I know this ain't no fancy cooking forum... but I'm sure ONE of you guys can help a brother out.
I just bought some really nice looking salmon the other day, cooked it on the grill and forget about it, it disintegrated and fell through the grill I made a mess out of it. What didn't get mashed, tasted like, well let just say it didn't taste like I thought it should.
Everyone tells me to eat more fish especially salmon, and I like salmon when it tastes good. One of the markets here sells it for 2.99 on blow out sales once in a while so I tried it. It would be nice to also enjoy it. I gave it all to my brother to take home, I didn't like it and would have had to feed it to the dog.
SO, here's where someone tells me how to
Tell if its fresh/good to eat before it's cooked?
What spices/herbs/seasonings work well?
How to actually cook it? High heat like a steak? Low and slow like chicken?
How to keep it from falling apart ?
Thanks
RK

I do not know, but I just talked with a super-mod over at the cooking forum. I'll post your link and get you an answer.

RK, I have cut and pasted your thread over at www.cookingforums.net

I invited their members here.

thanks, I really do appreciate it.

I was wondering if all fish is cooked the same?
I figured one of our members actually makes this stuff and likes it - how they do it. You know, simple - quick - and delicious. I'm missing something, I've had salmon and wanted more so I know I like it. Any way Thanks for any advise. One of my local knuckleheads told me to rub motor oil on it... then, I'd like it.

Knuckleheads and oil are synonymous till 1949. The pans were a bit better...

I'll check over at the cooking forum later tonight. Things are running a tad slow there now. RK, there is another 'fish' thread running there. You could register...

I'd be the very person I don't like here, one question and out of there... I really only have a little bit of time these days, and coming here is like checking up on a buddy, going over to a different forum would take away from here and I don't think my patience is any better than yours for their shenanigans. But thank you for taking the time to help me out.

No, no, give the place a chance. Yes, there are guys that will irk the gasket sealer out of you. But there's a super-mod there who's a nice woman, and some great recipes. I went in and just told them I knew nothing about cooking.

Granted, the "world of nerds and geeks" is a tough place to earn your bones. We are the guys who gave them nuggies and swirlies. But c'mon, we strut into saloons full of more weapons than some South American countries! What's the worst thing they can do? Tell their mothers?

First make sure that it's not jumpin around on your table. Why bother cookin it just eat swishe oh I mean sushe.

Good luck heard that you burned your bbq up last night.

Well, RK, I signed on over there this morning and openly stated your concerns about "posting once only to disappear." I know it bothers you here.

I'm trying to make some inroads. I offered the example of getting bikers flavorable dipping sauces. It might be a simple yet tasty addition to things we already eat, and perhaps an adjunct to barbequed items.

My guess is that for the moment the bikers will have to go there. What else is new? Aren't we always the ones who are gutsy enough to throw a leg over a new bike, go tour a new area, stroll into a new tavern or even laugh too loud?

I don't even know how to use all of the settings on the stove I already own. However I do have the balls to buy a smaller bike when even MoCo says I now need 103 inches to get a bag of groceries. In time I just won't be setting a spammer on fire with simple crude Coleman products, but rather, I'll be toasting him ala flambe' with cordon bleu precision...

Hi there :) I've come to visit from the cooking forum The Tourist mentioned - I know nothing about bikes, but might be able to help with the salmon :) I'm from the UK and live in Ireland, so my common fish species might differ a bit from yours - but we do have some great wild salmon here!

1. When you're buying fish, it's easiest to tell how fresh it is if it's still whole. You're looking for bright eyes and shiny scales - and there shouldn't be a 'fishy' smell at all. If it's really fresh, it'll still be stiff, but that's unlikely unless you live close to the sea. Buying fish in fillets makes it a bit harder - but again, give it a good sniff - no smell=good.

2. Fish doesn't take a lot of cooking. A lot of people (me included) like it to still be a bit translucent in the middle (depending on fish type, but salmon, for sure). This is more true of oily fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna etc.) than white fish (cod, haddock and so on). Overcooking will result in dry meat, and a crumbly texture. Cook it just right, and it'll melt in your mouth.

3. You have a few ways of getting your fish cooked right. You can use high heat and sear it on the outside, which can give you crispy skin - good if you have a herb crust or something on your fish. Alternatively, you can use a lower heat and cook it more gently - poaching it in a flavoured liquid, for example. Microwave cooking works really well with fish, but you have to be careful not to overdo it.

4. So, let's say you have a 1" thick salmon steak. We don't get the weather for much outdoor grilling here, so I'll assume you're doing this in a kitchen. What I'd do - for a plain piece of fish (we can get on to marinades etc. later if you're interested) - is put a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, followed by a lump of butter (the oil stops the butter from burning, the butter imparts flavour).

Heat the oil/butter over a medium to high heat, until the butter starts to foam (just what it sounds like). Add your salmon steak - now watch the side of it (the 1" depth, if you like) - you'll see it begin to change colour and become pale pink rather than the raw red it was. Give it about a minute (but watch the colour change - it depends on how strong your heat source is), by which time the cooked area should be about 1/3 up the depth of the steak. Now flip it over, and cook for another minute on the other side. The cooked regions should just about be meeting in the middle. The salmon's ready for eating.

If it's not cooked enough for your preference, you know to leave it a bit longer next time - but don't be afraid of leaving a bit warm but raw looking in the middle - it's delicious! This method works REALLY well with fresh tuna steaks - in fact I like them with only about 2mm of cooked depth on each side, and the centre almost raw. Better than a rare beef steak, I think.

If you want to do this on a BBQ, grease a piece of aluminium (aluminum to you;)) foil with butter and make a packet with it for your salmon - you won't be able to watch the cooking process 'cos you can't see through foil (doh!) - but a 1" thick salmon steak should take around 1 minute on each side, maybe a bit more - experience will educate you about this, cos grill heats obviously vary.

So that's lesson 1 - if you're interested let me know and I'll go on to lesson 2 - poaching salmon (in the cooking sense, not the illegal hunting sense, though it has been known (cough))...

Oh, and if you're into dips - try making your own tartare sauce to go with this - mix mayonnaise with some chopped capers and a chopped pickle - simple as that :)

Hope that helps some, and do feel free to ask if any of it's unclear :)