Seared Salmon with Wild Blueberry Salsa

This special recipe for Seared Salmon with Wild Blueberry Salsa celebrates all the sensual flavors and freshness of summer. The blueberry salsa provides beautiful sweet and sour tones to this dish. Be sure to use fresh blueberries for the best flavor and texture. You can, however, use frozen.

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) wild salmon fillets, skin and pin bones removed
olive oil for grilling
salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the blueberry salsa:
1 cup fresh wild blueberries
½ cup crushed canned pineapple, drained
½ cup red bell pepper, minced
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup red onion, minced
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ cup white raisins
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice
¼ teaspoon lime zest
1 teaspoon jalapeños, minced
salt to taste

Directions

the salsa:
Combine salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. Salt to taste. Cover and
refrigerate one hour.

the salmon:
Preheat a stove-top grill pan to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grates. Season the fillets with salt and pepper. Grill the fillets skinned side up and cook 3 to 5 minutes. Turn fillets over and grill until fish is just cooked through, about 3 or 4 minutes more.

To serve, place the salmon on a warmed plate and spoon blueberry salsa on top.

Serves 4

In Alaska, berry picking is akin to beachcombing. It is very addictive. If you’ve ever had a blueberry pie made with fresh succulent blueberries, then you know what I mean. Blueberries and many other berries are all over Alaska. Berry picking brings out Alaskans in droves to their favorite spots. In Alaska there are plenty of blueberries to go around and you can pick all you want. Remember, bears also love blueberries and they have the right-of way. Sing, make noise or wear bells so they hear you coming!

Note:
Smoked salmon comes in two distinct varieties: Hot smoked and lox. The main difference is in the brining process and the temperature during the smoking process. Hot smoked salmon is fully cooked to 145 degrees, whereas cold smoked salmon is smoked at 80 degrees and is in fact cured, and still raw, so needs to be vacuum packed or frozen very quickly after preparation.

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