Frozen salmon is pictured in this July 2020 photograph. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion )

Frozen salmon is pictured in this July 2020 photograph. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion )

Kalifornsky Kitchen: A freezer full of salmon

Fresh fish deserves to be enjoyed in a pure form.

By Victoria Petersen

For the Clarion

Living on the Kenai Peninsula has so many benefits, including easy access to some of the best and freshest salmon in the world. Over the winter we made through our reserves of frozen fillets in anticipation of the fresh stuff to come in summer. Well, we made it to summer, despite a worldwide pandemic. I wasn’t sure if we would get salmon this year. At some point in April I just accepted that some things just might not happen, but I’m glad we managed to get some sockeye in the freezer and in the smoker.

Throughout this column’s short life, I’ve given recipes and ideas for how to use up the salmon that’s been waiting in the freezer. But what about fresh salmon — fish so fresh it was swimming in the Kasilof River just hours ago? My recommendation? Keep it simple. Throw that fish on the grill with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper … that’s all you need, really. Fresh fish deserves to be enjoyed in a pure form, in my opinion.

More in Life

Virginia Walters (Courtesy photo)
Life in the Pedestrian Lane: AI or not?

AI is here to stay, for better or worse, and we have to recognize that there are limitations to its usefulness.

Gluten-free baked goods are often dry and unsatisfying, but these cakes are moist and sweet. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
Goodness without gluten

These cakes are moist, sweet, and honestly the best gluten-free cake I have ever made.

Homer Public Library Director Dave Berry makes an outgoing call on the library’s public phone on Monday, July 7, 2025, in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Out of the office: Nostalgia is calling

I stopped in at the Homer Public Library and was hailed by a couple of youths who were trying to use the library’s analog public phone.

File
Minister’s Message: Connecting meaningfully with God

What is church, and how is the body of Christ to be lived out?

This is the most famous photograph of Steve Melchior, as a copy of it resides in the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. The Melchior family owns a very similar photograph, with a note in pencil from Steve Melchior on the back. The note, written for family members back in Germany in the late 1920s when Melchior was suffering from rheumatism, says, “That is the only way I can get out because my legs won’t walk anymore. I don’t like driving a car, and the dogs take me wherever I want to go. The one in the front is called Bill (in German, Wilhelm), and the one on the left is called Waldman. The black one on the right is called Nick or Nikolaus. Three good, loyal workers, my bodyguard.”
Steve Melchior: Treasured peninsula pioneer with a sketchy past — Part 2

By at least his early 20s, Steve Melchior had begun to fabricate a past.

David Corenswet is Superman in “Superman.” (Promotional image courtesy DC Studios)
On the Screen: ‘Superman’ a bold vision of hope, kindness

The film dares to say that kindness is “punk rock.”

A clay tea set on display at the Kenai Potters Guild exhibit, “River,” hosted by the Kenai Art Center. (Jonas Oyoumick/Peninsula Clarion)
Making art shaped by the river

Kenai Potters Guild Clay On Display exhibit focuses on a river’s effect on self and community.

A clipping from a Homer Death Cafe poster.
Homer group tackles death and dying through open conversations

The local group mirrors a growing worldwide trend of “Death Cafes.”

Peonies bloom on Friday, July 4, 2024, in the garden beside Cosmic Kitchen on Pioneer Avenue in Homer, Alaska. Photo by Christina Whiting
Homer chamber hosts 6th annual Peony Celebration

The weeks-long festival features art exhibits, events, flower sales, guided farm tours and more.

Most Read