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By Chef Bari

There is a silence in the deep Canadian winter that you don’t find anywhere else. It’s heavy. It’s ancient. And when you are out here, standing by a crackling fire with the snow falling on your shoulders, you realize something profound: This is where we come from.

This isn’t about scanning a barcode at the supermarket. It’s not about food wrapped in plastic under fluorescent lights. This is about the primal connection between the hunger in your belly and the bounty of the land.

When we fish out here, in the heart of the Great White North, there is no “catch and release.” We don’t play with our food. We harvest it. We honor it. When you pull a silver King or a Coho from an icy river, you are participating in the oldest cycle of life there is. You feel truly, undeniably alive.

That is why, when the wild delivers, you don’t mask it with fancy sauces or complicated techniques. You cook it with gratitude. You cook it with fire.

Campfire Lemon-Butter Coho Salmon

In the Great White North, you don’t overcomplicate a fresh catch. You treat it with respect. This recipe relies on the holy trinity of outdoor cooking: a hot cast iron skillet, good butter, and the heat of a wood fire. The goal is a skin so crispy it shatters, and flesh that is tender and flaking.

• Prep time: 10 mins
• Cook time: 8-10 mins
• Serves: 2 (or 1 hungry Sasquatch)
  The Gear
• 10-12” Cast Iron Skillet
• Open fire (burned down to hot coals, not roaring flames)
• Metal spatula (fish turner)
  The Ingredients
• 2 Fresh Coho Salmon Fillets (Skin-on is essential)
• 4 tbsp Butter (divided – half for frying, half for basting)
• 1 tbsp Canola or Grapeseed Oil (to prevent the butter from burning too fast)
• Coarse Sea Salt (Generous amount)
• Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
• 2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
• 1 Lemon (halved)
  The Directions

1. Prepare the Fire
   You want a bed of hot, glowing coals. If the fire is roaring too high, you’ll burn the butter before the fish cooks. Move your grill grate to a medium height.
2. Dry and Season
   Take your Coho fillets and pat them completely dry with paper towels. Moisture is the enemy of the crisp. Score the skin lightly with a sharp knife (just 2-3 shallow slashes) to stop it from curling.

• Chef’s Tip: Season the skin side generously with coarse salt right before it hits the pan. “Salt wakes up the flavor.”

1. The Sizzle
   Place your cast iron skillet over the fire. Let it get hot. Add the oil and 2 tbsp of butter. Wait for the butter to foam and subside.
   Place the salmon skin-side down.

• Do. Not. Touch. It.
  Press it gently with your spatula for the first 10 seconds to keep it flat, then let it ride. Cook for about 4-5 minutes until you see the opaque color rising up the side of the fillet.

1. The Flip & Baste
   Once the skin releases naturally from the pan (it will let go when it’s crisp), flip the fillets.
   Immediately toss in the remaining butter and the rosemary sprigs.
   As the butter foams around the rosemary, tilt the pan slightly and spoon that hot, herb-infused gold over the fish repeatedly (basting). This keeps it moist.
2. The Finish
   Squeeze half the lemon directly into the sizzling butter (watch for steam!). Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the fish is just firm to the touch or reaches an internal temp of 125°F (medium-rare) to 135°F (medium).
3. Serve
   Remove from the heat immediately. Serve with those crispy Campfire Fried Potatoes. Squeeze the other half of the lemon over the top just before eating.
   Chef Bari’s Note:

“The secret isn’t the spices; it’s the heat management. If your pan is smoking like a chimney, pull it off the fire for a minute. You want a sizzle, not an inferno.”

Cheers !

Chef Bari