So excited. I've been being teased by my local monger who's been putting out last year's frozen holdovers for the past few weeks.

Arrrgh, I'm so jealous! I am happy to have finally found a source here (Picard) for Pacific wild salmon, since normally the only option available in France is Atlantic farmed salmon. No Copper River, though.

Bon app�tit!

the first place i would try is Restaurant Le Saint-Laurent
Corinne et Jean-Philippe Denizet and ask them if they would know where to find crs. at the same time, i would ask them if they could procure it, and prepare it.

Cordeillan-Bages is not that far away, i would ask them also.

At our local supermarkets in Seattle, Copper River time is a bonanza even for those for whom Copper River king salmon is unaffordable. We can almost always score Copper River sockeye at about half the price, and they drop the price on non-Copper River king salmon, too.

And don't turn up your nose at Yukon River salmon--a somewhat later run. It hasn't got the marketing cachet of CRS, but it's a high-fat run and to my palate just as good.

I have been buying Wild Alaska King Troll salmon for about a week. It's great. It is also very expensive @ about $30 a lb.

I'll be at the airport Friday morning when the first planeload of copper river salmon hits the lower 48. And will be enjoying my first bite less than an hour later.

Meanwhile, here in the Bay Area, we're suffering with the best run of local Chinook in years. Yes, I know they are just baby little fishies, but they are still plenty tasty. It looks like a few years of restricted and/or no fishing seasons has done the trick.

Just my opinion, but I used to own a fish market and two seafood restaurants . . . 'Copper River Salmon' is a great marketing tool, but the fish doesn't compare to Spring Chinook in the Pacific NW. Find Spring Chinook that is caught close to the bar, before it swims upstream and loses its fat. Once you've had legitimate Springers, no other Salmon is acceptable.

As a devoted "Fishaholic", I agree. CRS is a good example of wild Pacific salmon, but as RRW posts, the often neglected virtues of fresh Spring Chinook in season are hard to surpass.

Less spectacular in size and hue (but then, those wiley Chileans can make farmed Steelhead trout "orange" with enough Annato in the fish food) and although "Size is important", the variety of methods of preparation possible with small "whole" Chinook livens up our menus.

I suppose that it's a general comment on the disregard most of us 'Merkins have for fish is the tendency for US restaurants, especially chains, to believe that slathering/lathering with sweet Teriaki is the best way to present salmon, any salmon, along with what seems a commitment to over-cooking.

Of course, I remain confident that in Heaven, the salmon's always fresh and wild-caught, fileted, pan-broiled and served with little more than butter, Sauvignon Blanc, lemon and capers (for feast days it may be baked whole with herbs or poached in Court Bouillon). On the other hand, I recall a soup/stew with clams, white wine and fennel for which the chef deserved beatification, while my sophisticated Canadian friend maintains that Salmon Mousse is a trick for leftovers.

Do a layover in SEA on your way to drop off a pound in NY. @:-)

I enjoyed this in Portland last fall. Never heard of it before then. Went well with a Kramer pinot noir from OR.

Copper River Salmon are considered as the world's best selling salmon as they can store extra fat and oil in order to survive long trips. These are bright silvery salmon with bright red flash, having a rich and very delicious flavor.Its a smart choice for healthy diet. Catching this fish is not too difficult but it must be handled very carefully after catching. It must be kept in ice immediately and shipped fresh.

?????

what about all that terrible grain fed stuff(color added) that sits on grocery store shelves 10 months a year. surely it outsells CRS.

Well if you need it, you can go to Alaska where the annual celebration has been started and get the wild copper river salmon.

Best selling? Compared to what? I suspect that sales of farm-raised Atlantic salmon now far outweigh the sales of "wild-caught" salmon of all types species/types/sources, perhaps discounting the varieties of salmon that are canned.

Those of us who grew up being fed salmon croquettes/patties in the school lunch room at least once week (every Friday at Sanger Ave. Elementary) were willing to welcome the advent of fresh farm-raised salmon, better than canned by a long shot.

CRS are great eating, especially in the interim of their freshness, but then the ancient fisherman's maxim, to keep the time from hook to pan as short as possible applies. You would be amazed as how 'good" even a humble Great Lakes Coho can taste when it goes on fire within minutes of coming out of the water....

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Ah, Catholic schools or schools catering to Catholic students. I still remember waiting until midnight Friday to feed my date a cheeseburger.

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