It's big, it's wild, it's fresh and it's finally here

Wild-caught king salmon from Costco Wholesale in Hackensack with Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto, Aleppo pepper and fresh lime juice.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of fresh wild salmon at Costco Wholesale in Hackensack since last Saturday, when I saw a newspaper photo of two Alaskan Airlines pilots carrying a 48-pound Copper River king salmon off of their plane in Seatac, Wash.

Usually, the first wild salmon that arrives at my Hackensack Costco is Copper River sockeye from Alaska.

But on Thursday, my wife called me from the warehouse store to say the refrigerated case held, not sockeye, but fresh wild king salmon labeled "Product of USA" for $16.99 a pound.

Veins of heart-healthy fat in one of three portions from a fresh wild king salmon fillet. The fish glistens with fresh lime juice.

King v. sockeye

King salmon are the biggest wild salmon, but their color is not as deep as sockeye, and after cooking, their flavor is not as robust.

The fillet my wife brought home weighed just under a pound, and was thinner at the pointed end.

I cut it into three portions, squeezed fresh lime juice over them and added small pinches of Aleppo pepper.

I roasted them at 475 degrees for eight minutes and, after removing them from the oven, added refrigerated Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto.

The thinner piece I ate was cooked through, but the thicker ones were medium rare. I had two portions with a big salad and a glass of dry white wine.

Wonderful, but I can't wait until the sockeye fillets show up at Costco.

After eating the king salmon, I had a salad of Earthbound Farm Organic Spring Mix with Sunset-brand Campari Tomatoes, cucumbers, extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.