Copper River Salmon in Phx?

[ziggylu]

Anyone spotted any yet this year...either on a menu or at a market?

In the past we've had it at McCormick's...Rockfish of all places usually has it on the menu as well, they grill it simply and manage to do a good job with it. In the years since we came here from Seattle I'm finding it easier at the markets as well.

Am hankering for some tonight, either at home or out but haven't really seen it yet? I think the season started about a couple weeks ago so should be here by now, I just haven't been paying attention.

Help a homesick salmon craving girl out? :-)

[azhotdish]

Must be price wars for Copper River salmon - I picked up a couple lbs today for $8.88 lb at Sprouts (28th/Indian School). Delicious - simple pan roast with a squeeze of lemon and it's perfect. One thing I did notice, which I thought was odd, was that the portions at the store were all over the board in terms of size. The fishmonger was a little sloppy in his filleting, but who's complaining for the price?

[ggdinero]

I just say your post and scurried off to my neighborhood Sprouts to pick up a couple pounds myself. Yay!!

[ccl1111]

we headed out to the 28th/indian school sprouts late last night too to give it a try ourselves (tonight). not having heard of it before, we're excited to try!

[Booger]

Had some from Fry's (on special for $9.99/lb marked down from 39.99/lb). It was delicious. Really something special about wild salmon.

It was delicious (prepared simply on a cedar plank, with a little lemon, rosemary, salt and pepper).

Have another filet. Put it in the freezer. I know it won't be as good as fresh, but it will be something to dig out a month or two from now when the regular supply dries up.

I give 2 thumbs up to the fish available at Fry's.

[silverbear]

I had lunch at McCormick and Schmick's today, and Copper River salmon was on the daily fresh list. I did not indulge because it was a business lunch someone else was hosting, and I didn't want to order a $36 entree when everyone else was having $12 lunch specials. Still, it's on the menu -- at least for today.

[ccl1111]

i hate that. everyone should be a chowhound. : )

[ciaogal]

Today's AZ Republic has an ad for Sprouts that has Copper River Salmon on Special for $8.99. It is a 3 day Special!!! I would definitely be buying some for tonights dinner if I wasn't about to hop a plane to DC for a week long meeting!

[HomeCookKirsten]

Oh no!!!! So sad, I actually just flew to DC today and will also miss the sprouts salmon. :(

[ziggylu]

I did see this...it's the Sockeye. I'll have to run across the street and buy some tomorrow. I've always been happy with the fish counter there.

Haven't seen King anywhere but AJ's yet...guess they're the only ones that carry it...

[silverbear]

Thanks so much for the tip. I picked some up today. My local Sprouts at 28th St. & Indian School had both sockeye and king on sale. I picked up some of the king and grilled it tonight. We ate it with homemade mashed potatos, sauteed swiss chard with garlic and cilantro, and some Clos du Bois Cabernet. It was a pretty good way to end a weekend full of errands, housework, and taking care of the baby.

[ziggylu]

Lucky you! I stopped at the one at Ray/Dobson on my way home this afternoon...they only had the sockeye. I picked up a center cut fillet to grill tomorrow night but would have loved to find some King behind the counter!

[Deenso]

Taneko Japanese Tavern (at The Borgata, on Scottsdale Road) is serving it. This is from an email I received from them today:

"Chef Emilio has brought in some of the season's freshest finds and has recently added them to the menu for a limited time: Alaskan Halibut and Copper River King Salmon.

Both dishes are served marinated in a Japanese inspired miso-sake sauce and wood roasted with locally grown organic vegetables from McClendon's Select, then finished with a miso-mustard dressing. It is a mouthwatering presentation that balances the sweet of the vegetables, the vibrancy of the sake, the salt of the miso and the spice of the wood roasted oven with each fish to create a truly memorable dish."

We'll be back in a few weeks. Hope they've still got it, 'cause that sounds really good to me.

[HomeCookKirsten]

Saw it today in the Safeway ad - fresh (weather dependent) copper river salmon - I think is was $9.99 a lb

[ccl1111]

we hit binkley's for apps saturday night after the colin hay show at c4. they had copper river salmon on the menu. had to get home quickly as it was the first night away from the new baby otherwise i'd definitely have tried it after reading about it on the board.

[ziggylu]

I was wondering if Binkley's would be serving it. I'd love to try it up there but alas we have reservations at TCook's next week for a bday and can't justify both in one month. Hopefully I'll find it on the TCook's menu as well!

[DLAOKC]

We were in Cordova last year when the silver ran... an unforgettable experience! A good online source is copperriverseafood.com.

[ziggylu]

I picked up some Copper River Sockeye Salmon today at Costco(fresh not the frozen fillets that have been in the freezer in the past). $9.99/lb which is a most respectable price.

We did end up at Rockfish a couple nights ago to have some....grilled without the sauce they were offering it was quite good as well. $18.99 for the dinner.

[ggdinero]

I just heard on the radio that Fry's has Copper River Salmon at $9.88/lb this week. =)

[HomeCookKirsten]

I heard that too - has anyone tried the Fry's salmon? I always am leery of Fry's seafood...they don't have a fish counter, so whatever is in the case is what you get (at least at the Fry's locations I have visited) and size of pieces, weight, freshness, etc. is a gamble

[ciaogal]

Try a Fry's Signature Store. The newly remodeled Store on Shea and 90th st. Has a real fish counter... a la A.J.'s.....
I hope they sell enough that I don't see it pre shrink wrapped my next visit!

[ziggylu]

Thanks. Kincaid's is in fact the only place I've found that has it. McCormicks said they'd have it in by next week and Rockfish said they' have it on the menu starting tomorrow night. Roy's had no idea what I was talking about. I gave Durant's a call hoping maybe they'd pick it up for a week or to and give us an excuse to go back but they won't be carrying it.

How is Kincaid's? We've never been there.

Might pick some up to grill. Last year AJ's was a lot more expensive than Whole Foods which was more expensive than Sprouts but I don't think I've seen where Sprouts has it in yet.

[silverbear]

I think that Durant's usually serves Atlantic salmon. I like many things about Durant's, but not the salmon especially.

As for Kincaid's, it doesn't get a lot of buzz on this board or elsewhere, but I think it's pretty good. With fresh seafood, they'll usually offer a choice of a special preparation with an interesting sauce or just a "simply grilled" presentation with a little salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Aside from the fish, I really like their mixed green salad with blue cheese wraps as an appetizer. They also have a house beer that I like.

It's a nice place -- right downtown in the Collier Center. They'll validate your parking in the underground garage.

[ziggylu]

A few more that I've called that won't be serving it this season(figured I'd keep the list running in case anyone else is looking for it):

Wildfish
Fish Market
Salt Cellar
Ocean House
Latitude 30

[azhotdish]

ziggylu - care to share how you cook this salmon? i'd never heard of it until today. how is the flavor different than plain ol' wild alaskan salmon?

[ziggylu]

The journey up the Copper River is tough and cold...the salmon that make this trip store extra fat and oil to survive resulting in a fish with rich flavor and intense color. There's a lot of hype with Copper River but it is indeed VERY good salmon. The fact that it's a short season makes it that much more enjoyable I think...a special annual treat/tradition if you will.

I keep it very simple when I make this...it really is all about the fish. I like to buy whole ones and marinate it in a bit of of maple syrup, rice wine vinegar and ginger and then grill. I also like to grill with a brown sugar spice rub. Or just plain with salt and pepper and squeeze a bit of lemon. Personally, I prefer not to plank this particular variety but it's commonly found in teh northwest alder planked as well.

Likewise when we order it out I look for simple preparations. McCormick's does do a good job wiht it. Surprisingly, Rockfish for a midlevel chain does a good job with this particular fish as well. I've never been thrilled with them in general but discovered a couple years ago they carry it in season...Last year it was $16.99 simply grilled with a vegetable and salad. Considering it's usually $20+/lb at the store this was a pretty good value. It was prepared very well, not overcooked at all.

[mitchgx]

I do have to say that Rockfish is on the short list of chain sit-down restaurants that I actually make a point to patronize. The fish is always well-prepared, the price is definitely right, the service has never been anything but friendly and efficient, and the beer is served in a giant, ice-cold schooner. All big pluses. :-)

I think I'll need to make a point to head there and try the Copper River salmon. The only time I've tried the CR was last year when Costco had it for a short time in their frozen section - I don't think I did it justice on the grill, so I'd like to try it when the professionals are at the controls.

[azhotdish]

Thanks, I appreciate the thorough explanation.

Growing up in the Midwest, salmon was actually something I didn't grow up with, so I am by no means an expert in this vein (walleye and bass being the primary take in MN lake waters). So when I do buy good salmon, I try to keep the prep simple - salt, pepper and squeeze of lemon in a cask iron skillet. I've also done 3/2 maple/soy marinate for 24 hrs which is also excellent on the grill. I'd be interesting in trying some of this CRS, so thanks.

On the other hand, as far as cheap salmon (see: farmed) goes, my girlfriend found an excellent recipe on Epicurious that I've used to rave reviews.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/109254
This goes great with HomeCookKirsten's roasted truffled fingerling potatoes.
http://homecookkirsten.blogspot.com/2...

[HomeCookKirsten]

That's a great salmon recipe!! Thanks!!

[AZBconcierge]

Did you REALLY call Wildfish? Because they are in fact serving it.

[ziggylu]

Yes I "REALLY" called Wildfish and was told they didn't have any plans to serve it. Why would I say I did if I didn't? Certainly don't ahve any hidden agenda.

The phone answerer must not be communicating with the chef.

[ClaireWalter]

If you have a Whole Foods, you can probably find it there for home preparation.

[shb123]

I saw copper river salmon at AJ's last weekend.

[silverbear]

I think Kincaid's usually has it around this time of year, but I'm not sure if it's available yet. I'd recommend giving them a call.

http://www.kincaids.com/menu.php?cook...

If you want to cook it yourself, Alaska Family Salmon might have it:

3154 E Camelback Rd
Phoenix, AZ 85016
[phone]