Great Tasting Salmon Recipe!

Roasted Rosemary Salmon

Roasted Rosemary Salmon

Ingredients You Will Need.

2 large bunches fresh rosemary

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

1 (2- to 3-pound) salmon fillet with skin, 1 -2 inches thick works best

2 large lemons thinly sliced

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cooking Instuctions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Arrange half of rosemary sprigs in single layer in center of heavy baking sheet.

Arrange sliced red onion on top of the rosemary.

Place salmon, skin side down, on the onion.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cover salmon with remaining rosemary sprigs.

Arrange lemon slices over rosemary.

Drizzle olive oil over.

Sprinkle lemon slices with salt.

NOTE: Can be prepared 8 hours ahead, covered and refrigerated.

Bake, uncovered, 8 to 12 minutes, the salmon should be slightly opaque in thickest part an flake easily with a fork.

Remember the salmon continues to cook even after it is removed from the oven.

Carefully remove salmon from the pan and transfer it onto individual serving plates.

It is best served with roasted onions and lemon slices.

Approximate cooking times for salmon:

1/4 to 1/3 inch - 3 to 4 minutes
1/2 to 3/4 inch - 4 to 6 minutes
1 to 1 1/2 inches - 8 to 12 minutes
1 1/2 to 2-inches - 14-20 minutes

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Its 2:04 am and I am thinking this sounds great- its making me hungry just typing it- you know what I'm going to the freezer right now and pull out some
Wild Alaskan Salmon I brought home last week to thaw.
If Rosemary isn't your taste keep watching I have more recipes to post.
Have You Joined Gone Fishin Club Yet???

The Story Of The Salmon

Everyone throughout the United States knows salmon; but people living inland or even along the Atlantic Coast, salmon is whole different fish than what the people of the Pacific states know.

It is as if they are a magical fish, capable of astonishing physical feats, in their quest to return to their birthplaces and spawn, up river, up stream, even up waterfalls, they go.

They are survivors of the Ice Age and have weathered many storms of nature and still continued to thrive. They are a saltwater fish which spawns in fresh water. The Columbia River and the Puget sound country are especially noted for their fine salmon, and, of course, Alaska.

To cooks, gourmets, and fishermen alike, the salmon is the king of the waters. The distinctive color of the flesh of a salmon is part of its attraction. It can vary from a very delicate pale pink to a much deeper shade, verging on red.
In the Northwest, because of the various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, you can find salmon smoked hard in the Indian tradition and salmon smoked light in the Scottish tradition. It can also be as simple as a barbecued salmon dotted with butter and lemon.

The Indian tribes of the Northwest look upon salmon with great reverence and have special rituals and legends for the yearly salmon run. They look upon the salmon as life, as the salmon has nourished them physically and spiritually since the days when people first came to this region. They would migrate to the Columbia River each year during the spring and fall spawning season, when the salmon hurled themselves upstream from the Pacific Ocean to lay their eggs. During that time, the Columbia River was so thick with the countless salmon that the Indians simply speared or clubbed them to death from their canoes or from the river banks.
What the Indians didn't eat fresh, they would air-dry in the river winds to create jerky.

Commercial fishing for salmon began shortly after the arrival of Europeans on the West Coast. The Hudson’s Bay Company shipped salted salmon from Fort Langley to the Hawaiian Islands starting in 1835, and the first salmon cannery opened in 1876. By the turn of the century, 70 canneries were in operation. The first gillnet fishing on the Columbia took place in the mid 1850's even before the states of Washington and Oregon were founded, and before the Indian treaties were signed.

The life cycle of the salmon is an interesting one. Spawned in freshwater streams, the young salmon travel to sea early. Here they live and grow for three or four years. In the spring after they reach maturity, the adult salmon return to their native streams to spawn. As salmon begin their journey home, they will stop eating and live mainly on the oils stored in their bodies.

In some mysterious way, they orient themselves and swim homeward with precision equaling electronically equipped ocean sailors. The distances they travel and their astounding return to the exact point on earth where they emerged from their egg sacs is amazing. They will leap over any obstacle in their way, such as braving dams and waterfalls, hurling itself many feet out of the water until it surmounts the obstacle or dies of exhaustion in the attempt; there is no turning back. For some unknown reason, the female always dies after spawning.



Check out more interesting articles on salmon:

Chinook Salmon - Alaska Department of Fish & Game

Chum or Dog Salmon - Alaska Department of Fish & Game

Coho or Silver Salmon - Alaska Department of Fish & Game

Humpback or Pink Salmon - Gulf of Marine Research Institute

Sockeye or Red Salmon - Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
The Salmon Nation web site has some interesting articles on farmed-raised salmon

Questions About Fishing in Alaska?

What is the weather like during the fishing season?

In our open fishing season, which is May to October you can expect temperatures from 50 degrees in the early morning to 70 degrees in the rest of the day. Some mornings may be a little cooler, one morning in June it was 37 while I was fishing the Kenai, pretty cold to a guy from Georgia.

Does it rain much?

There is not a lot of rainfall in the south central Alaska region as a general rule,but it does rain and you should be prepared with rain gear suitable for the activities you will engage in during your Alaskan vacation and excursions. In July 2008 of my 14 days there it rained all day several days and rained on parts of 12 days. Pretty wet, we don't see rain like that in Georgia either.
Oh and the summer of 2008 is going down as the coolest summer in 40 years.
Still its Alaska, its awesome, some light ,not necessarily sunlight, 19-20 hours a day, I Love It!!!, if you go the 3rd week of June you will get even more!

What kind of clothes should I pack?

You are coming to the last real frontier in the United States. Alaska, its a very casual and pretty laid back place. You will see people dressed in everything from jeans, flannel shirts, thermals to all the new high tech outdoors activity synthetic fabrics. Layered clothing is best as when you start your long days of activities you will be starting early and as any where the day will warm up as the sun gets higher in the sky. A gore tex two piece rain suit is highly recommended for its light weight and wind breaking properties. Fly fisherman should plan on bringing light neoprenes. If you are going to fish the rivers without a boat plan on buying a good set of chest waders.

***KEY NOTE***

If you fly in to Anchorage the Walmart is on Diamond Rd. I think,
anyway if you are going to buy stuff like waders and other gear you didn't bring because of the airline luggage restrictions go by Walmart, you will have a good selection and save a ton. Rumor has it that Kenai is getting a Walmart by next summer but I don't know so I am telling you now. Also if you don't want to take all the stuff you buy back home please donate it to the Goodwill or Salvation Army Stores.

How much daylight is there?

In June you can expect an average of about 20 hours of good daylight and a couple of hours of dusky light, still enough light to be outside doing things, if it isn't cloudy.

Note: please remember this is Alaska, these bears and moose are not your neighborhood animals from home, so yes you can be outdoors 24 hours just remember to be careful. I loved it and ran wide open with it, just had to remember to keep a check on what time it was. The people I stayed with have some neighbors so no loud noises after 10 pm even though it was broad daylight.

In July Sunrise is about 3 AM and sunset well after 12 AM. Most people on their first trip to Alaska are amazed at the fantastically long days and give out long before the day runs out. Some people tend to run wide open a few days when they first get there and then crash for a day . If you need real dark to sleep you may consider bringing night blinders.

What about mosquitoes and bugs?

While you are in Alaska fishing or sightseeing you will find the famous Alaska mosquito. It does not populate the Kenai Peninsula to any great degree normally although the 2008 summer with all its rain seemed to really grow lots of big ones, they reminded me of southern Louisiana mosquitoes. Normally while you are enjoying your Alaska vacation and excursions you will not be bothered by bugs or mosquitoes to any great extent. Of course you can get bit if you are fishing or hiking in the back country , but any bug repellent will be more than adequate to keep them OFF.

How much does a fishing license cost?

Alaska non resident fishing licenses cost $55 for a 7 day license.Fishermen under the age of 16 are not required to have a fishing license but they are required to have a free harvest ticket if they fish for king salmon. Adult fisherman must pay $30 for a Cook Inlet king salmon harvest ticket if they intend to fish for king salmon for a week. For more info please see www.admin.adfg.state.ak.us

How big are the Kenai river guide boats? Most Alaska river boats for fishing average 22 feet long by 7 feet wide although other sizes are out there and are equipped to handle 5 anglers.

In July, only 4 people are allowed on the Kenai river boats.

July king trips are normally 6 hours. There are no toilets on the river boats, drift boats or rafts.There are places along the Kenai and Kasilof River where it is possible to stop should you find it necessary. Like after you catch a giant king salmon and you just have to have relief from bladder pressure.Our river fishing is normally done with powerboats on the Kenai River as the size and swiftness can make it difficult for a drift boat to get back up the river to get to a hot spot and we find that in a drift boat you can lose a lot of good fishing spots when you are hooked up and fighting a fish.

How big are the fish and what are the limits?

On the Kenai Peninsula you can expect to catch King Salmon (Chinook)from 20-85 pounds, red salmon (sockeye) from 4-12 pounds, and silver salmon (coho) from 5-20 pounds. You can expect to see halibut from 15-350 pounds but we suggest that you release halibut over 125 pounds unless you have a Homer Halibut derby fish (about 300 pounds+/-) or you are very hungry. I think the 2008 derby was won with a 319 pound fish. Halibut breeding stocks are in the 100-300 pound range. You will find that a 100 pound halibut will have about 70 pounds of meat and with the limit of 5 king salmon per season as well as daily limits of red, silver and pink salmon from 3-6 fish per day (check regs, fish limits can change seasonally or daily sometimes). The average fisherman will quickly get more fish than he can carry home, although its not uncommon to see people with multiple coolers at the airport. Last year I brought back 3 coolers myself.

How do I preserve my fish?

The best way to enjoy your fish for a long time is to have the fish vacuumed packed at one of the sport fish processors in Soldotna or Kenai. Once your fish is commercially sealed, it can be frozen and enjoyed for a long time.

How do I get my fish home?

The best and cheapest way for you to get your fish back home is to take it back as part of your luggage allowance on your airline of choice. most airlines will allow you to check 1 or 2 pieces of luggage. Subject to change based on your airline choice and fuel prices.

FREE TIP : If you can pack all or most of you clothes and stuff in carry on luggage you can ship your coolers empty to Alaska. You can ship stuff in the coolers on the way just make sure you can stuff it in your carry on luggage when you leave. On your return trip you will be ready to check your fish in as luggage.

Special fish boxes are available locally at a very low cost and you can get 70 pounds of processed fish in these boxes. These specially insulated boxes will keep your fish frozen for up to 30 hours. The best stores I have found for supplies and coolers are Safeway and Fred Meyers.

What else do I need to bring?

Good quality rain gear is an asset and if you are a fly fisherman or want to bring a fly rod along make it a least an 8 weight rod. If you want to bring your own rod and reel, a medium rod with a reel capable of handling 20-25 pound test line should be adequate.

What else is there beside fishing and sightseeing?

You name it, golf, canoeing, river rafting, kayaking, hiking, clamming, bear watching, whale watching, glacier tours, bird watching, airplane rides, rodeos, rock collecting, photography, horseback riding...the list is endless!

Well I hope this helps give you an idea of what to expect when you go to Alaska.

Have A Great Trip Gary

p.s coming soon more pics and my packing checklist.

Map of the Kenai Peninsula Area Alaska

If you have never been to Alaska my first question was "Where are all the roads?" After you leave Anchorage there seems to be only a few roads. There are these amazing mountains off in the distance and I ask my friend how you get there, he says you don't. Ok, thats weird, no roads, there are mosquitoes, oh did I type that, I meant really little puddle jumping planes going everywhere, thats how you get to some of those places. Anyway heres a map of where I went,

stayed in Soldotna and fished the Moose and Kenai rivers for King Salmon and Red (sockeye) Salmon. We went down to Homer-Halibut Fishing Capital of the World- and fished Halibut Cove, Jakeloff Bay, Seldovia, Kachemak Bay and around those areas for Halibut.

This is one of the few days I was there it was actually almost warm enough to wear my Gone Fishin Club shirt without a coat or rainsuit or both, truthfully I took the jacket off, took this and put it back on, it was around 55 there while in my neck of the woods at home it was around 102. I'll take the 55 with a jacket.

ok, thats it for this one, keep watching, more to come.

Oh did I mention you can buy the Gone Fishin Club shirts on Ebay sometimes,

Happy Hookin and Tight----Lines Gary

Fishing In Alaska July 2008 Trip

Did I mention Gas was high in Alaska? I know its high everywhere, but do you see that sign? $4.76 a gallon, nuts. A day out fishing for halibut could run you $200-$500. Ok, enough about gas prices.

Here's a medium size Halibut. We didn't catch any monsters this trip,

well not halibut anyway, as far as skates and Irish Lords, that we did catch big ones.

Meet Duke Jr. He fished on the halibut boat that day with no success, so that evening I was assigned to help him catch a fish. We docked up for the night around 9:30 in Halibut Cove across the bay from Homer, beautiful quiet cove, more pics of it later. Anyway, so I started casting some cut bait around the docks while he went on an excursion. I found a spot you could drag the cut bait through slowly and they would take it. When he returned from his hike, I showed him where they were, and he started casting. Second cast and he had one.
This was his very first fish! After that first one he was hooked. He kept going back and catching more. That looks like a baby Halibut but actually a rock sole . Whatever it is he had a blast catching them. Take kids fishing. I try to take at least 50 kids fishing a year on various trips.

Duke Jr. with his first fish.

This is an Irish Lord

They have poisonous fins and should be handled very carefully when unhooking them. The quills or spines will give you a nasty painful sore.

Ok, well look for more to come this week, I did manage to take a few thousand pics in spite of the rain. Happy Hookin and Tight----Lines Gary

Home From Alaska!!!

Well I hated to leave but my 14 days were up and it was time to come back from paradise.

Yes it did rain 12 1/2 of the 14 days I was there, yes it was a peachy 41-52 degrees most of those days , coldest summer in 40 years, but it is still an awesome place to go.
It's one of those places after you stay awhile you are really reluctant to leave, it grows on you fast.
Matter of fact day before I was supposed to leave another friend I have met their told me just to extend my stay a week and I was welcome to hang at their place.

Did I mention I almost hit a MOOSE, I was boogieing over to Cunningham Park on the Kenai to fish for reds when this moose steps out from the roadside, wow those guys are really big.

Ok, the bad news is it rained so much while I was there that there isn't near the video and pics I was anticipating to take.

I did break down and drag out the camera in the rain to catch the last half of a 46 pound King Salmon being caught. Look for some pics and videos coming soon, I'm getting them loaded asap. In the meantime check out Gone Fishin Club if you want a chance to fish with me in Alaska next summer.

Till then Happy Fishing and Tight----- Lines Gary