The only thing that keeps me mildly content, besides having fun cooking fresh salmon in my new kitchen, is knowing I will be enjoying an entire week next month on the Nushugak River with the other fisherman in my life catching salmon galore. This trip of a lifetime was the grand prize in the Fish Alaska reader recipe contest I was fortunate enough to win last year, and I can’t wait to go!

The other fisherman has an incredible fondness for sweets, so I had to include a couple of yummy sweet recipes or he might not continue to share his catch with the cook.

SADIE COVE SALMON

Yield 6 servings

I am always looking for new and different ways to prepare salmon. This recipe sounded intriguing as one of the ingredients is cranberry sauce and juice.

Ingredients:

6 (4-6 oz. each) Alaska salmon fillets, thawed if necessary

1 can (16 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce

1/2 cup cranberry juice cocktail

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup dry vermouth

1 tbsp. minced garlic

3 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger root

1 tsp. Asian sesame oil

vegetable oil, as needed

Place salmon in a large, nonreactive pan or dish. Combine remaining ingredients except vegetable oil. Pour marinade over salmon, turning to coat both sides. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator, 1 hour. To cook, remove salmon from marinade, reserving marinade. Pat salmon dry with a paper towel. Heat small amount of oil in large skillet over medium-high heat, or prepare a barbeque grill. If you prepare your salmon on the grill, you will need to cook the sauce separately in a sauté pan.

If cooking the salmon on the stove, cook salmon working in batches if necessary, for a total of about 10 minutes per inch of thickness, measured at thickest part, or about 5 minutes per side until salmon flakes when tested with a fork. Remove salmon from pan and keep warm. Discard oil from pan. Add reserved marinade. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, 8-10 minutes. Serve salmon fillets with approximately G cup sauce per serving.

SUZETTE’S KING SALMON CARPACCIO

My dear pal Suzanne loves to make this wonderful appetizer with fresh king salmon. She made a sushi eater of both the other fisherman and me with this recipe. It is a perfect appetizer to serve with a flute of champagne at a summer dinner party. Ingredients:

8 ounces very fresh king salmon fillet, skin and pin bones removed

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1 teaspoon chopped chives

3/4 cup fresh dill

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup finely chopped red onions

Cut the salmon into 4 equal portions. Cover a cutting board with a large piece of plastic wrap and rub with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Place a piece of salmon in the center and cover with a second piece of plastic. Using a flat, smooth mallet or the bottom of a skillet, gently pound the salmon into a paper-thin sheet. Repeat with the remaining salmon, adding more oil as necessary to prevent from sticking. Transfer to a plate in a circular pattern.

In a small bowl, combine the extra virgin olive oil, parsley, chives, dill, lemon juice and lemon zest, and whisk to blend. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salmon, cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 3 hours.

Lightly season each piece of salmon with pepper and sea salt before serving.

Accompany salmon with crostini, crackers or rye bread.

MOM’S SUPER EASY RHUBARB FREEZER JAM

Makes about 6 jars.

Here is the easiest jam you will ever make! Use some of that abundant rhubarb you have growing in your yard, or ask a friend to share some with you. I guarantee the gang in your house will really like this!

Ingredients:

5 cups diced rhubarb

3 to 4 cups white sugar

1 large package of wild strawberry or raspberry Jell-O

Mix rhubarb and sugar. Bring to a boil and boil 10 minutes.

Add Jell-O and stir until dissolved. Ladle into jam jars and store in refrigerator for consumption within a week or freezer for a longer period of time.

INFAMOUS INCREDA-COOKIES

Makes about 2 dozen 3-inch cookies

These pretty incredibly wonderful cookies are made with toffee bits, dried cherries and chocolate chunks. Now if I could only find a little time to mix up a batch to share with the fisherman in my life I might get to go fishing again!Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

I cup granulated sugar

I cup light-brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups oatmeal

1 cup dried cherries

1 cup bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup toffee pieces (5H ounces)

Heat oven to 350*. Sift together flour and baking soda, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice during mixing. Add egg, and mix on high speed to combine. Add vanilla extract; mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the sifted flour a bit at a time on low speed until well combined. Add oatmeal, cherries, chocolate, and toffee pieces; mix to combine.

Divide dough into three equal portions, and roll into logs using plastic wrap, approximately 1H inches in diameter. To bake, cut logs into I-inch pieces. Bake on parchment-lined baking sheets, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer to a baking rack to cool.

My readers always stop me in passing and let me know how much they enjoy my column, which is the best compliment I could ever get! I enjoy writing this cooking column and appreciate the great way the Homer News accommodates my articles. Thank you all so very much!

Until next time, have fun in the fishing boat, on the riverbank and in the kitchen!