OMG! Did I ever tell you how freaking awesome roasted olives are? Before I begin to explain how divine this culinary delight of coho salmon with roasted olives and a ton load of my farmers’ market finds are, let me back up just a bit.
By now, you’re aware of the fact that I’m a farmers’ market fool; a sucker for local farmers and REAL FRESH FOOD from the EARTH. Ain’t no shame in my game.
Over the years, salmon has become a staple in my household. It took me a while to acquire the taste because it was kinda new to me (that was years ago). In Jamaica, I wasn’t raised on salmon. Some of Jamaica’s favorite fishes includes, but is not limited to snapper, grouper, doctor, grunt, mackerel, sprat, and butter. Living in America, my mother never prepared salmon for me. It wasn’t until I developed a true appreciation for all things culinary and began to think and cook outside of the box, that I stumbled upon salmon. I was never a fan and at the time, I didn’t see what all the ‘hoopty hah’ with salmon was about. Maybe I didn’t like it because it wasn’t prepared by me.
Anyhoo, after the ordeal with being diagnosed with endometriosis and having the same medical issues (even after surgery). I made a conscious decision to replace prescription medicine with whole foods. Shortly afterwards, I became a huge fan of salmon. All of a sudden, salmon tasted amazing! Funny enough, I prefer my salmon with little to no spice or sauce. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, Himalayan pink salt and cayenne pepper, along with herbs and vegetables is all it takes to keep me a happy salmon camper. In this rendition, I’ve even added peaches and eggplant and lots of d’lusciousness.
I later learned to select wild caught salmon and refrain from farmed fish of any kind. Farmed raised fishes are loaded with antibiotics, growth hormones, artificial coloring and pesticides. For example, farm raised salmon is actually grey in color, then artificial color is added to give it that reddish/orange/salmon hue. I encourage you all to check your salmon before purchasing. If it is indeed farm raised, the label usually reads: color added.
Next to love, food is my religion. No one plays with my food but me, hence all the fresh produce in my sanctuary. In an effort to remain educated and informed, I DILIGENTLY and RELIGIOUSLY research all things culinary. As a result of the new findings of ‘farm raised’ seafood, wild caught Sockeye salmon became one of my favorite selections. OMG it’s so tasty and buttery and loaded with melt in your mouth d’lusciousness.
Yes I shop hard for produce. I really do support local farmers. I eat to live!
My cousin Nancy and I were shopping at Hollywood Farmers’ Market and stopped at my favorite seafood/fisher lady. Can’t recall her name right now. Nancy wanted raw oysters. Truth be told, I’m not really into raw oysters like that, but she encouraged me to try it. I’m a sucker for food, so I did. The oysters were freaking huge and with a little squeeze of lemon juice and some hot pepper, they were amazing! I can’t believe I’m saying this about raw oysters. I usually go straight for the wild caught shrimp, but I glimpsed the salmon on ice and asked if they had any sockeye salmon. The vendor mentioned coho salmon and spoke so highly of this wild caught salmon, that she convinced me to make the purchase.
Selfie of Nancy and I at Hollywood Farmers’ Market. Are we just gorge!
I couldn’t wait to try this award winning coho salmon. As usual I cook, roast, bake, or eat raw all of my farmers market finds. Black rice was my choice for this bounty of abundance accompanied by the concentrated flavors of the OLIVES! Yes honey, roast your olives along with your other veggies. I rarely saute anything. Roasting ensures that every bit of that food goes down into my soul. And if there are any leftovers, I’ll secure that for later.
So, how do you compare coho to sockeye salmon, you might ask?
Based on my experience, Sockeye cuts are very thin compared to the coho which seems to be a bit meatier. They both taste absolutely wonderful. Shucks, I make everything taste darn good!
From now on, I’ll alternate between them both and continue to serve them up with loads of love and farm fresh finds!