Alaskan Salmon

Phinque · 07-26-2013, 05:59 PM

We have a gentleman that owns a commercial fishing boat in Alaska and he donates one days catch to our Church group every season. We usually get around 300 LBs of Salmon that we use for a Salmon dinner to raise funds. There are about 20 to 30 fish we cook each year. The salmon is cleaned and flash frozen before shipping it to Colorado. In the past they have just added BBQ sauce in the middle of the fish and wrapped in foil and cooked on a big gas cooker for about an hour until it is done. They then pull the meet from the bones. To me it taste like salmon soup, it's not good.

I have 5 wood cookers I can gather up for the cook and would like to make it a smoked salmon dinner. My fear is my ability to clean the fish and get the bones out to have a good filet to cook. Has anybody taken a whole salmon and de-boned it into filets? How much time and how many fingers will it take? Recipe ideas are also welcome. Would love to look like a hero in the church's eyes, and bring more people back to the dinner. Thanks in advance and sorry for the long message.

Don Marco · 07-26-2013, 06:08 PM

Wow, thats a very nice gift from that gentleman.
Actually, cutting the filet off a salmon isnt that hard and even if you f*** up on the first ones until you get it that would surely be way better than killing that nice alaska salmon with bbq sauce and steaming it in foil . Thats just wrong...

Whenever i get really good salmon all it gets is just salt and pepper and maybe some lime or orange zest.
When its just the regular wholesale quality i like to make a nice honey lime glaze that doesnt overpower the salmon but adds to it.

Maybe you can ask a local fisher or fish dealer to help you out ?

Good luck !

DM

Teleking · 07-26-2013, 06:20 PM

BBQ sauce on Alaskan salmon... WTF is that all about other than very wrong

mr_ski73 · 07-26-2013, 06:28 PM

Our local gro. store carries a seasoning called Salmon Magic, I would compare it to a finer ground grade of montreal steak seasoning. Its realy hard to mess it up. sprinkle it thick, lay some lemon slices on top of each fillet and grill or smoke. Great both ways.

Jayblefty · 07-26-2013, 06:43 PM

We break down 10lb whole head on salmon all the time. Takes a sharp knife, some needle nose pliers, a bit of skill and some practice but if you get good you can get about a 75% yield on your useable product. I am betting if you got two other people you could have them all broken down and ready to smoke in 2-3 hours. There are good videos on youtube on how to do it. I am betting if you break them down to filets to smoke this year, you will be a pro with it next year!!! Best of Luck!!!

Phinque · 07-26-2013, 06:43 PM

I know Teleking, I'm the youngster joining the group and when I saw them do this last year and I just about died. These were beautiful fish and the meat looked fresh and no smell. I'm going to step up and ask to do the cooking but I want to make sure I know what I'm doing.

Garyclaw · 07-26-2013, 07:36 PM

Fillet them out, but there will be some pin bones in the fillet, about 25 of them. Just take some neddle nose pliers and pull them out, real easy to do. Grill those fillets hot and fast (with some kind of marinade) and you will be the hero,

buccaneer · 07-26-2013, 07:47 PM

This is what I do:

Bob in St. Louis · 07-26-2013, 09:03 PM

That's a great video on prepping salmon. I like the method of removing the pin bones.

The way I've done it, was with a pair of (clean) needle-nose pliers. If you run your free hand under the filet picking it up slightly, the bones will stick up, out of the meat and make them easier to find and remove.

It's a time consuming process and it sounds like you've got a lot of fishies to prep.
Good luck on that.

As far as how to season, the lighter the better with salmon (BBQ sauce is unspeakable).
A little bit of Kosher salt, fresh black pepper, Thyme, and Rosemary are about all you need...and not much of any of that.

HERE is the first time I did salmon and it turned out very well.
Might be more than you want to do if you're doing 40-60 fillets though.

I do like what you're doing for your church and for God though. Thank you.

Phinque · 07-26-2013, 10:09 PM

OK Gentlemen, the youngster ( 55 and they have me by 10 - 20 years ) of the group is going to ask to take over the cooking of the Salmon and you all have been a great help. My only other question is that can this be made the day before and then reheated to serve at the dinner? If so, what is the best method to store and reheat?

I appreciate all your help. The vedio helped a ton.

Jayblefty · 07-26-2013, 11:08 PM

COOK IT FRESH AND SERVE IT HOT!!! Only way to enjoy quality fish...

Murray in N.Z. · 07-27-2013, 01:26 AM

Phinque.
Hi there, how about just grabbing just a few and doing them your way. This will give the people the chance to try something new to eat that we know they will love and next year they will be begging you to do it your way. It will also provide you with a chance to learn how to do it poroperly and not make a fool of yourself. And most importantly if you just do a few and are asked to take over by the masses you wont be standing on too many old toes.... toes that could belong to potential converted helpers.

yeah I agree tho, ruining lovely Salmon like they are is a crime that should bar them from entry to the pearly gates. The person that first came up with the recipe should be shot!

Muzza
Slummin it with the crims here in Perth for a bit.

Callahan-que · 07-27-2013, 02:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phinque

OK Gentlemen, the youngster ( 55 and they have me by 10 - 20 years ) of the group is going to ask to take over the cooking of the Salmon and you all have been a great help. My only other question is that can this be made the day before and then reheated to serve at the dinner? If so, what is the best method to store and reheat?

I appreciate all your help. The vedio helped a ton.

You can certainly do some of the prep the day before but do not cook.

Don Marco · 07-27-2013, 02:45 AM

The Salmon should be cooked fresh. Actually, it would take about as long to reheat it as to cook it fresh.
What kind of grill or smoker do you use ? how bout cooking on cedar planks for easy handling and an extra wow from the guests ?

DM

07-26-2013, 05:59 PM	#1
Phinque On the road to being a farker Join Date: 10-04-08 Location: Brighton, Co	Alaskan Salmon We have a gentleman that owns a commercial fishing boat in Alaska and he donates one days catch to our Church group every season. We usually get around 300 LBs of Salmon that we use for a Salmon dinner to raise funds. There are about 20 to 30 fish we cook each year. The salmon is cleaned and flash frozen before shipping it to Colorado. In the past they have just added BBQ sauce in the middle of the fish and wrapped in foil and cooked on a big gas cooker for about an hour until it is done. They then pull the meet from the bones. To me it taste like salmon soup, it's not good. I have 5 wood cookers I can gather up for the cook and would like to make it a smoked salmon dinner. My fear is my ability to clean the fish and get the bones out to have a good filet to cook. Has anybody taken a whole salmon and de-boned it into filets? How much time and how many fingers will it take? Recipe ideas are also welcome. Would love to look like a hero in the church's eyes, and bring more people back to the dinner. Thanks in advance and sorry for the long message. __________________ 22" Weber, Char-Griller Pro offset, Traeger Texas grill, BGE small and 3 Turkey Fryers

07-26-2013, 06:08 PM	#2
Don Marco is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 08-09-07 Location: Germany	Wow, thats a very nice gift from that gentleman. Actually, cutting the filet off a salmon isnt that hard and even if you f*** up on the first ones until you get it that would surely be way better than killing that nice alaska salmon with bbq sauce and steaming it in foil . Thats just wrong... Whenever i get really good salmon all it gets is just salt and pepper and maybe some lime or orange zest. When its just the regular wholesale quality i like to make a nice honey lime glaze that doesnt overpower the salmon but adds to it. Maybe you can ask a local fisher or fish dealer to help you out ? Good luck ! DM __________________ www.don-marcos-bbq.de

07-26-2013, 06:43 PM	#6
Phinque On the road to being a farker Join Date: 10-04-08 Location: Brighton, Co	I know Teleking, I'm the youngster joining the group and when I saw them do this last year and I just about died. These were beautiful fish and the meat looked fresh and no smell. I'm going to step up and ask to do the cooking but I want to make sure I know what I'm doing. __________________ 22" Weber, Char-Griller Pro offset, Traeger Texas grill, BGE small and 3 Turkey Fryers

07-26-2013, 07:36 PM	#7
Garyclaw Babbling Farker Join Date: 08-05-09 Location: NE OH-IO	Fillet them out, but there will be some pin bones in the fillet, about 25 of them. Just take some neddle nose pliers and pull them out, real easy to do. Grill those fillets hot and fast (with some kind of marinade) and you will be the hero, __________________ Gary ____________________________________ Big BarBChef built in to the Outdoor Kitchen, 2 Weber kettles, 1 UDS, Little Chief Electric, 2 Propane Fish Cookers/Turkey Fryers, a swinging grate over my [COLOR=red]Fire pit,[/COLOR][COLOR=black] Big Pig Cooker, SJS, Big Easy Oil Less. Blackstone Pizza Oven[/COLOR] "Nice talkin' to ya" :yo:

07-26-2013, 07:47 PM	#8
buccaneer somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 10-23-10 Location: The Never Never.	This is what I do: How to butcher whole salmon- How to Fillet a fish-How to debones salmon-How to clean salmon - YouTube __________________ Hold my dang beer...
	1 members found this post helpful.

07-26-2013, 06:20 PM	#3
Teleking is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 11-10-08 Location: Maine	BBQ sauce on Alaskan salmon... WTF is that all about other than very wrong

07-26-2013, 06:28 PM	#4
mr_ski73 Knows what a fatty is. Join Date: 06-29-13 Location: Star City, AR	Our local gro. store carries a seasoning called Salmon Magic, I would compare it to a finer ground grade of montreal steak seasoning. Its realy hard to mess it up. sprinkle it thick, lay some lemon slices on top of each fillet and grill or smoke. Great both ways.

07-26-2013, 06:43 PM	#5
Jayblefty On the road to being a farker Join Date: 07-23-13 Location: Roy, Utah	We break down 10lb whole head on salmon all the time. Takes a sharp knife, some needle nose pliers, a bit of skill and some practice but if you get good you can get about a 75% yield on your useable product. I am betting if you got two other people you could have them all broken down and ready to smoke in 2-3 hours. There are good videos on youtube on how to do it. I am betting if you break them down to filets to smoke this year, you will be a pro with it next year!!! Best of Luck!!!

07-26-2013, 09:03 PM	#9
Bob in St. Louis Babbling Farker Join Date: 07-31-12 Location: St. Louis Missouri	That's a great video on prepping salmon. I like the method of removing the pin bones. The way I've done it, was with a pair of (clean) needle-nose pliers. If you run your free hand under the filet picking it up slightly, the bones will stick up, out of the meat and make them easier to find and remove. It's a time consuming process and it sounds like you've got a lot of fishies to prep. Good luck on that. As far as how to season, the lighter the better with salmon (BBQ sauce is unspeakable). A little bit of Kosher salt, fresh black pepper, Thyme, and Rosemary are about all you need...and not much of any of that. HERE is the first time I did salmon and it turned out very well. Might be more than you want to do if you're doing 40-60 fillets though. I do like what you're doing for your church and for God though. Thank you. __________________ Truth, by definition is narrow and exclusive. -------------- "Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire." - Exodus 12:9

07-26-2013, 10:09 PM	#10
Phinque On the road to being a farker Join Date: 10-04-08 Location: Brighton, Co	OK Gentlemen, the youngster ( 55 and they have me by 10 - 20 years ) of the group is going to ask to take over the cooking of the Salmon and you all have been a great help. My only other question is that can this be made the day before and then reheated to serve at the dinner? If so, what is the best method to store and reheat? I appreciate all your help. The vedio helped a ton. __________________ 22" Weber, Char-Griller Pro offset, Traeger Texas grill, BGE small and 3 Turkey Fryers

07-26-2013, 11:08 PM	#11
Jayblefty On the road to being a farker Join Date: 07-23-13 Location: Roy, Utah	COOK IT FRESH AND SERVE IT HOT!!! Only way to enjoy quality fish...

07-27-2013, 01:26 AM	#12
Murray in N.Z. On the road to being a farker Join Date: 04-13-11 Location: Auckland New Zealand	Phinque. Hi there, how about just grabbing just a few and doing them your way. This will give the people the chance to try something new to eat that we know they will love and next year they will be begging you to do it your way. It will also provide you with a chance to learn how to do it poroperly and not make a fool of yourself. And most importantly if you just do a few and are asked to take over by the masses you wont be standing on too many old toes.... toes that could belong to potential converted helpers. yeah I agree tho, ruining lovely Salmon like they are is a crime that should bar them from entry to the pearly gates. The person that first came up with the recipe should be shot! Muzza Slummin it with the crims here in Perth for a bit.

07-27-2013, 02:45 AM	#14
Don Marco is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 08-09-07 Location: Germany	The Salmon should be cooked fresh. Actually, it would take about as long to reheat it as to cook it fresh. What kind of grill or smoker do you use ? how bout cooking on cedar planks for easy handling and an extra wow from the guests ? DM __________________ www.don-marcos-bbq.de