Salmon Curry Features Local Bounty

I’m honored to be asked by the Upper Left Edge to share one of my favorite recipes. As I write this, I’m traveling through Thailand with my fiancee Katie Crosman, co owner of Yoga Roots Manzanita who is here volunteering to combat human trafficking. I feel this curry recipe will be a true reflection of this moment in my life.

I’ve always been a wanna-be chef and chef groupie, but with a busy schedule that takes me from the deck of a fishing boat to the docks, or to meetings with chefs both on the coast and in Portland, I don’t have much opportunity to exercise my limited culinary skills.

When I’m not working it’s often much easier to grab a bite at one of our local partner restaurants — which include The Big Wave Cafe, Blackbird, Offshore Grill and the Schooner — than to prepare a meal back home.

One of my favorite dishes for a quick nutritious bite is my take on Salmon curry. It works well with just about all seafood except for softer fleshed fish such as sole and trout. I generally like to use salmon because it’s abundant, packed full of nutritional benefits, and reheats well for a lunch on the go or served cold for a picnic outing.

One of the reasons why I love this dish is because it allows me to utilize the bounty that our special place on the coast provides for all of us. Having some really great friends who are also local farmers and producers such as Kingfisher farms, R-Evolution Gardens and Nehalem River Ranch allows me to make some dishes that truly represent our north coast. With our mild and temperate climate, I’m able to source varieties of vegetables that are often out of season with producers located in the valley. Please note that fresh ingredients are always better, but I suggested using bottled ginger and garlic for the sake of speed and time.

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons coconut oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/4 cup local yellow squash
1/4 cup local zucchini
1/2 cup local snap peas
1/2 cup local thinly sliced carrot medallions
1/2 Broccoli cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 can light coconut milk
1/8 teaspoon Jacobsen Salt
1 lime sectioned
1 tablespoon bottled minced ginger
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 (1-pound) wild local salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 3/4-inch
cubes substitute wild local Lingcod or other firm fleshed fish or add
bay clams, Dungeness Crab or Oregon Pink Shrimp

PREPARATION

Heat coconut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion garlic and curry powder, sauté fish or seafood to quickly brown leaving rare, then remove from heat and set aside. Add coconut milk and remaining ingredients while squeezing limes and bring to a low boil; reduce heat, and add fish or other seafood cover and cook until fish is done and shellfish has opened or is cooked through.

If you haven’t heard about my company, I run Community Supported Fishery out of Garibaldi, Oregon — the closest port town to the Portland metropolitan area. I supply fresh fish to New Seasons, Tillamook Meat, Manzanita Grocery and Deli, Manzanita Fresh Foods, Flying Fish, and Sheridan Fruit.