Fishermen’s Wives “Secret” Marinade

• 1 part tamari

• 1 part cider vinegar

• 1 part salad oil

Mix ingredients together. Marinate fish for at least an hour. Then it is ready for backyard or oven barbecue. Be careful not to overcook the fish! After marinating the fish, put any marinade left over into an airtight storage container and put it in the refrigerator. It can be reused throughout the barbecue season. Replenish ingredients when necessary by adding more in the same proportions.

Quickie Salmon Cassarole

This one is taken from the Northwest Fishermen’s Wives Cookbook, first published in 1978. The recipe uses canned evaporated milk, at one time a staple on the Columbia River, especially in winter months when fresh milk was unavailable.

• 1 can or 1 cup salmon

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup

• 1 can chicken noodle soup

• 1 small can evaporated milk

• 1 can Chinese noodles

Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle cracker crumbs on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Creamed Salmon

• ¼ cup minced onion

• 3 tbsp. butter

• 3 tbsp. flour

• 1 cup milk

• ¼ cup dry white Vermouth

• 1 tbsp. cream

• ¼ tsp. salt

• 4–6 tbsp. whipping cream

• 1½ cups cooked or canned salmon

• ¼ cup grated Swiss cheese

• pinch of black pepper or seasonings to taste

Cook onions in butter over low heat for 5 minutes until tender but not brown. Stir in flour and cook slowly for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup boiling milk and ¼ cup dry white Vermouth. Take off heat. Beat in milk and then wine, salmon juice or seasonings. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring. Boil several minutes to evaporate wine, allowing sauce to thicken. Then thin it with a tbsp. of cream. Add ¼ tsp. of salt and a pinch of pepper, 4–6 tbsp. whipping cream and 1½ cups cooked or canned salmon. Can also add sautéed mushrooms and sliced hard-boiled eggs.

Place in an 8-in. shallow baking dish. Sprinkle on ¼ cup grated Swiss cheese and dot with butter.

Bake in upper third of 350°oven for about 15 minutes.

– Evelyn Ellison

Salmon Stuffed with Shrimp

2 lbs. fresh salmon fillets. Salt & pepper.

Stuffing:

• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs

• 1/3 cup thinly sliced & cooked bacon,

• 1/2 cup feta cheese

• 1/2 chopped green onion

• 1/4 cup chopped, roasted red bell pepper

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped artichoke hearts

• 2 cups fresh cocktail shrimp

• 1 bunch fresh spinach, cooked in butter and drained well

• 2 eggs 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

• Salt & pepper

Add together all the stuffing ingredients.

The stuffing should be moist, but not wet. If too dry, add another egg. If too wet, add more bread crumbs and/or parmesan cheese.

Cut pocket in salmon and fill with stuffing.

Bake in 400º oven for 10–12 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Overnight Salt Salmon

Diane Anderson was of Swedish descent on her father’s side of the family and a marvelous cook. Her recipe for overnight salt salmon comes from the Northwest Fishermen’s Wives Cookbook, published in 1978.

Cut a salmon fillet into pieces. Sprinkle pickling salt over the salmon and place each piece in a bowl. Fill bowl with enough water to cover fish. Refrigerate fish overnight.

The next day, rinse salt off fish. Boil fresh water with 1 TBS. vinegar, 1 tsp. celery flakes and 1 tsp. onion flakes. Boil fish 20-30 minutes.

Serve with boiled potatoes and cream gravy with chopped hard-cooked eggs.

Gravad Lax

• 1½ lb. center cut fresh salmon, scaled but with skin on

• 2 tbsp. salt

• 4tsp.sugar

• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

• ½ bunch fresh dill

Combine sugar, salt and pepper and rub all sides of fish. Place ⅓ of dill in bottom of small shallow baking dish. Place one piece of salmon, skin side down, on dill. Top with ⅓ dill, add other piece of salmon, skin side up, and add remaining dill.

Cover salmon with plastic wrap and weighted down with a plate topped with a few cans of food. Refrigerate for at least 36 hours.

Place skin side down on cutting board, scrape off dill, garnish with fresh dill and lemon wedge. Slice fish thinly on the slant away from the skin.

Complementary Sauce:

• ½ cup mustard

• ½ cup salad oil

• ⅓ cup sugar

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar

• 1tsp. sour scream

• salt

Place in blender, cover and blend till smooth. Add ¼ cup chopped fresh dill and serve.

– Kayrene Gilbertsen