By Coho Coffee Company and Fish Alaska magazine
Serves 2
Salmon
1 1/2 pound wild Alaskan King salmon fillets, skinned and deboned
Coho Coffee Rub
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp Coho Coffee Signature Blend, freshly ground
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/8 tsp kosher salt
Olive oil
To Cook Salmon:
Preheat a clean, oiled grill to medium heat. In a small bowl, mix ingredients from brown sugar to kosher salt. Lightly pat the rub on one side of the fillet and brush over it lightly with olive oil. Let fish stand an hour in the refrigerator to absorb flavor. When you oil the fish directly instead of the grill it helps to prevent sticking.
Place fillets on the grill, cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Carefully flip each fillet and cook for about 3-4 more minutes. We prefer to use fresh king salmon for a thicker, fattier fish that maintains its moisture on the grill.
Amaretto Cream Sauce
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup light coconut milk
2 tbsp flour
25 ml amaretto liqueur
1/4 cup water
To make the cream sauce, melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium low heat, add coconut milk stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Whisk flour and water in a separate bowl until well blended then add slowly part of that mix to your milk and butter while stirring constantly. Let the mixture get hot enough to lightly boil and thicken a bit. Add more of the flour roux while alternately adding the amaretto liqueur. Keep stirring constantly until it is your desired texture.
Serving
To plate, drizzle sauce over plate, top with salmon and drizzle additional sauce over top of salmon. Coho Coffee makes a great featured coffee and gift for your guests at your fishing lodge.
Wine Pairing – Veramonte Ritual Pinot Noir
Salmon can stand up to a heartier wine than you might think. You often hear about whites with fish, but having recently heard that a nice pinot noir is a strong complement to Alaska’s wild salmon, we had to try it with this salmon rub that features an Alaskan roasted coffee as its specialty ingredient. We were not disappointed. The bold flavor of the dry rub was tamed by my new favorite pinot noir. This blend is smooth and melodic in your mouth.