SALMON BLISS

The Ajijic Meat Market has the real deal. They'll whack off the amount you want, charge you plenty, but it's WORTH it. This isn't the pale, limp, Chilean salmon. This is the dark red wild and wooly stuff from up north.
I hauled out the barbie, cooked up a couple of salmon steaks last night and haven't tasted that flavor in years.
If you're having a salmon-lust..........try it.

Agree!
I'd forgotten how much better the real deal is.

Trailrunner wrote:Agree!
I'd forgotten how much better the real deal is.

Your taste buds have instant recall when they hit the real deal. It all comes rolling back on the tongue. Ahhhh!

How do you like the filet of sole from that market? One of my favorites.

Last time I looked they wanted about 50 pesos more per kilo than Pacifico. You're saying it's well worth it, Gringal?

HelperGuy wrote:Last time I looked they wanted about 50 pesos more per kilo than Pacifico. You're saying it's well worth it, Gringal?

I haven't found the real deal salmon at Pacifico, so can't say. I was very happy with what I bought at Ajijic Meat market, but will look and see if they have the same thing at Pacifico and report back in. I always like a better deal..when it is.

I do have a small problem with Pacifico.
Lots of ice when you buy those sealed packs of various white fishes. They weigh it with the ice. Not as much a bargain as it would seem after it all thaws out. Fish was okay, though.

gringal wrote:

Trailrunner wrote:Agree!
I'd forgotten how much better the real deal is.

Your taste buds have instant recall when they hit the real deal. It all comes rolling back on the tongue. Ahhhh!

How do you like the filet of sole from that market? One of my favorites.

Didn't try the sole, will next time. I've always thought sole to be kinda ho-hum.

HG, are you comparing wild salmon to wild salmon between the two stores? I haven't found a lot of wild at Pacifico.

No, don't believe they have wild at Pacifico. It has been perhaps too long since both my Victoria life and my Nova Scotia life, so I haven't had "fresh" or "wild" salmon for a long time, and I'd really like to taste wild and frozen side-by-side, so just curious: if Gringal says it is worth it, I'll take her word for it and next time spend the extra money. (OTOH, who can actually tell from looking?)

HG, it's all frozen. We're comparing wild to farm raised. Wild is red and rich looking where the farm stuff is pale and sort of mealy looking. Try wild at AMM, it costs a bit but not a lot and it's worth it, I think so anyway. It's really good.

Sounds awfully good to me. Is the Ajijic meat market the one up on the libramiento? I've heard they are expensive, but every once in a while one deserves a treat. Feed the cat another goldfish.

Trailrunner wrote:HG, it's all frozen. We're comparing wild to farm raised. Wild is red and rich looking where the farm stuff is pale and sort of mealy looking. Try wild at AMM, it costs a bit but not a lot and it's worth it, I think so anyway. It's really good.

Sorry, not wild and frozen, wild and farm.

The salmon was rich and red. Oh, yum. Even worth picking out all those little bones. Next, we'll try getting the tail section and filleting it. Fewer bones, and the tail is always the best part.

Wait, they can't filet it properly?

HG, it's a frozen hunk of salmon. As in, a large fish minus the head and whatever else has been sold. You tell them how many steaks you want and the thickness and they take it in the back and cut off your steaks.

The salmon I buy frozen is a filet, one half of a whole salmon, minus the head and tail, and is boneless. Except for the rare exception. That is proper fileting. So at this place they have "whole" frozen salmon, is that it? Okay.

Yes. And the kind you're talking about.

Well, you got my taste buds goin'...it's been a long time since we've had real wild salmon. Kinda overdid it when we lived in Vancouver.
So, my hubby goes over to Vancouver Island and is attending one of those business conventions. A pit that stretched for twenty feet by two feet was filled to the brim with glowing hot coals. In a tent formation, over the pit, were propped many grills...and on the grills, on either side (total of forty feet) were whole wild salmon split and flapped onto the grills. My hubby got talking to the ancient gentleman who was tending the cooking of these salmon for the multitude attending the convention. "So, how long does it take to cook this many salmon" asked hubby. The old one replied "Oh, about four beers".

I could even wait five or six beers, if pushed...

LOL! I think it's the kind of answer when you don't really want to give away your trade secrets. Who knows how long it would take the guy to drink four beers.
At home, we would take a whole salmon (minus the head) and spread the inside with butter and brown sugar...close it up and lay slices of lemon on the outside. Then wrap the whole thing in foil and bake it on the BBQ...10 minutes for each inch of thickness. MMMMMM...good! Wild rice on the side and a veggie. Left over salmon got made into salmon salad sandwiches the next day.
Damn! I'm drooling on my keyboard.

Wow man wow.

Cooking the salmon steaks: 1" thick with olive oil, garlic, fresh rosemary and lemon: Medium hot grill, cover and cook about 17 minutes at this altitude if you want it past rare and before overdone.

If you drank 4 beers in that time, you're in no shape to de-bone the steaks before eating. Problem, huh?

If not grilled, pan sear in hot olive oil both sides then place pan and fish in pre-heated 400 degree oven for 10 min / inch. Season before or after baking. Succulent, and works for any fish steak.

Another cooking variation requires the use of real mayonaise: mix real mayo with your favorite spices and coat your salmon entirely with this mix before grilling. The mayo keeps the salmon moist and performs quite well as a carrier of the spice flavors.

CheenaGringo wrote:Another cooking variation requires the use of real mayonaise: mix real mayo with your favorite spices and coat your salmon entirely with this mix before grilling. The mayo keeps the salmon moist and performs quite well as a carrier of the spice flavors.

Sounds like..."zarandeado" ???

slainte39:

You stopped me with that one and I had to look up the definition. I learned of that technique back in the 70's in Seattle and it was very basic - real mayo & Jane's Seasoning Salt. Through the years, I have played with different variations but none approaching "zarandeado".

cold poached salmon served with a nice garlic home made mayo is not bad either.