Balena's wild salmon in season in Lincoln Park
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The sounds of the Supreme Lobster truck backing down the alley are music to the ears of the chefs at Balena in Lincoln Park, because that means the wild salmon is here.
"So when were these caught, yesterday or day before?" Chef Michael Cote asks his fish guy about the Alaskan sockeye salmon before him, which was plucked from the Copper River less than 48 hours ago.
"For me, as far as seafood goes, one of the first real Spring signs I get excited about," said Cote.
The color alone says volumes about the quality.
"Sort of like ramps from the forest, morels from the forest; sockeye when it comes in is one of those real sort of benchmarks of the season," he said.
Cote doesn't have to do much to it. He roasts a fillet in a hot cast iron skillet, tucked into his wood-burning oven. He bastes it in some butter and that's it. Onto a plate with a vibrant Sicilian salmoriglio - containing olive oil, lemon, fresh oregano and marjoram, plus lemon balm and avocado. The crispy-skinned salmon is then topped with fine shards of candied lemon zest. Quality - and seasonality - come at a premium of course. Whereas a farm-raised salmon entree would cost about $25, a dish with wild salmon will cost about 25 percent more. But Cote says one taste is all you need.
"Minimal manipulation on it is the key. The fish has so much flavor and so much fat and so much unctuousness to it that it really sort of will overcome anything you put on the plate," he said.
So even though the coho and the king salmon from the Copper River in Alaska are not available anymore, you're still going to be seeing wild salmon coming to Chicago over the next several weeks, even into September.
Even though the Alaskan Copper River salmon runs may be over, you'll be seeing wild salmon on menus over the next few weeks from Washington State and British Columbia.
Balena
1633 N. Halsted
312-867-3888
To buy wild salmon retail:
Supreme Lobster
220 E. North Ave. Villa Park; 630-834-3474
Sunday: Closed
Monday: 10 am - 6 pm
Tuesday-Friday: 9 am - 6 pm
Saturday: 9 am - 5 pm
