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.

More great reasons to keep meat off the table

Leftover fresh wild Alaskan salmon straight from the refrigerator crowning a takeout salad of fresh spinach, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, cucumbers and beans.

Wild-caught haddock fillets poached in chicken broth with garlic, ginger, onion, lime juice and thyme. I ate them with organic brown rice from Costco Wholesale, where we buy many of the ingredients for our home-cooked meals.  

A no-mayo salad made with canned yellow-fin tuna, pink salmon and Moroccan sardines; plus diced organic celery, is dressed with hummus, Dijon mustard, lime juice and ground cumin. I use canned hummus from Lebanon, adding olive oil, lime juice and ground garlic.

Trader Joe's Organic Whole Wheat Fusilli Pasta with sardines and salted cod fish in bottled Classico Tomato & Basil pasta sauce. For 1 pound of pasta, use a 32-ounce bottle of sauce.

A snack of canned-fish salad, olives, stewed tofu and hummus.

Jamaican Ackee and Salt Fish with sweet plantains.

Fresh wild Copper River Sockeye Salmon with Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto, both from Costco Wholesale.

I seasoned the salmon with a little Himalayan Pink Salt, Aleppo red pepper and lime juice before roasting them in the oven at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the piece I cut from the larger fillet, below.

Veins of heart-healthy fat in the raw fillet of Copper River salmon.