Salmon Pairings

Hey everyone, I dunno if this has been discussed, but I figured Id throw this out

I grilled salmon tonight and I had a bottle of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, I think this was a good pairing, I am open to any other suggestions on parings (Beer or Wine)with salmon?

First, don't drink the Cherry Wheat anymore. Blech!!!

Light lagers usually pair well with delicate fish. A smoked porter might be nice with fresh salmon, but skip it if the fish is smoked. I can imagine a pale ale or IPA working well, also.

Originally posted by Yuri_Rage
A smoked porter might be nice with fresh salmon, but skip it if the fish is smoked.

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Hmm, I've heard you say this before but, never understood why.

A local pub hosted an Alaskan Brewer's night a few years back and one of the pairings was a plate of a variety of smoked meats paired with Alaskan Smoked Porter. I thought the pairing was fantastic.

When pairing beer with food, you definitely want to go for either compliment or contrast and IMHO smoked salmon and smoked porter definitely compliment one another.

Edit - with grilled salmon, try an ESB, Dunkel or other malty ale or lager. I think the caramel notes and sweetness of the malt pair well with grilled meats.

For me, one smoky food per meal is enough. I think one rich flavor gets lost in another. Of course, it's always hard to turn down an Alaskan Smoked Porter...

Originally posted by Yuri_Rage
For me, one smoky food per meal is enough.

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And I thought Overkill was your middle name...

Ipa or a nice clean pale ale is the way to go. I think that they taste of a porter might lessen the taste of nice clean fish.

I served a surprisingly good (and at $5, can't beat the price) fume blanc with lobster pinwheels yesterday. Matched up really well. Wine was Trader Joe's Fume Blanc.

I'd be tempted to try a Saison or Trippel with a piece of salmon.

I'm grilling a big salmon fillet tonight. Cedar plank has been soaking in salt water since late last night. I'm going to do this recipe, which I found online. A really easy looking Bobby Flay take with dijon mustard and brown sugar. Keeping it as simple as possible since I haven't done salmon on a plank before. I've got a few different homebrewed IPAs and some Dunkel on hand to go with it. Anyone think one will go better than the other?

Recipe:
1 cedar plank (6 by 14 inches)
2 salmon fillets (1 1/2 pounds total)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 tablespoons brown sugar

Soak cedar plank in salted water for 2 hours, then drain. Remove skin from salmon fillet. Remove any remaining bones. Rinse the salmon under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Generously season the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. Lay the salmon (on what was skin-side down) on the cedar plank and carefully spread the mustard over the top and sides. Place the brown sugar in a bowl and crumble between your fingers, then sprinkle over the mustard.

Set grill for indirect grilling and heat to medium-high. Place the cedar plank in the center of the hot grate, away from the heat. Cover the grill and cook until cooked through, around 20 to 30 minutes. The internal temperature should read 135 degrees F. Transfer the salmon and plank to a platter and serve right off the plank.

Well, I ended up drinking a few dunkels while grilling and come dinner time, I went with my "throw it in there" IPA that I made with pretty much the little bits of hops I had leftover from previous batches...Columbus, N. Brewer, Simcoe, Cascade...

The salmon turned out beautifully...

I have been in Alaska 9 months straight now. I would serve the Alaskan Pale with any salmon anywhere anytime. It just freaking fits incredibkly well. The Alaskan Amber does beautifully also.

Both beers are excellent on their own, and short of haute cuisine where some caution might be indicated with the amber, both do fine with cold smoked salmon, hot smoked salmon, salted salmon, dried salmon, grilled salmon, plank grilled salmon, salmon baked with caper, salmon baked with dill, baked with lemon butter, planked with granpa's old socks, whatever.

Just all around awesome.

Edit: Alaskan Pale also goes great with poached salmon, coddled salmon and fresh caught fire roasted on a stick right on the river bank salmon.