John Mariani published this piece on my recent trip to Spain. I was delighted to learn about many wines, including Bobal, while there and enjoyed the legendary Spanish hospitality. Click on the image to go to the full post.

This April, I was thrilled to be invited to participate in the Season For Flavor Club pilot project. The Prince William Sound marketing team and fishermen have teamed up to spread the word about all the salmon available in different seasons. Would I be wiling to let them send free samples of each wild Alaska salmon species harvested in their seasons? Hell yes. After my visit to Cordova a few years ago, I became such a fan of the Alaskan fisheries management practices, especially with respect to salmon, that I am eager for the salmon run each year.

Alaska's wild fisheries are one example of a system that honors seasonality. We here in the lower 48 tend to be fuzzy on the topic of seasonality with respect to fish. Sure, we know that asparagus come up in Spring, Tomatoes are in Summer and Apples are in Fall. But we're unaccustomed, most of us, to thinking of seasons and fish. For more on this topic and some links to great sources please read my latest post on Suite101, Seasonal Striper with Fines Herbes.

First of the Season - King Salmon

I've loved all the Alaskan salmon I've had and couldn't wait to enjoy my first shipment. Each Spring I think about Salmon and also feel connected to the fishermen and wonder how they might be faring each Spring. I begin scouring the news about the salmon run and scanning the fishmongers' counters. Are the Salmon running strong? Will we see it here? I think of the people in Alaska whose lives are inextricably linked to the health of the fisheries, and I hope for all of them, the salmon and the fishermen, that we'll have a strong season.

This program naturally began with the first of the season, the King or Chinook. This large, prized salmon are the first to run. These are the largest of the species and have high levels of fat stored for their arduous journey home to spawn. The Chinook also have some of the highest levels of Omega-3s of any fish.

I grilled some, cured some using Vieux Carré Absinthe and a homemade spice blend. For grilling, I used a delicious spice rub included in an Alaska Seafood Marketing brochure.

Salmon on the grill (another example of hunger taking priority over composing a perfect shot.)

Check out this post in my BBQ Bonanaza series for more info on grilling the salmon and a great cookbook to guide you in all your grilling.

To the left (above) is the Himalayan Pink Salt block I received in Portland at my IACP dinner with the SELmelier. We had some scallions, which I decided to grill on the salt block. The salmon I'd spiced rubbed and set on lightly oiled cedar papers set right on the grill. (Soaked the papers first in water.) This created a light cedar smoky flavor, scenting the salmon. This and the rub complemented the rich fat of the salmon perfectly.

Here is some of the lox I cured with a touch of absinthe.

Copper River Sockeye

Copper River Sockeye was the second to arrive.

Look at that deep red color! And the skin toasts up nicely for a Japanese-style treat.

Prince William Sound Sockeye roasted with herb butter added at the final minutes of roasting.

How about roasted Sockeye with a sweet corn risotto?

This risotto was fantastic. I used terrific rice from Panzano's - a small multi-generation family rice farm in Spain produces it. Had some corn stock

from stripping corn down for another recipe. Here, I'm folding in pea tendrils from the farmer's market into the sweet corn risotto. This would be a terrific main course meal in itself. We served it with the second of our Salmon.

Corn, corn and more corn!

I found that the sweet corn is a nice foil to rich salmon. Writing this post for Suite101 on how to shop the farmers' markets and save, I was reminded of so many good ways to enjoy corn - it's more than one post can contain.  Here are more ideas in this post, Better than Sex Grilled Corn.

Well, Chef Diamontopoulos is going to have his work cut out for him. He launches a Global Street Food sandwich special on the 7th of September with - trumpets please - Banh Mi!!

I hear it will feature either house made or Iggy's baguette, as well as house-cured pork belly and local veg. On the basis of lunch I had shortly after their assumption of the sandwich reins in the Inman Square shop, I will even venture out of Chinatown to try this Cambridge version made by Greek hands in Inman Square...That is the nature of the global village isn't it?

How about lunch? Anyone?

Until then feast your eyes and get yourself to C'town for one of these beauties.

New Saigon

Mei Sum (cold cut)

Still my favorite:

Crunch!

Shout out to Serious Eats for reminding me about my growing grilled corn fetish.

For years I've made a composed butter for barbecues that was once dubbed "Jackie's Better than Sex Butter" by visiting chef. Funny, that name kinda stuck. The butter is a riff on an old Silver Palate recipe, just a few tweaks to make it my own. I shared the recipe on Suite101 here, Favorite Summer Sweet Corn Recipes , and recently the Wisconsin Small Farm Central CSA linked to it (and shared the recipe in their newsletter, without, ahem, permission...)

The funny thing is my dear husband was not a fan of corn on the cob when we first met. Having grown up in California, he'd been very underwhelmed by the corn he'd tried there. That starchy corn, and a single, unfortunate surprise discovery of a free-loading pest, coupled with the necessary flossing ritual post-meal, had left him not such a big fan.

Fast forward to Jackie's obsession, her lovely composed butters and her new-found sloppy Mexican style sweet grilled corn and we are both now firmly under sweet corn's spell.

In the summer months full of sweet corn here in New England I can find any number of ways to eat it. Mixed into risotto, made with corn cob broth, you have a sweet and creamy backdrop for grilled seafood. Cut from the cob you have a nice sauté like this one-dish meal, perfect for brunch.

Here's a not so-great-photos (I was starving, mixed priorities) of our last grilled meal. Peaches, pineapple and grilled corn.

Grilled corn, grilled pineapple and peaches. After grilling the shucked corn, I slathered a bit of homemade mayo mixed with lime juice and lime zest on the corn, sprinkled with Cayenna Molida and pimenton, the grated cotija cheese. Sloppy, delicious mess.

Indoor grilling. As easy or fussy as you like. The grill gets oiled with a simple, neutral oil, like canola. The fruit goes right on, as does the corn. Char it as much or as little as you please but we really like the charred corn, it adds a nutty flavor and sticky chewy texture. You can baste with butter and hit with lime juice if you like. Or skip it, the mayo will have plenty of flavor and the butter is really gilding the lilly, as they say. I make the mayo with really healthy light oils, so why add back some fat. Or, why not since you saved it by making such lovely light homemade mayo?

Grilled peaches and pineapple. Sprinkled with Cayenna Molida. You could also use regular old cayenne or chipotle powder. Just a touch of any of these make offsets the sweetness of the grilled fruit so beautifully, thinking of it makes my mouth water.