Earlier this week, we sprang for 1 1/2 pounds of the highly touted Yukon River King salmon from John, one of our favorite fishmongers at Pure Food Fish in the Pike Place Market. At $25.99 a pound, it was definitely one of, if not the priciest, fish in the case. Once home, I seasoned it lightly with Australian sea salt and Shichimi Togarashi (Japanese Seven Spice) and grilled it on the stovetop. It cooked very cleanly–leeching a small amount of sweet-smelling fat–which is one of the clues to a great piece of salmon. 

Large of flake, dark pink in color, “meaty” in flavor, it went down easily with a bottle of Bergevin Lane 2006 The Princess, “Francisca’s Vineyard” Syrah from the Walla Walla Valley. The BIG wine needed to be decanted to tame its berry-rich goodness and a hint of smoke, but after some time in the glass it knit together seamlessly and was a pleasure to the very last drop. Steamed veggies and fingerling potatoes with a dollop of unsalted butter and chiffonade of fresh mint formed a lovely counterpart to the rich fish and wine.