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.

Clothes too big? Rush down to Costco Wholesale

This week, Costco Wholesale in Hackensack dropped the price of fresh, wild-caught sockeye salmon fillets by $1 a pound, above and below.

Editor's note: Today, I discuss a store with quality clothing and great food; a sale on live lobsters, and my favorite place for breakfast.

By Victor E. Sasson
Editor

When you find a diet that works, you'll lose weight and start running out of clothes that fit, as I did this summer in northern New Jersey.

The heat wave we're enduring had me rifling through a dozen pair of shorts, and only 3 had 38-inch waists.

The rest swam on me -- with 40- and 42-inch waists. 

So on Thursday, I headed for Costco Wholesale in Hackensack, where I found a polo shirt and 3 pairs of shorts for me; a dress shirt for my teenage son; and for dinner, fresh, wild sockeye salmon at a new, lower price.

Wild salmon with ripe peaches and tomatoes, cinnamon and garden herbs.

Herbs and fresh lime juice go well with wild salmon.

My no-bread, no-pizza diet, suggested by a trainer at my old gym, has worked beautifully, and I've shed more than 45 pounds over 3 years and cut my waist size 4 inches.

I eat brown rice, whole-wheat pasta and sweet potatoes as bread substitutes.

Click on the following link to assemble Wild Salmon with Ripe Peaches and Tomatoes:

Rich fish, sweet fruit and cinnamon

Roast wild salmon at 375 degrees for 9 minutes (rare) or 12 minutes (cooked through).

Costco clothing

One of the shorts was a blue plaid, fully lined, for only $14.99. The others were $19.99 each. A bright orange performance polo shirt was also $14.99, and the 100% cotton, spread-collar dress shirt was only $17.99.

The Kirkland Signature clothing is made in Jordan, Vietnam and China.

I also saw beautifully lined slacks made in Italy of light-weight wool for only $49.99.

I already have 2 pairs of the Kirkland Signature dress pants, but plan on buying some for my son. 

A bowl of fresh lobster tails and claws.

Lime juice is all I use to accent the buttery lobster meat.

Lobster feast

Costco Wholesale doesn't sell live lobsters, but ShopRite does and they are $5.99 a pound during the Summer Can Can Sale.

I bought 3 lobsters averaging 1.4 pound each for just under $30 at the Englewood ShopRite on Wednesday.

I boiled them in a large, covered pan for 10 minutes; twisted off the tails, claws and legs, and served them with a wild-brown rice blend I found at Costco.

A bottle of Mexican hot sauce is on every table at the Golden Grill in Teaneck.

Broiled fresh whiting with an egg-white omelet. Hold the toast, and enjoy the Golden Grill's wonderful home fries.

My son's sausage-and-vegetable omelet.

Golden Grill


My 16-year-old son had to fast for a blood test -- a good excuse to have breakfast out at the Golden Grill in Teaneck, the only place I know that serves fresh fish or homemade fish cakes with eggs.

I ordered the whiting broiled, not fried, and asked for an egg-white omelet and no toast ($7).

My son went with a sausage-and-vegetable omelet with home fries and buttered toast ($7.50).

If you're not on a diet, the French bakery on the same side of the street can satisfy any sweet tooth.

Golden Grill Restaurant, 1379 Queen Anne Road, Teaneck; 201-837-1078. Open for breakfast and lunch.