Feast of the Longhouse

My buddy Jeff and I met for coffee Saturday morning at Blend, our new favorite coffee shop. We’d been looking for a new favorite coffee shop for a while. Our old favorite spot moved to a new spot across the street from the old location. The old location was homey and low key, the new location is much larger, glitzier and too noisy for us to hold a conversation. We needed to find a new "Go To" place.

I saw a piece on local TV a few weeks back filmed at Blend showing local baristas in action and getting ready for the National Barista Championships that were held here in Portland. Blend is close to where I work so I decided to give it a try. The folks there seemed genuinely happy to see us and the coffee is very good. So now happily, we’ve got a new favorite coffeeshop – woohoo!

My buddy Jeff is a hunter and fisherman. Actually, he’s a great hunter and fisherman. He’s also a generous hunter and fisherman, which means I get to share in his success and reap the benefits via a share of his harvest and the stories that go with it.

Spring in the Northwest means one thing to a serious fisherman and that’s Spring Chinook. The Spring Chinook is the Cadillac of salmon. The fish are fresh from the ocean and headed upstream. They’re also all fattened up for the trip upstream to spawn and have the richest flesh of all the salmon. This time of year you can just about walk across the Columbia River on the wall to wall fishing boats when the fishing is good.

Jeff has a tradition of sharing his first fish of the season with a privileged few. He calls it "Feast of the Longhouse". The idea being that by sharing the first fish of the year it ensures a good catch for the year. I don’t know the origin of Jeff’s tradition, but I assume it’s got its roots in the First Salmon Feast that is a tradition among the Columbia River Tribes. The reason we’d gotten together for coffee this morning was so he could carry on his Feast of the Longhouse tradition and present me with a piece of the first Salmon of the year. That's Jeff's fishing buddy holding the first fish of the year.

I served up the Salmon with some Spicy Daikon Slaw, Brown Rice Pilaf and a 2005 Sparr Gewurtztraminer

Feast of the Longhouse Spring Chinook Salmon
4 – 6 oz pieces of Fresh Spring Chinook
Old Bay Seasoning
Lemon

Season the fish with the Old Bay Seasoning

Put the fish skin side down in a hot cast iron skillet and sear the bottom for two minutes.

Transfer the skillet to a preheated 350 degree oven for another 10 to 15 minutes until the fish is just barely cooked through.

Serve with lemon wedges

Spicy Daikon Slaw
A pound or so of peeled Daikon Radish – grated with a medium grater
1 Tablespoon Grated Ginger
2 or 3 Tablespoons Unseasoned Rice Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
Sambal Olek or Chili Garlic Paste to taste
½ teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
1 Tablespoon Toasted Sesame Seeds

I just winged it this and made it to taste, so the amounts are approximate.

Sprinkle the Sesame Seeds on the slaw when you plate the meal.