Smokin' Salmon Season

2010 is apparently a bumper year for local Sockeye Salmon and the waterways are teeming with them. Even the most inexperienced fisher can probably hook one within a few minutes which means that the salmon available for sale in the stores is cheap, fresh and plentiful. I chose to make a new dish tonight in honour of the seasonal bonanza and picked up a big filet with a good 4-5 portions in it for $12. I wanted to make a dish which was fresh, mostly local and of course delicious so I opted for Cajun Salmon Lettuce Wraps. Here is the recipe (which I totally winged):


Salmon
brush with olive oil and sprinkle with cajun seasoning and squeeze a lime over top.
Bake in oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes until just cooked.

Salsa
2-3 BC vine tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
handful cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate.

I put the salmon in to cook and then made the salsa while I waited. I picked some of my homegrown lettuce from the garden for the wraps and also sliced some ripe avocado.
I put some salmon in the middle of the lettuce leaf, topped with salsa and a slice of avocado and then rolled it up. The photo shows my production line set up for this complex assembly. 3 of these was the perfect amount for me and I have lots of leftover salmon and salsa for lunch tomorrow. For those of you lucky enough to be able to consume dairy with no ill effects, you could add some cheese and/or sour cream for extra yummy-ness.

I also want to mention a fantastic place to get fresh produce from. Parkgate Farm Market. It's where Fiddlehead's Produce used to be in the Parkgate Mall off of Mount Seymour Parkway in North Van (conveniently close to my workplace). They have loads of fresh, local, high quality produce and their prices are amazing. Not quite sure how they have such low prices for a small, independent grocer but I won't complain! I picked up the following (all BC grown) stash for $5:
5 vine tomatoes
1 zucchini
1 crown broccoli
1 big bunch spinach
1 bunch kale
1 head of celery

I was pretty pleased and will definitely return there regularly. They also sell dairy, nuts, seeds, juices, local honey and best of all, chocolate.