Wild salmon with organic diced tomatoes and pesto

Wild Sockeye Salmon from Costco Wholesale in Hackensack with Organic Diced Tomatoes, Pesto and Grilled Peach.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

For the first time since fresh wild salmon appeared at my Costco Wholesale in late May, the skin-on sockeye fillet my wife picked up on Monday was harvested in Canada.

The wild salmon looked and tasted as good as all of the ones I've been enjoying from Alaska and other parts of the United States.

Costco identified the origin of the fillets in the first few weeks as coming from Alaska's Copper River, and sold them at a premium of $14.99 a pound.

The rest of the salmon was labeled as a product of the U.S.A.

The price for Canadian sockeye was $8.99 a pound, only a dollar more a pound than the pale, artificially colored farmed salmon sold at Costco in Hackensack. 

A 1.52-pound fillet yielded six serving pieces.

The salmon spent a total of about 8 minutes on a pre-heated grill pan with spray oil that covered two burners of my stove turned to medium high. It should sizzle when you first place it on the grill skin-side down. I then turned the heat down to medium. The serving pieces came out medium rare, but continued cooking after the grill pan was taken off of the heat for members of my family who prefer the fish cooked through.

I flipped the serving portions after about 5 minutes.

Delicious right off the grill

Nearly all of the ingredients for the dish are available from Costco.

The wild salmon is terrific right off the grill with just a little Himalayan Pink Salt and fresh lime juice.

On another burner, I prepared a reduction of extra-virgin olive oil, lots of chopped fresh garlic, Kirkland Signature Organic Diced Tomatoes, red wine, lime juice and fresh oregano from my garden.

After I plated the fish with the diced-tomato sauce, I added a little Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto.

With the fish, I drank a glass of Kirkland Signature 2012 California Cabernet Sauvignon.

Delicious.

Update

Tonight, I enjoyed a leftover portion of wild salmon served with leftover organic brown rice and lentils, and vegetables, two other dishes that rely heavily on fresh garlic.