly. And this was a very special occasion. I'd be surprised if I could find that wine for anywhere near that price at a restaurant in Ohio and I don't think that is much above Serene's list price for the Grace.

The night before, a different restaurant wanted $46 for a Castle Rock PN. That place had excellent food but I thought the wine list was outrageously priced....and thats coming from someone in Ohio! So finding this Serene bottling at this price was a pleasant surprise.

All in all, it was a transcendent evening....good company, good food, good wine, a great view, and an exciting event.

I work (not much longer, though) as a fishmonger. We have been eating Copper River Salmon Sashimi at a near constant pace as we fillet the fish, both King and Sockeye. After we fillet we then cut the meat from the cheeks and from the bone line. It is consumed instantly and is just delicious. Sometimes we can wait long enough for the sushi chefs to make nigri rolls for us.

[Jenise]

Mike, for $116, you couldn't afford NOT to order it. Last time I saw a bottle on the shelf, it was $95. And what a lovely wine for a special occasion, congratulations on your daughter's graduation. What's next for her?

Mike, for $116, you couldn't afford NOT to order it. Last time I saw a bottle on the shelf, it was $95. And what a lovely wine for a special occasion, congratulations on your daughter's graduation. What's next for her?

Thanks....after training, she will be a field service engineer at an oil rig in Louisiana. Warm weather, which suits her fine!

I rarely get the opportunity to have any decent seafood here in the upper midwest but our groceries are now selling Copper River salmon.

What is your recommended prep ? At $20/lb I want to make the most of it.

What is your recommended prep ? At $20/lb I want to make the most of it.

If the salmon is really good quality, I prefer it raw or lightly cured. Nothing beats a good salmon tartar.

[Jenise]

Christina, the Copper River offers up two species, sockeye and King. At $20/lb, you probably have the sockeye--the king will go for more and it arrives a little later. That said, many prefer sockeye for it's lower fat content. Also, it's a thinner, smaller fish--a whole filet will usually weigh only about two pounds. That in itself makes it more flexible for many styles of prep than it's much larger cousin. My favorite treatment these days is roasted in an open foil boat with a butter sauce made from butter, sauteed finely diced shallots or onions, lemon juice and Spanish roasted paprika served on sliced cooked potatoes tossed with mustard oil, white vinegar and green onions.

Peter, we don't see much of you here. Welcome back.

I rarely get the opportunity to have any decent seafood here in the upper midwest but our groceries are now selling Copper River salmon.

What is your recommended prep ? At $20/lb I want to make the most of it.

I like it raw or quickly grilled. Easy on the seasonings: S&P, EVOO, Rosemary or thyme if you grill it.

rwj

I rarely get the opportunity to have any decent seafood here in the upper midwest but our groceries are now selling Copper River salmon.

What is your recommended prep ? At $20/lb I want to make the most of it.

We typically buy with skin on and grill-roast it. Brush a little EVOO on it, then sprinkle some kosher or sea salt and a little fresh ground pepper. Put a little oil on the skin then place the filet skin side down on the grill and don't flip. With a little oil on the skin and a clean grill the fish is very easy to remove with a sharp edge spatula.

I rarely get the opportunity to have any decent seafood here in the upper midwest but our groceries are now selling Copper River salmon.

What is your recommended prep ? At $20/lb I want to make the most of it.

We typically buy with skin on and grill-roast it. Brush a little EVOO on it, then sprinkle some kosher or sea salt and a little fresh ground pepper. Put a little oil on the skin then place the filet skin side down on the grill and don't flip. With a little oil on the skin and a clean grill the fish is very easy to remove with a sharp edge spatula.

And the crispy skin is delicious.

rwj

Wow, forget the salmon, you had a Grace. Never had that one myself. Was it twice as good as the Evanstadt, or just twice the price?

We *may* have a bottle left in October. Perhaps we could taste it against the Beaux Freres Upper Terrace. We were knocked out at the barrel tasting last week at Domaine Serene, btw. Bought some futures.

[Jenise]

Joseph--that would be so cool if you did. I travel with wine, and a magnum of the 99 Serene Evanstadt will be one of my travelling companions if you'd like to taste one with a little age on it. The 750 of the 99 Evanstadt I opened about two weeks ago was the second best Oregon pinot I've ever had. And in first place? A '92 about two years ago.