An easy whole salmon recipe that's a gourmet treat and serves a crowd!
When salmon is abundantly available, you can find some absolutely drop-dead prices at your local fish market. I recently came across some excellent, fresh whole salmon, selling for $1 per pound. Having a big freezer and a great liking for salmon, it was a no brainer to stock up on a few of these fish. Some connoisseurs insist that wild salmon is superior to farm raised salmon, but most people can't detect a discernible difference.
I'd never cooked a whole salmon myself, but had enjoyed one more than two decades ago, while visiting my brother, who lived in Vancouver at the time. He's an avid fisherman and went on weekly trips to pluck these lovely fish right out of the Columbia River. He grilled a whole salmon for dinner and it was one of the best meals I'd ever eaten. When I procured my whole salmon, all I needed was a whole salmon recipe. My brother's was very simple, so it didn't take much for me to retrieve his method from memory. With my freezer bursting with salmon, I figured I could afford to take a chance on creating my own whole salmon recipe, building on the techniques I learned from my brother. The result was delicious, if I do say so! Of course, in all modesty, his technique was what made all the difference. Here, I'd like to share this composite whole salmon recipe with you.
The fish I purchased was already cleaned, so that step was unnecessary. My husband enjoys fishing and if a fish is to be cleaned, I leave that job to him. I suggest you do the same ;)
The stuffing for the salmon is my contribution to this whole salmon recipe. The rest of the credit is due my brother. Here's what you'll need for the stuffing:
1.A bag of unseasoned croutons, such as you'd use for stuffing a turkey.
2.Approximately 4 ounces of fresh spinach, well washed, drained, with stems removed and tamped dry between paper towels.
3.Two cups of hot water, flavored with one chicken bouillon cube. (You may not use the full two cups wet it to your taste.)
4.One can of whole water chestnuts, diced into quarters.
5.One medium Walla-Walla sweet onion, diced.
In a large bowl, mix the croutons and some of the chicken broth, so that the croutons are just slightly wet. This allows the rest of the stuffing ingredients to be distributed more evenly. Add the spinach leaves, water chestnuts and onion, one ingredient at a time, mixing thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Add more chicken broth, to your liking.
Roll out a piece of heavy duty foil, large enough to wrap the fish entirely. Lay the fish on the foil, centered. Use the wooden spoon to stuff the salmon. (Any extra stuffing may be baked separately.) Finely slice one large fresh lemon, laying the slices over the top of the fish. Close the foil over the fish, leaving a little opening to allow the steam to escape.
Lay the foil-wrapped salmon on the preheated grill. Let it cook for about 10-12 minutes and then check the meat. When done, it should flake with a fork, with no translucency in the thickest part of the fish. Remove the stuffing to a separate dish, cut the fish into serving sized pieces, garnishing with a slice of lemon and a sprig of dill. You'll surely have calls for seconds - and a copy of your whole salmon recipe.
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