Sushi with cracked pepper, olive oil and kimchi

I continue to work my way through that great block of smoked-mackerel sushi from Mitsuwa Marketplace in Edgewater. See post, "Back in the food-shopping game."

Yesterday, I opened the two packets that came in the box and looked over the inserts from Komego, all in Japanese, which I don't read. I poured the cracked peppercorns and extra-virgin olive oil in separate dishes. This is different. I've always associated sushi and sashimi with soy sauce and wasabi.

This fatty, Omega-3 rich mackerel with rice is good enough on its own, but takes on extra dimensions when dipped first in the oil and then pungent cracked pepper.This morning, I had two more slices and paired one with

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crunchy cabbage kimchi before popping it into my mouth. Delish.

Delicious but controversial

You wouldn't think something as delicious as fresh wild Alaskan salmon would be controversial, but when it comes to Copper River salmon, there seems to be as many opinions as there are fish trying to swim upstream to spawn.

When the Seattle (Wash.) Times speculated May 14 that prices for Copper River salmon were expected to be $15 to $35 a pound this year, compared to a maximum of $50 a pound last year, readers let loose. One, who said he is a native Alaskan, claimed there is absolutely no difference between salmon from the Copper River and other rivers. Others say Copper River fish have superior fat content, referring to beneficial Omega-3 fatty acids.

Costco's price of $9.99 a pound for Copper River sockeye salmon is even more amazing when you look at mail order prices -- $20.95 to $24.95 a pound, plus shipping, higher for fillets from the much larger king salmon. SeaBear, one of the mail order places, says the "raging, 300-mile" river is fed by Copper Glacier and is "one of the most pristine places on earth."