fortynine ways to eat salmon

Here, have more pictures of croissants.

Inside layers need more improvement//separation but now I roughly know how to stuff. When I grow up, I want to be like Supermoon.


I think I'm invincible now.
Because second half of yesterday's bowl of lentils with cucumbers and the last of Joyce's Zahav hummus did not wreck me.

Powered me through a longer-than-expected croissant delivery walk instead.

I used the last of this broth to make a pot of rice because I'm part of the NDLB (no drop left behind) movement, and that rice is hidden under a collection of more cukes, seared cured oyster mushrooms, Chinese sausage, and bok choy.


Last snack of the night was a bebe croissant. [Maybe not so] appropriately eaten while watching The Platform.


You must be wondering where I obtained this new vitality (aka green things... I mean aside from the one bag of chrysanthemum greens I got last week). I ventured out in search of one thing and one thing only: whole salmon. But KP did not have the usual $40 fish I've lugged home in the past with the main intention of learning how to cleanly filet a whole fish. So after cursing angrily up and down the soy sauce aisle, I ran to 99 Ranch to settle for half of a salmon. The tail half. I seriously considered buying a salmon head separately but that would kind of defeat the purpose.. and I don't have the fridge space.

salmon #1 - sake cured

1/4c salt

just under 1/4c sugar

handful peppercorns

enough beet powder to color

just under 1/8c sake

fennel fronds
-mix everything up and sammich between two salmon filets
-wrap tightly in plastic wrap and smush under weight of all your misc sauces/fermented things in the fridge for three ish days, turning once a day

salmon #2 - broth (sans head unfortunately but it will do)
lots of ginger slices
several cloves garlic
parsley stems
fennel stems
(any stems really)
salmon tail and bones and scraps and trimmings and things
1t apple cider vinegar
-add enough water to cover, bring to boil, skim off scummy things that come to surface
-reduce to low and simmer simmer simmer

salmon #3 - salmon patties
trimmings from bone that I did not cleanly filet off because I'm still ~learning~
remaining couple spoonfuls of miso bechamel
2 scallion scapes
2 spoonfuls egg yolk from carton
3 spoonfuls egg white from carton
-sear trimmings until just done
-mush them up in a bowl and mix with other ingredients
-ponder whether I should add a bit of cornstarch
-eh, decide to decide later and reserve patty mix for after you get around to making sammich bread

salmon #4 - two salmon steaks for various uses tbd
but most likely for ramen

from the archives
So I don't need to tell you that a whole (or even a half) salmon generates a lot of meals. And this is why I love getting them. The main pillars are cured, seared, brothed, but there are always extra bits to play with.

salmon #5 - the brunch cake that started it all

salmon #6 - salmon steaks and belly pieces

miso glaze with everything bagel seasoning for steaks and soy sauce braise with tomatoes and furikake for bellies *face savoring food emoji*
also side of fennel + plum salad with some kind of vinaigrette dressing

salmon #7 - poke tacos

The first time I tried to filet the fish, I left an egregious amount of meat on the bone that I was obviously not going to let go to waste. I think it was at the Exploratorium that I got the tip to scrape the remaining meat off with a spoon, which I had frozen for later use. And then decided that because it was frozen, I could thaw it and eat it raw as a poke taco with onion, cucumber, lime, aioli, sriracha all wrapped up in sticky rice, roasted nori, and a flour tortilla, and topped with leftover watercress. Assembled sometime after my bedtime to feed those late night cravings.

salmon #8 - brunch cake two

this one was a new (saltier and heartier and tougher) rye bread base

beet cream cheese

tea egg salad

salmon and sesame spread

pickled persimmons

cucumber ribbons