Recipe of the week: King of fish: Wild Alaskan salmon

The mighty Yukon king salmon “has recently become a gourmet gold mine,” said Molly O’Neill in Saveur. This meaty fish has long been the staple of about 20,000 Yupik Eskimos who live in villages on the spit of land in southwestern Alaska that juts into the Bering Sea. During the summer spawning season, the salmon swim nearly 2,000 miles up the Yukon—“the biggest, baddest salmon river in the world.”

Extremely versatile and almost impossible to overcook, Alaskan king salmon “boasts a rich, inimitable flavor that stands up well to many different kinds of seasonings and sauces.” At a time when farmed salmon outnumbers wild salmon 50-to-1, and wild stocks are only a third of what they were 30 years ago, chefs are “paying astronomical prices” to have this legendary king of fish shipped on ice to some of the country’s best restaurants. The demand for wild salmon has been an economic godsend to Yupik fishermen, who depend on salmon harvests for their livelihood. Their “old-fashioned, hand-harvesting methods” make Alaska’s fisheries the healthiest in the world.

The salmon in this elegant and easy-to-prepare dish is immersed in a buttery, wine-and-mussel-infused broth. (Nage is French for “swim.”)

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Recipe of the week

Salmon à la Nage

6 stalks asparagus (about 3 oz)

9 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large shallot, finely chopped

4 6-oz skinless, boneless salmon filets

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

24 mussels, scrubbed and debearded

1½ cups white wine

1½ cups water

½ cup fresh or frozen peas

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh tarragon

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives

1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

½ tbsp finely chopped fresh dill

Heat oven to 225 degrees. Snap off and discard ends from asparagus. Thinly slice stalks on the bias; leave tips intact. Set aside. Grease a 10-inch straight-sided skillet with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle skillet with shallots. Season filets with salt and pepper; arrange in skillet. Scatter mussels around filets; pour in wine and water. Boil, and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, covered, until mussels open, 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside, covered, to let steam, until fish is just cooked through, 3–4 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer fish to a baking sheet; transfer mussels with a slotted spoon to sheet, leaving broth in skillet. Keep fish and mussels warm in oven.

Place skillet over high heat; bring broth to a boil. Whisk in remaining butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth. Add asparagus and peas; cook until tender, 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in tarragon, chives, parsley, and dill. Season with salt and pepper. Divide fish and mussels among 4 bowls; divide broth among them. Serves 4.