Bear Trail Lodge salmon recipe Naknek river sockeye silver king

A lot of our favorite fishing lodge meals are tough to recreate at home, not only because they’re complex, but also because they require ingredients you can’t find at your local grocery store. Hanna and I eat ridiculous amounts of chicken and vegetables, but lately we’ve been trying to integrate more fish into our diets so we reached out to Nanci Morris Lyon at Bear Trail Lodge to get the recipe for the salmon that I enjoyed there last summer.

This is one that even the least kitchen-savvy among you can prepare masterfully.

Healthy wild caught Alaskan salmon recipe with asparagus and rice

Chef Kevin’s Bristol Bay Salmon over Coconut Rice

The Salmon

Take a fillet of wild, Bristol Bay salmon and pat dry with paper towels, remove the pin bones, cut into serving size portions, brush with olive oil, sear flesh side in pre heated pan coated with olive oil for 1-2 minutes.
Remove from pan and place skin side down on greased baking dish.
Brush with olive oil sprinkle with salt and pepper and a touch of lemon pepper, cover with foil and bake at 350 until done about 10-12 minutes.

Ingredients for the Sauce

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Red Onion chopped
3 Tbsp. Chopped Garlic
16 oz Jar Roasted Red Peppers drained
1 cup Red Wine
3 cups Warm Water
2 Tbsp. Tomato Boullion
As Needed Cornstarch to Thicken
2 oz.butter

Preparing the Sauce

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil
Add red peppers, red wine, water and boullion.
Once heated add cornstarch slurry to thicken.
Whisk in 2 oz butter to finish.

Rice Ingredients

5 Tbsp. Olive Oil
5 Cups Jasmine Rice
1 Tbsp. Kosher Salt
1 Cup Coconut Flakes
8 ½ cups Total Liquid, add hot water to 1 can coconut milk.

Preparing the Rice

Lightly saute the 5 full cups of rice in olive oil.
Add rice to the rest of the ingredients in your rice cooker and let cook full cycle.

Keith Combs and I may have gone back for seconds (and possibly thirds) of this flavorful combination. Part of the enjoyment derived from the fact that as we ate it we were overlooking the waters where it had been caught. Indeed, that’s a crucial factor in this recipe – you want wild, not farm-raised salmon. The difference is substantial.

The Bristol Bay waters where we fished are currently under attack from the Pebble Mine project. If you want to be assured of future access to this great fishery – and food source – including the largest sockeye salmon population in the world, go to Trout Unlimited’s site to get the whole story.

More importantly, BOOK A TRIP TO BEAR TRAIL LODGE! I guarantee you that the salmon will taste great at home, but it tastes even better when eaten closer to its home.