Grilled

So I really enjoyed my dinner tonight. I just had to share. If I'd had some foresight, I would have taken a picture before I supped, but I was hungry. And it was delicious.

I purchased some sockeye salmon* at Whole Foods on Monday and I decided to grill it--it had been a while since I'd stoked the grill fires and it sounded good. I rubbed some foil (shiny side out) with a tiny bit of olive oil and put the fillet on it. Then I rubbed about a tablespoon more of olive oil over the meat, sprinkled it with a pinch of kosher salt, and applied some dried dill (I would love to try this with a couple of sprigs of fresh dill). I topped the fillet with some thin lemon slices, covering the whole surface area. Then I folded up the sides of the foil and nearly wrapped it, leaving a sort of vent open at the top. I didn't want to seal it completely--got to let some of that smoke in to flavor it.

I got that started on the barbecue, the coals piled to one side and the salmon on the other so as to keep direct heat from cooking the bottom too fast. While that sat for about 10-15 minutes in the covered grill, I cut the woody ends off of half a bunch of asparagus and put it in a plastic bag with some olive oil, a splash of champagne vinegar, and some salt and pepper. I tossed the whole thing and brought it down to the grill. The salmon was nearly done, so I closed up the foil tent around it and put it far from the coals, letting it cook the rest of the way in its own heat. I arranged the asparagus stalks directly over the coals and let them cook for a couple of minutes, then rotated them all and let them cook another minute or so.

The whole thing was really delicious and hit the spot. The salmon was not overdone and no one of the seasonings overpowered the others. I'll admit that the asparagus could have used a a little less salt and just a little less vinegar, but overall the seasoning was a winning combination, and it complemented the salmon well.

This evening I am content.

*Here's a little tidbit that I've picked up: beware of fish labeled as "Atlantic salmon." The Atlantic salmon has been fished to near extinction. The breed still exists, but almost exclusively as farmed fish. Due to this, Atlantic salmon will have been raised in crowded, netted-in coastal environments, with diets heavy in antibiotics and waters rich in fish poo. Opting for sockeye or "wild Alaskan" or some other variety will help lower the overall crud content of your fillet. Mercury is still a factor with wild fish, though.