Copper River red salmon are some of the tastiest fish we’ve ever had, and we haven’t grown tired of them despite how many we’ve eaten over the years. We still tend to fix them very simply.

One change we have made, however, is that we sometimes fix one big fillet or two smaller ones in two ways for the same dinner, thus inventing our own version of “surf and surf.” We’ve been doing this as sashimi and smoke-grilled salmon, and the combination is exceptionally good with these fish.

Red salmon sashimi

Our basic smoke-grilling recipe is the same we’ve used for years (and is here, minus the sauce). First, I put wet wood chips on the grill and fire it up on its lowest setting. While it gets hot for 10-15 minutes, I take the thawed fish out of its vacuum-sealed bag and rinse the fillet well, then pat it dry. I place the fish to be cooked on an open grill pan in such a way as to keep the thickest parts in a place where they can be more directly over the heat and the thinner parts in a place where they get mostly indirect heat. When the grill is smoking nicely, I put the pan on and close the grill. In ten minutes, I rotate the pan and then check the fish every few minutes to catch it when it is perfectly done.

Red salmon fillets ready for the grill

For the sashimi, I first remove the skin from the tail end – there no bones, so it is easier to work with. First I cut it into two or three pieces length-wise, then I cut off thin pieces at a shallow angle and put them into a bowl. The sauce for this is simplicity itself: mix some wasabi in soy sauce. Sometimes we get a little too liberal with the wasabi and after your head explodes you dip the fish pieces in a little less deeply. And maybe dilute the mixture a little.

Sashimi dipped in soy and wasabi

We’re usually done with the sashimi by the time the cooking is done on the rest of the fish. That’s when we sit down and have the second course of surf. Mmmm-mmm. If there is any left over, we’ll make salmon salad with it the next day.

Smoke-grilled red salmon with just a little salt and pepper