Fins
Bravery and Branzino By Tony Niccoli
A few weeks ago, as I was closing the shop on a Friday evening, I got the sudden impulse to grill some fish! This is a pretty common feeling for me, and a summer evening or afternoon is the absolute perfect time to enjoy a few hours in the backyard cooking and eating something that Heather and I both love. A quick text to the wifey to confirm that a Saturday afternoon of putting some Fins to Flame would work with our weekend schedule, and I was on my way to the local fishmonger to get two cuts of salmon. Fridays are the best, because we have a little local pop-up that comes to town with amazingly fresh cuts and tons of choices. For me, salmon is just a no-brainer. I love to work with both the steaks and the fillets, and I range anywhere from directly on the grill grates with just some oil and salt, up to cedar planking with complex sauces and marinades at times. It’s the kind of thing I can just run on autopilot without needing to look up a recipe or cook-time, and there is never a day that I don’t have a few planks of cedar ready to go. Salmon to me is a staple like some other people go to hotdogs and hamburgers for a last minute cookout. So there I am, Friday evening, mouth already watering, walking up to the counter and reading the boards that show their daily catch. Salmon ... lets see ... wild caught Chinook! Oh wow, they have Kings on this week, the big daddies - and I know that these are the richest and fattiest of the salmon types. A true luxury ... but wait ... looks like he’s putting a line through it. 86 the King Salmon. No problem, I continue to scan the board. Alaskan Sockeye. Next on the board after the Chinooks. They’re my favorite! These beauties are so flavorful, and I know that they are wild and sustainable. A nice juicy Chinook fillet is going to be perfect on the grill! Deep red color, skin that crisps up to a decadent flakey texture, and plenty of rich fat to season the meat. I’m so excited about the idea of drizzling on a little oil and hitting them with some salt then cooking directly over the grates that my brain just refuses to process it. Already out for the day.
