The local supermarket has whole salmons fairly cheap these days, so
I'm thinking of buying one.

The fish are gutted, but they still have skin and head.

I'm wondering:

It's way too big for one person, so I'm thinking of freezing some of
it, since it's so cheap as whole, but should I cut it into steaks/what
else it can be cut into before freezing it, or is it better to freeze
the part, which I don't use immediately, in one piece?

Can I use the head and tail for anything?

Any other advice about a whole salmon?
--
Nikitta a.a. #1759 Apatriot(No, not apricot)#18
ICQ# 251532856
Unreferenced footnotes: http://www.nut.house.cx/cgi-bin/nemwiki.pl?ISFN
“Sometimes I think that the surest sign that intelligent life exists
elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us”
Calvin (Calvin & Hobbes)

"MEow" > wrote in message
...
> The local supermarket has whole salmons fairly cheap these days, so
> I'm thinking of buying one.
>
> The fish are gutted, but they still have skin and head.
>
> I'm wondering:
>
> It's way too big for one person, so I'm thinking of freezing some of
> it, since it's so cheap as whole, but should I cut it into steaks/what
> else it can be cut into before freezing it, or is it better to freeze
> the part, which I don't use immediately, in one piece?
>
> Can I use the head and tail for anything?
>
> Any other advice about a whole salmon?
> --
I don't have experience with a whole salmon, but I usually buy 10 lbs at a
time, which comes in couple of big pieces. I cut these into fillets of
about 1 lb, (there are two of us), and freeze them quite successfully. I
don't remove the skin until after cooking, when it is easy to do. You could
make fish stock with the bits and pieces. If you're keen!

"MEow" asks:
>
>The local supermarket has whole salmons fairly cheap these days, so
>I'm thinking of buying one.
>
>The fish are gutted, but they still have skin and head.
>
>I'm wondering:
>
>It's way too big for one person, so I'm thinking of freezing some of
>it, since it's so cheap as whole, but should I cut it into steaks/what
>else it can be cut into before freezing it, or is it better to freeze
>the part, which I don't use immediately, in one piece?
>
>Can I use the head and tail for anything?
>
>Any other advice about a whole salmon?

POACHED SALMON IN ASPIC
Active time: 1 3/4 hr Start to finish: 12 hr
Before you start this recipe, make sure there's room in your refrigerator for a
24-inch fish poacher and a 25-inch platter.

For salmon
1 (6-lb) whole salmon (with skin), cleaned and backbone removed, head and tail
left intact
1 teaspoon salt
6 qt cold water
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 celery ribs with leaves, cut into 4-inch pieces
2 bay leaves (not California)
6 fresh parsley stems (without leaves)
2 fresh thyme sprigs
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

For aspic
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons Sercial Madeira
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 teaspoon salt
1 large leek, white and pale green parts chopped and 2 outer leaves reserved

For garnish
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 celery rib, coarsely chopped
3 large eggs, whites lightly beaten and shells crushed (reserve yolks for
another use)
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (from two 1/4-oz envelopes)
1/4 cup cold water

Accompaniment: green mayonnaise
Special equipment: 2 (35-inch-long) pieces of cheesecloth; kitchen string; a
24-inch fish poacher*; a long (25-inch) platter

Poach salmon:
Wash salmon inside and out and sprinkle inside with salt. Unfold 1 piece of
cheesecloth on top of the other to make a double layer, then wrap fish snugly
in it and tie ends (close to fish) with kitchen string. Place on poacher rack
in poacher, then straddle poacher across 2 burners on stovetop. Add 6 quarts
cold water (it should cover fish by 1 inch), lemon juice, vegetables, herbs,
and peppercorns.

Bring to a boil, partially covered, over high heat (this will take about 25
minutes; fish will register 145°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted into
thickest part of fish). Transfer poacher to a metal rack and cool fish in
broth, uncovered, 30 minutes. Then chill fish in poacher (do not pour off
broth), uncovered, at least 8 hours.

Reduce broth for aspic:
Lift fish on poacher rack out of broth and drain well, then transfer from rack
to a large shallow baking pan and chill. Pour broth through a sieve into a
large bowl. Transfer 8 cups broth to a 4-quart heavy pot, reserving remainder
for another use. Add white wine, Madeira, thyme sprig, and salt and boil until
reduced to 5 cups, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool 20 minutes.

Prepare salmon for glazing:
Wash reserved leek leaves and chopped leeks in a bowl of cold water, then lift
out and drain well. Cut leaves into decorative strips. Blanch strips in a
saucepan of boiling water 1 minute, then transfer to a bowl of ice and cold
water. Drain and pat dry.

Remove strings from cheesecloth, then open cheesecloth but don't remove it.
Remove fatty strip and small bones (they look like a comb) from spine of fish
from head to tail. Trim off any fat from edges of belly. Carefully remove bony
section under gills, then remove skin and dark flesh from visible side (top) of
fish by gently scraping with a small sharp knife. Using the cheesecloth, roll
fish over onto platter and remove bony section under gills, then remove skin
and dark flesh from other side of fish. Wipe platter clean, then cover fish
with dampened paper towels and chill until aspic is ready.

Clarify broth (using egg whites and shells) and make aspic:
Whisk together reduced broth, chopped leek, carrot, celery, and egg whites and
shells in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then
reduce heat and cook at a bare simmer, undisturbed, over low heat 30 minutes.
Ladle broth through sieve lined with a double thickness of dampened paper
towels set over a 1-quart glass measure, then press firmly on solids.

Soften gelatin in cold water in a 1-quart saucepan 1 minute. Add 3 cups broth
and simmer, stirring, until gelatin is dissolved, about 2 minutes.

Glaze salmon with aspic:
Ladle 2/3 cup aspic into a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold
water. Let stand, stirring occasionally, just until aspic is the consistency of
raw egg white. Remove bowl from ice water and spoon a thin layer of aspic over
fish, then chill fish until aspic is set, about 10 minutes. Arrange leek
garnish on fish and glaze fish with more aspic. Chill fish, uncovered, until
ready to serve.

Pour remaining aspic into a 13- by 9-inch baking dish and chill until firm,
about 1 hour. Cut into 1/2-inch cubes, then arrange cubes around salmon.

Cooks' notes:
€¢ Salmon can be poached and chilled in broth up to 2 days.
€¢ Aspic-glazed salmon keeps, chilled (uncovered), 1 day.

Gourmet
November 2001



---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

"MEow" > wrote in message
...
> The local supermarket has whole salmons fairly cheap these days, so
> I'm thinking of buying one.
>
> The fish are gutted, but they still have skin and head.
>
> I'm wondering:
>
> It's way too big for one person, so I'm thinking of freezing some of
> it, since it's so cheap as whole, but should I cut it into steaks/what
> else it can be cut into before freezing it, or is it better to freeze
> the part, which I don't use immediately, in one piece?
>
> Can I use the head and tail for anything?
>
> Any other advice about a whole salmon?

Do you have any experience filleting fish? If so, you can remove the fillets
and freeze what you do not use. Or if it is big enough you can cut it
crossways into steaks and freeze those. But unless you have experience
handling a whole fish you might want to think twice. Salmon skin is
delicious broiled but that means you have to scale it. Fish head/tail/bones
can be used to make stock but salmon is rather strong and I do not think it
would make a good stock on its own.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

MEow wrote:
> The local supermarket has whole salmons fairly cheap these days, so
> I'm thinking of buying one.
>
> The fish are gutted, but they still have skin and head.
>
> I'm wondering:
>
> It's way too big for one person, so I'm thinking of freezing some of
> it, since it's so cheap as whole, but should I cut it into steaks/what
> else it can be cut into before freezing it, or is it better to freeze
> the part, which I don't use immediately, in one piece?
>
> Can I use the head and tail for anything?
>
> Any other advice about a whole salmon?

Just a thought, but we only buy whole salmon. What we do is have it
filleted. tell them you want head and bones, too. The SBF makes the
world's best salmon soup.

When you get home, freeze the bones and head for use in soup. Then take
the two fillets they give you and cut them up into sizes appropriate for
each meal. Then wrap each fillet in a piece of saran wrap, followed by
placing one in each of as many as you need, freezer bags.

When you are hankering for salmon, take out one package, and let it
defrost in the fridge.
--
Alan

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and
avoid the people, you might better stay home."
--James Michener

While frolicking around in rec.food.cooking, alzelt of AT&T Worldnet
said:

>Just a thought, but we only buy whole salmon. What we do is have it
>filleted. tell them you want head and bones, too. The SBF makes the
>world's best salmon soup.
>
Recipe?

>When you get home, freeze the bones and head for use in soup. Then take
>the two fillets they give you and cut them up into sizes appropriate for
>each meal. Then wrap each fillet in a piece of saran wrap, followed by
>placing one in each of as many as you need, freezer bags.
>
Sounds like a good idea, though I'll probably try to filet it, myself.
I expect to be able find a description without too many problems.
--
Nikitta a.a. #1759 Apatriot(No, not apricot)#18
ICQ# 251532856
Unreferenced footnotes: http://www.nut.house.cx/cgi-bin/nemwiki.pl?ISFN
“Sometimes I think that the surest sign that intelligent life exists
elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us”
Calvin (Calvin & Hobbes)

MEow wrote:

> While frolicking around in rec.food.cooking, alzelt of AT&T Worldnet
> said:
>
>
>>Just a thought, but we only buy whole salmon. What we do is have it
>>filleted. tell them you want head and bones, too. The SBF makes the
>>world's best salmon soup.
>>
>
> Recipe?

Sorry to bring you bad news, but the SBF is not very good at fessing up
to recipes; and if she did, they would be in Finnish anyway.
>
>
>>When you get home, freeze the bones and head for use in soup. Then take
>>the two fillets they give you and cut them up into sizes appropriate for
>>each meal. Then wrap each fillet in a piece of saran wrap, followed by
>>placing one in each of as many as you need, freezer bags.
>>
>
> Sounds like a good idea, though I'll probably try to filet it, myself.
> I expect to be able find a description without too many problems.

First, when you buy the fish, the filleting is done FREE. I have never
seen otherwise. Second, while it's easy to fillet, many people never
seem to get out the pin bone, which later is a pain when eating your
salmon. So, unless you have a yen to do this task, let the fishmonger do
it for you. Generally speaking, they will do a better job.

--
Alan

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and
avoid the people, you might better stay home."
--James Michener

While frolicking around in rec.food.cooking, alzelt of AT&T Worldnet
said:

>>>Just a thought, but we only buy whole salmon. What we do is have it
>>>filleted. tell them you want head and bones, too. The SBF makes the
>>>world's best salmon soup.
>>>
>>
>> Recipe?
>
>Sorry to bring you bad news, but the SBF is not very good at fessing up
>to recipes; and if she did, they would be in Finnish anyway.

Okay, fairy nuff.

>> Sounds like a good idea, though I'll probably try to filet it, myself.
>> I expect to be able find a description without too many problems.
>
>First, when you buy the fish, the filleting is done FREE. I have never
>seen otherwise. Second, while it's easy to fillet, many people never
>seem to get out the pin bone, which later is a pain when eating your
>salmon. So, unless you have a yen to do this task, let the fishmonger do
>it for you. Generally speaking, they will do a better job.

I'll ask them if they fillet it for free. Thanks to those who have
given advice.
--
Nikitta a.a. #1759 Apatriot(No, not apricot)#18
ICQ# 251532856
Unreferenced footnotes: http://www.nut.house.cx/cgi-bin/nemwiki.pl?ISFN
"Endless fun for drunken ex-pats.
And more socially acceptable than dwarf-tossing." August West (Sheddie)

MEow wrote:
> The local supermarket has whole salmons fairly cheap these days, so
> I'm thinking of buying one.

hmm the books suggest there are no coincidences ...

http://www.allbookstores.com/book/1400045088

While frolicking around in rec.food.cooking, Socks of said:

>> The local supermarket has whole salmons fairly cheap these days, so
>> I'm thinking of buying one.
>
>hmm the books suggest there are no coincidences ...
>
>http://www.allbookstores.com/book/1400045088
>
Correct in this case: the Douglas Adams reference was entirely
deliberate. I couldn't resist, though I thought that maybe, if I wrote
the entirely title, people would think it was about the book and
ignore the post :0)
--
Nikitta a.a. #1759 Apatriot(No, not apricot)#18
ICQ# 251532856
Unreferenced footnotes: http://www.nut.house.cx/cgi-bin/nemwiki.pl?ISFN
“Sometimes I think that the surest sign that intelligent life exists
elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us”
Calvin (Calvin & Hobbes)