We are in a salmon kingdom now. There are salmon derbies and salmon cook-offs; smoked salmon and salmon sashimi; salmon gift boxes and salmon sculptures. Salmon is as native of the Pacific Northwest as brown bears, who, incidentally, very keen on catching it for a healthy dinner.
One day we were walking along a low bridge (appropriately named “fisherman bridge”) across Duwamish waterway. There was some glint over water every once in a while. It looked as somebody was throwing rocks into the water. Until… suddenly fish jumped out of water right in front of us. Then another one a little bit further, and another one. That was when we realized that we were witnessing salmon jumping out of the water. The trusty iPhone was out, and the video was in the making. Quick note: fast forward to 39th sec of this video: this was the closest salmon we could catch on camera, so you clearly could see who this beast is.
Duwamish waterway is fairly deep, but on the shallow side of it with some sun rays lightening it’s waters you can catch a glimpse of fish swimming down there. Just be patient and look carefully. Got It?
I feel some sort of special connection with salmon. It brings back memories from many years back and thousands of miles away. I spent countless summers near Vuoksi River. Quite often, local fishermen came to our house and offered us their catch of the day (ok, “catch of the night” to be precise). The crowning glory of their fishing expeditions was salmon. The river was (and still is) the playground of the largest Atlantic salmon. They brought their bounty, but also taught us how to cure salmon. It was a tried and true centuries old recipe: a simple one, but one of the most appreciative of salmon’s qualities. First, my mother tried it with great results. Years later I kept it going… The recipe is really simple: get the freshest salmon possible (the one that was caught an hour or two ago is the best); gut it and dry with a cloth towel; generously rub salt and sugar all over it; wrap it in a dry cloth towel and tightly tie it with a string; put it away for a couple days in a cool ventilated place. The salt+sugar combination “cooks” the fish by drawing a large amount of liquid out and replacing it with salt/sugar mixture. At the end of the process, the result is cured salmon. It is absolutely delicious!