Coho Salmon is distinguished by an approachable mild flavor and delicate texture. This late-season species are the last to return to the Copper River. Coho are a fall favorite that pair well with baked seasonal root vegetables and mushrooms.

We’ve compiled three new Coho recipes for your fall dinners! These recipes are from some of our friends who have made the journey to visit our fishery and experience Copper River Salmon with us.

#1 Stacked Coho Salmon Enchilada

By Lauren Grier, Climbing Grier Mountain

Photo and text © Lauren Grier

Ingredients

• 1 lb Copper River Coho Salmon
• 2 tbs olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 ½ cups red enchilada sauce
• 1 cup canned corn, drained
• 1 cup black beans, drained, rinsed
• 2 tbs jarred jalapeño juice
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 oz plain cream cheese, room temperature
• 12 6-inch flour tortillas
• Pico de gallo, garnish
• Sour cream, garnish
• Cilantro, garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Place Coho on baking sheet. Sprinkle top with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Place the salmon into the oven and bake for about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from oven and allow Coho to cool.

Using a fork, shred the salmon and place into a large bowl. Add 1 cup enchilada sauce, corn, black beans, jalapeño juice, cream cheese, lime juice to the bowl with the salmon. Mix until well combined.

Spray an 11x7 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour ¼ cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with three overlapping flour tortillas, a third of the salmon mixture, and ¼ cup cheddar cheese. Repeat layers two more times. Top with remaining three tortillas and remaining enchilada sauce; sprinkle cheese evenly over the top.

Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Garnish with pico, sour cream, or cilantro.

Stacked Coho Salmon Enchiladas

#2 Hot Smoked Coho Salmon

By Gerry Speirs, Foodness Gracious

Photo and text © Gerry Speirs

Ingredients

• 3 ½ lb Copper River Coho Salmon fillet
• ¾ cup dark brown sugar
• ½ kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp cardamom
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground coffee

Instructions

Rinse the salmon and pat dry with paper towel. Lay the salmon on baking tray skin side down. In a bowl whisk together remaining ingredients. Spread the spice mixture over the salmon completely covering it. Cover the salmon lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours, then rinse and dry again and place on a sheet of foil ready for the smoker.

Using applewood chips in your hot smoker, add salmon to smoker once the temperature is steady around 150° F. Smoke the salmon for two hours until firm to the touch, remove the salmon and cover lightly with foil, refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Before slicing carefully peel off the skin. Eat as is or add it to some eggs for breakfast.

Hot Smoked Coho Salmon

#3 Roasted Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce and Blistered Tomatoes

By Julia Mueller, The Roasted Root

Photo and text © Julia Mueller

Ingredients

Roasted Salmon

• 1 large Copper River Coho salmon fillet
• 2 -3 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp sea salt

Blistered Tomatoes

• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• pinch sea salt
• pinch Italian seasoning

Lemon Rosemary Garlic Butter Sauce

• 3 tbs ghee or unsalted butter
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• pinch sea salt

Instructions

Prepare the salmon

Place the oven on the high broil settling, move a rack to the top of the oven, and lightly oil the bottom of a large casserole dish or baking sheet.

Stir together the Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a small bowl. Place the salmon fillet in the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle the salmon with the seasoning mixture.

Roast the salmon on the top rack (or second to top) for 10-15 minutes, or until fish reaches desired doneness and is crispy on top. For salmon that’s rare on the inside, roast 8 minutes, and for salmon that’s cooked through but still moist cook 10 to 15 minutes depending on how thick the fillet is.

Remove salmon from the oven and allow it to cool 5 minutes. Serve with a drizzle of garlic butter sauce and top with blistered tomatoes (see instructions below).

Prepare the garlic butter sauce

While the fish is roasting, prepare the sauce and tomatoes. Add all of the ingredients for the garlic butter sauce to a small skillet and heat over medium-high. Allow the sauce to come to a full bubble, stirring occasionally, until garlic is very fragrant. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer while the fish and tomatoes are cooking, stirring occasionally. If you’d like, you can turn this into a brown butter type of situation by cooking the mixture at a higher temperature until it browns.

Prepare the blistered tomatoes

Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high. Once the skillet is hot, carefully add the tomatoes. Allow them to sit, untouched for 2 minutes. Give the skillet a shake and cook another 2 minutes. Give the skillet another shake/stir and cook until tomatoes are blackened and skin is beginning to wild, about another 3 minutes.

Copper River Coho will run through the end of September giving you plenty of time to try out these great Fall recipes.

Roasted Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter and Blistered Tomatoes