At Becharof Lodge, we get a lot of customers taking home a lot of coho salmon in August and September. One of the most common questions we get is from anglers is, “Do you have any recipes for cooking salmon?” Because anglers coming to Alaska go home with 50 pounds of fresh salmon, and they don’t want to cook and eat it the same way every meal, recipes are always popular.
One of the key ingredients in this great tasting salmon recipe is the humble anchovy. Many people shy away from anchovies due to their overly salty taste and strange texture. Actually, what look like hairs sticking up in the can of anchovies is just bones that completely disintegrate when chopped up into a sauce.
There can also be a confusing variety of anchovy types to choose from. For this recipe we like using the 2-ounce tin of anchovies packed in oil. If you’ve ever wanted to try using anchovies, this is the recipe for you, because there’s nothing fishy about it! The anchovies, along with the butter and fried potatoes, make for a tasty dish everyone is sure to love.
1 fillet salmon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 2-ounce can anchovies in olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
2 large baked potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil for frying potatoes
In a food processor or mini-chopper mix butter, vinegar, olive oil, anchovies, garlic, pepper, and lemon zest until thoroughly combined. Place salmon, skin side down, on a sheet of foil. Fold foil up around the edges of the salmon to keep anchovy butter from melting off the fillet. Spread anchovy butter over salmon, reserving 1 tablespoon for the potatoes.
Peel baked potatoes and break into bite-sized pieces. In a large skillet on medium-high heat, fry potatoes in 2 tablespoons olive oil until they begin to brown. Add reserved anchovy butter and continue pan-frying until anchovy butter has melted into potatoes.
Serve Anchovy Butter Salmon & Fried Potatoes with oven roasted kale if desired.
Enjoy, and check out more of our Becharof Lodge blog posts for recipes on fish and game!
