Is there anything more sexy than super fresh, buttery, grilled wild salmon paired with velvety Oregon Pinot Noir?
The answer (at least for tonight) is no!
Oregon Pinot Noir LOVES salmon, so we headed down to Northwest Fresh Seafood in Newberg, OR to pick up some fresh fish to grill up along side a bottle of our 2014 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.
Turns out that the crew at NWF Seafood sells some tasty fish! This salmon was fresh from BC, and holy smokes was it delicious - honestly, it was some of the best we've had!
When you start with good fish, you don't need to do much to it. Really good olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Grill on cast iron, and squeeze some fresh lemon juice on it. Done.
Don't believe us? Try it. Here is the recipe:
MAKE IT:
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- (1) 1 pound filet of fresh wild salmon, cut into four pieces
- (1) bunch of fresh asparagus
- (2) pounds of baby potatoes; Yukon golds, red, or multi-color fingerlings
- (6) cloves of fresh garlic
- Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Kosher or Sea Salt
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- (4) sprigs of fresh rosemary
- (2) TBSP butter
- (2) lemons
Instructions:
- Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees
- Wash potatoes and place into a bowl with garlic cloves. Coat potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, and the chopped leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Place potatoes and garlic onto a baking sheet.
- When oven is hot, place baking sheet with potatoes into the oven and roast for 20 minutes until fork tender.
- While potatoes are roasting, wash asparagus and place onto a plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Prepare the salmon. Leaving the skin on, cut salmon into four individual filets. Rub both sides of each filet with good olive oil and sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
- Heat 1 TBSP of olive oil over medium high heat in a large cast iron (or non-stick) skillet. When oil just begins to smoke, add salmon filets skin side down and cook for 5 minutes.
- Flip salmon filets, and finish cooking skin side up for an additional 4-6 minutes until the salmon flakes with a fork and is finished. If more time is needed, flip the salmon back to skin side down and finish.
- Remove salmon from skillet and top each filet with a 1/2 TBSP of butter. Cover salmon filets with foil and set aside.
- With the heat still on the cast iron skillet, add the seasoned asparagus. Cook for 5-7 minutes while rotating every couple minutes until asparagus is vibrant green, slightly charred, and al dente.
- Remove potatoes from the oven and plate with asparagus and salmon.
- Place sprigs of fresh rosemary on the salmon filets, and squeeze fresh lemon juice onto salmon and asparagus. Serve warm.
DRINK IT:
Fresh salmon is a match made in heaven for lighter reds like Pinot Noir or Gamay Noir (Gamay Beaujolais in France). If you are in a white wine mood, wash this down with a Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, or Rosé of Pinot Noir.