WSG News Blog

Salmon With Crushed Blackberries and Seaweed

September 16, 2022

By Olivia Horwedel, WSG Science Communications Fellow

For this week’s sustainable seafood recipe, we are cooking Sean Sherman’s Salmon with Crushed Blackberries and Seaweed from The New York Times. This recipe celebrates the incredible bounty of the Pacific Northwest and features Coast Salish ingredients. Salmon deserves the spotlight in this dish for it’s crucial role in the Salish Sea’s environments, culture, and economy. There are several ways to source salmon locally in Washington. Sea Grant encourages sourcing your salmon from local and Indigenous fishers when possible. Another main component to this dish is the seaweed, grown in Washington waters as an incredibly sustainable aquaculture operation. Enjoy this beautiful dish that celebrates Indigenous flavors of the Pacific Northwest.

Ingredients:

Sockeye salmon fillets – Photo Courtesy of Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon Media Library

  • 2 cups fresh blackberries
  • Coarse sea salt
  • 4 (5- to 6-ounce) skin-on wild-caught sockeye salmon fillets
  • 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons dried seaweed (wakame)
  • Fresh chive stems, for garnish

Instructions:

  1. In a medium bowl, crush half the blackberries using the back of a fork. Add the remaining whole blackberries, stir to coat and season to taste with salt; set aside.
  2. Pat salmon filets dry with a paper towel. Season with salt on both sides.
  3. Heat a large, heavy sauté pan or cast-iron skillet over high. When the pan is hot, add 3 tablespoons oil and carefully swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan. When the oil begins to shimmer, working in batches if necessary, place the filets in the pan, flesh-side down, and sear until the salmon picks up some color and releases easily from the pan, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip the fish, reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until cooked through, about 2 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the salmon.
  4. Transfer the filets from the pan to a warm plate and tent with foil until all filets are cooked, making sure to get any of the salmon skin that may stick to the pan. (If you’re cooking your filets in multiple batches, you’ll want to add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil to the skillet before pan-searing the second batch.)
  5. Divide the salmon among plates, serving it skin-side up. Top with the blackberries, then garnish each plate with the seaweed and a few chive stems.

Recipe courtesy of Sean Sherman and The New York Times.

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Washington Sea Grant, based at the University of Washington, helps people and marine life thrive through research, technical expertise and education supporting the responsible use and conservation of coastal ecosystems. Washington Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states that encourage the wise stewardship of our marine resources through research, education, outreach and technology transfer.

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