Valentine's Day Dinner Ideas
Skip the restaurant reservations this year and spend the night in this Valentine’s Day. Enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal with your special someone. Whether it's fresh king salmon or local Dungeness Crab. We have your Valentine’s dinner and appetizers ideas covered.
GIVE THE GIFT OF SEAFOOD THIS YEAR
QUICK AND EASY WAY TO COOK SHRIMP
It’s no secret shrimp are delicious, but have you tried these? They are as yummy as they get! Check out this easy way to toss them in a pan, hit them with some of our in-house essential seasoning, and have a meal ready in under 5 minutes.
Easy Pan Seared King Salmon
What’s for dinner? If you have access to wild-caught king salmon, aka Chinook salmon, we think you’ll love this easy, delicious Alaskan king salmon recipe. Our pan seared salmon takes just minutes to put together but turns out beautifully every time. Perfect for a quick and healthy weekday meal but special enough for a special occasion! Just an FYI—you do have access to wild-caught king salmon, we ship overnight right to your front door.
Alaskan King Salmon Recipe
Of course, you can substitute other types of salmon in our wild king salmon recipe (for example, check out our sockeye salmon here). But before we get down to the meat and potatoes (or, in this case, fish and arugula) of how to cook king salmon, let’s talk about what makes Alaskan king salmon so special.
There’s a reason it’s called “king” salmon. The largest species of salmon, king salmon has a delicate flavor and large, tender flake. King salmon is generally richer than either coho or sockeye salmon, often with visible marbling throughout the flesh. However, it’s still a relatively lean and low-calorie protein that can fit into a variety of diets.
Because the fat content in king salmon is often higher than in other wild salmon species, you may need to cook it slightly longer than you would for other types of pan fried salmon. Cook times are approximate. Keep an eye on your fish as it cooks and remove from heat when it reaches your desired level of doneness.
A genetic mutation sometimes causes king salmon flesh to be white. If you are lucky enough to score a white king salmon from us, good for you, they are awesome!
How to prepare king salmon: A pro tip
Due to their fat content, some species of salmon cook up extremely tender. This tenderness can make them hard to handle and keep intact during the cooking and plating process! King salmon is one such species, and our Alaskan king salmon recipe does require you to flip the fillet once during the cooking process.
To firm up the flesh and prevent your fillet from falling apart when you handle it, simply dry brine the fish for about half an hour before you start cooking. Dry brining also helps more deeply season the fish and improves its texture and moisture retention. It’s a quick and easy step that produces flawlessly moist, buttery-tender salmon every time.
To dry brine your king salmon, simply rub your salmon fillets generously with table salt on all sides. Don’t worry about oversalting during this step. You’ll be rinsing off the excess salt before cooking. A generous coating of salt helps to draw excess water out of the meat. This in turn produces firmer flesh without sacrificing king salmon’s prized tender flake.
Return your salmon fillets to the refrigerator and chill for half an hour up to overnight.
King salmon recipe: Pan fried on a bed of arugula with an Italian salsa verde
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2-3, scale up as desired
Ingredients per person
1 lb king salmon, divided into 2-3 fillets (dry brine optional)
Cooking oil
2 cups baby arugula
1 lemon
Olive oil
1 cup fresh basil
1/2 tsp capers
1 tbsp stone ground mustard
1 tsp anchovy paste
Sea salt (we love Maldon sea salt for the purity of flavor and the texture of the big, beautiful flakes, but any coarse-textured salt will do)
Pepper (freshly ground is best)
1. Rinse salmon fillet(s) and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
2. Coarsely chop fresh basil. Set aside.
3. Combine mustard and capers in a mortar and pestle and smash into a rough paste. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can use a food processor or any other method of mashing and mixing the ingredients together.
4. Add chopped basil to the mustard and caper paste. Stir to combine evenly.
5. Mix in anchovy paste.
6. Cut your lemon in half and add a squeeze of lemon juice.
7. Add a splash of olive oil.
8. Mix one last time to fully incorporate all the ingredients. Set aside.
9. In a large mixing bowl, drizzle olive oil over your baby arugula.
10. Squeeze in juice from your remaining lemon half.
11. Mix to combine, adding salt, pepper, and capers to taste.
12. Heat oil in pan over high heat. While pan and oil are heating, season your salmon fillets with salt, pepper, and any other seasonings you like.
13. When oil is hot, carefully lay fillets flesh side down in the pan. Cook in two or more batches if needed to avoid crowding the pan. Salt and pepper the skin side of the salmon fillets.
14. Cook without moving for 4-5 minutes. Seared salmon fillets should come up from the pan easily when you slide your spatula underneath and should have a crisp, golden brown crust. Carefully flip and sear for an additional 4-5 minutes on skin side, or until skin is browned and crisp. If using coho, sockeye, or other types of salmon, sear for 1 minute or so less for perfectly pan fried salmon.
15. While salmon is cooking, spread your arugula salad on the plate. Lay finished salmon on top of your bed of arugula and top with the Italian salsa verde. Serve and enjoy!
King salmon is often considered the best species of salmon, and we think our Alaskan king salmon recipe is one of the best around too. And if you’d like to experience true pan seared king salmon but can’t find king salmon at your local markets, you can order directly from from us at www.pikeplacefish.com or click one of the links below!
If preparing our king salmon recipe for a group, order a whole wild pacific king salmon here.
If you’re trying our wild king salmon recipe for just one or two people, order our wild pacific king salmon fillets by the pound here.
And for an even more unique take on our Alaskan king salmon recipe, try it with fillets of the much rarer white Pacific king salmon, available for order by the pound here. White king salmon is hard to find so if the website shows it as unavailable just give us a call at 800-542-7732 to inquire about availability!
Happy cooking and even happier eating, from our team to you!
How To Clean A Whole Cooked Dungeness Crab
Did you just order a fresh whole cooked Dungeness crab and you’re wondering how to clean it? Don’t worry, we have you covered.
GIVE THE GIFT OF WILD SEAFOOD
WE’VE PUT TOGETHER OUR TOP GIFTS TO SEND THAT FOODIE ON YOUR LIST.
The #1 selling salmon here at the shop! King Salmon from Alaska makes the best gift!
Wild Crab is a #1 seller here at the shop and an easy go to gift to send anyone on your Christmas list that loves seafood. All of our crab comes pre-cooked and ready to eat.
We only use the best salmon you can find. These fatty pieces of delicious smoked salmon make a great gift for anyone that loves a good hearty piece of smoked salmon.
6 SIMPLE SIDES YOU MUST TRY THIS THANKSGIVING
Whether you’re attending a holiday get together or planning your own, it helps to include a few low effort sides that deliver huge flavor.
1. KING CRAB
LEGS
& CLAWS
You can’t go wrong with Alaskan King Crab. These massive chunks of crab meat offer an easy side dish for your holiday get-together. Just crack them open and enjoy. If you want to spice it up a little, dip the crab meat in our world-famous cocktail sauce.
2. WILD SMOKED KING SALMON
Our best-selling smoked salmon is the easiest go-to side dish and appetizer around. Smoked right here in Seattle, this wild king salmon is made with the fattiest, juiciest fish we could find.
3. OYSTERS
These fresh oysters are sourced from the Pacific Northwest and make the perfect holiday treat.
4. ALASKAN WEATHERVANE SCALLOPS
These juicy scallops require a little cooking time but are well worth the wait. Pan-sear them in some butter in under 5 minutes, and you have a side dish that is the definition of yummy.
5. DUNGENESS CRAB MEAT
All the hard work has already been done. Pre-cooked, pre-cracked, and ready to go. You can use this crab meat on crackers, plates of pasta, and salads. The options are endless.
6. WILD SMOKED SALMON SPREAD
This will be the best-smoked salmon spread you will ever eat! Our smoked salmon spread is made locally just for us from wild, Alderwood smoked salmon and only all-natural ingredients.