Don’t forget! It’s not too late to try out the special 50th Anniversary Tasting Menu being served at the revolving SkyCity restaurant at the Space Needle! If you can’t make it out anytime soon, check out this article in the Seattle Weekly for my Warm Spinach Salad and Seattle Needle Tipple cocktail recipes!

Nothing says Pacific Northwest like salmon. It’s that time of year again when this rich, delicious local gem is readily available. Bring on the sunshine; it’s Alaska salmon-cooking season!

D’lish Salmon!
(Photo courtesy of Alaska Seafood Marketing)

There are several varieties of salmon available locally that can fit any budget and taste, from King to Keta. Rich in slow-digesting proteins and Omega-3 fatty acids, this nutritious fish is perfect for a healthy meal whether in a salad, pan seared, or grilled.

Salmon’s natural oil and fat content help keep it moist and tender, even when grilling. You can also help it stay that way and add some flavor with a wonderful brine before cooking it.

Brining possibilities are endless. One of my favorites is made with brown sugar and soy. Just dunk your pieces for half an hour to an hour, then grill if the weather is warm enough or pan-sear and finish in a hot oven. Yum!

Salmon makes the perfect platform for glazes, vinaigrettes and other tasty toppings. How about a nice coat of Chipotle Honey Glaze, a smear of Orange Ginger Butter or a drizzle of Zesty Lemon Basil Vinaigrette? This makes me want to fire up my trusty BBQ right now! See my tips below for outdoor grilling  with Alaska salmon.

So whether you’re smoking your salmon, grilling it or oven-roasting – be sure to select wild Alaska salmon. . –Kathy

Chipotle Honey Glaze
Make a generous 1/2 cup

1/2 cup local honey
3 tablespoons puréed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce*

Stir together in a small bowl until well combined. Store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

*To make chipotle purée: Purée a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce with a hand blender, blender or food processor until smooth. Freeze any remaining purée for another use.

Recipe created for Alaska Seafood Marketing by Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Orange Ginger Butter
Switch this basic recipe up with different combinations of citrus and herbs. Change out the ginger for garlic and try using a different mustard as well. Roll up different variations into logs in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 4 months. Just slice off a few pieces for a salmon topping anytime.

Makes 1 cup

8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, softened, cut into chunks
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon finely minced orange zest
1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 green onions, very thinly sliced

Place all ingredients except the green onion in a food processor. Process until smooth and emulsified, scraping down the sides of the work bowl often. (If the butter doesn’t come together right away, be patient and continue processing.) When the mixture is well blended, add the green onion and pulse until mixed. Keep refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 7 days.

Recipe created for Alaska Seafood Marketing by Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Zesty Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
This quick and easy homemade dressing is delicious drizzled over salmon. You can switch up this basic vinaigrette recipe by changing out the basil for cilantro and the lemon for lime, and/or adding a dash of hot sauce for some zing. You can also double the recipe and add all the ingredients at once to a blender to make a more creamy dressing.

Makes 1 cup

2 cups fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons local honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh-ground black pepper

Place the lemon juice, honey, mustard and garlic in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Continue whisking and drizzle in the oil to incorporate. Then stir in the basil, salt and pepper. Store refrigerated for up to 10 days.

Recipe created for Alaska Seafood Marketing by Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Outdoor Grilling – Alaska Salmon Fillet Portions
5- to 6-ounce Alaska Keta or Sockeye salmon fillet portions, with skin
Olive oil
Kosher salt and pepper

Brush grill to clean it well and lightly oil it. (See cooking tips.)

If using a charcoal grill, load with charcoal briquettes and ignite them; heat grill to medium-high temperature, about 375° to 400°F. If using a gas or propane grill, set to medium-high temperature and heat to about 375° to 400°F.

Bring fish out of refrigerator 15 minutes before cooking. When grill is hot, pat fish dry with paper towels.

Drizzle a large dinner plate with olive oil. Swipe each piece of fish on both sides through oil. Sprinkle with seasoning.

Place fish flesh side down on hottest part of grill. Let fish cook on the first side for about 3 minutes for sockeye, or 4 minutes for keta. (If the fillet is on the thinner side, reduce cooking time by about 1/2 to 1 minute on each side.) Do not move fish around as the goal is to create nice grill marks.

Carefully flip fish over using a metal spatula. Cook on skin side for about 3 minutes for sockeye, or 4 minutes for keta, or until fish is still lightly translucent in the center. Remove fish to a plate.

You will want to pull your fish off slightly underdone as there is heat carryover and it will continue to cook for a few minutes after removing from heat. Larger salmon species like King will take a few minutes more to cook. Use your best judgment.

Recipe created for Alaska Seafood Marketing by Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Ballard’s own Volterra Restaurant just announced that they will be opening a second location in Kirkland, Washington! Featuring Tuscan-inspired cuisine, the new Kirkland location (expected to open in Fall 2012) will serve lunch, happy hour and dinner throughout the week as well as Saturday lunch and Sunday brunch.

Congrats to Chef Don Curtiss and Managing Partner Michelle Quisenberry for this wonderful news!

A warm, bright day on the patio is all the reason I need to enjoy a perfectly crafted cocktail. Here’s another reason: World Cocktail Day is May 13^th, and that’s one heck of a reason to celebrate! So, why not?

My Spiked Minted Citrus Splash

The date isn’t random at all. May 13^th, 1803 was the first time a definition of the word “cocktail” was put into print! That the date falls when the weather is turning sunny is a happy coincidence. And it definitely calls for something tall and refreshing.

My super-crisp and cool Spiked Minted Citrus Splash is just the thing to whet your whistle and raise a toast to World Cocktail Day. Fresh homemade mint syrup pairs up with zippy citrus and a nip of vodka or your favorite light spirit for a truly refreshing and d’lish drink.

How will you celebrate World Cocktail Day? What’s your favorite warm weather cocktail to sip or to make for friends?

For more cocktail inspiration, make sure to check out my cocktail show Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen for other tasty sips like my Rye Invention and my Kaffir Colada. Don’t forget to check out my online store if you need your cocktail making essentials like my 6-in-1 Liquid Kitchen Cocktail Kit, Golden Era Bitters, 5130 Honey and my Sips & Apps.

So shake up some fun and drink up on World Cocktail Day! –Kathy

Spiked Minted Citrus Splash
Zesty lemon – lime syrup and fresh mint make for a refreshing drink, perfect for any patio party or sunny afternoon. Serve over ice with your favorite spirit.

Makes 7 cups for you to add your own liquor too – serves 8 to 10

1 Tbsp finely minced lemon zest
2 Tbsp finely minced lime zest (with no white pith)*
8 large sprigs fresh mint
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
————————————
3/4 cups fresh-squeezed Paramount Citrus Lemon juice
3/4 cups fresh-squeezed Paramount Citrus Lime juice
3 cups water (or substitute soda water if serving right away)
————————————–
1- 2 ounces of vodka per serving (or try making with gin, silver rum or tequila)

Garnish: lime wheels and fresh mint sprigs

Combine the zest, mint, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a quick boil over high heat. Boil for 1 minute then remove from heat. Let sit for 30 minutes to allow the mint to steep and the syrup to cool.

Remove and discard mint from syrup. In a large pitcher, combine the cooled syrup, lime juice, and water. Keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Serve over ice in a tall glass with 1 – 2 ounces of spirit.

Garnish with lime wheels and mint.

* Zest is the outer peel of the fruit – with no white pith attached. You can remove the zest from the fruit with a fine zesting tool that makes long, very thin, pretty strands, or you can peel off the zest with an ordinary potato peeler, being careful not to get any white pith, and then finely mince it.

Recipe developed by Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen™

Ginger Rouge
Housemade Cranberry Ginger Syrup adds a flavorful twist and beautiful color to this drink. It is excellent made with gin, vodka, or gold rum.

Makes 1 cocktail

1 1/2 oz gin, vodka or gold rum
3/4 oz Housemade Zesty Cranberry Ginger Syrup (see recipe)
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
2 dashes angostura bitters
3/4 oz ginger ale, chilled
Garnish: long orange twist

Measure the rum, Housemade Zesty Cranberry Ginger Syrup, lemon juice and orange juice into a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and add the bitters. Cap and shake. Strain into a martini glass and add a splash of ginger ale.

Housemade Zesty Cranberry Ginger Puree
Makes 1 3/4 cups

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
2 tsp finely grated orange zest
2 tsp finely minced fresh ginger
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

Place ingredients into a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes until syrupy. Let cool then puree in the blender until smooth. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Recipe developed by Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen™

I was down in Los Angeles and had to miss out on this past weekend’s Mobile Food Rodeo. Luckily, good friend and Table Talk Radio host Jamie Peha had this wonderful rodeo round-up of some of the the tastiness! Thanks Jamie!

Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for the next Mobile Food Rodeo!

Frantic Foodie Keren Brown is starting this summer right with the next Foodportunity event! Mark your calendars for Monday, June 25th from 6:00pm – 9:00pm at Tom Douglas’ Palace Ballroom for a truly tasty time.

Local chefs and cookbook authors will be there to answer all your questions, share recipes and inspire. Featured guests include Thierry Rautureau, Alice Currah, Michael Natkin, Jess Thomson, and Cynthia Nims. Make sure you buy your tickets soon as this will be hot event for the summer!

Foster Farms is inviting home, amateur and professional chefs to stir up locally-inspired cooking creativity with the call for entries for the third annual Foster Farms Fresh Chicken Cooking Contest. The grand prize winner will receive $10,000 plus a one-year supply of Foster Farms fresh chicken!

Residents of California, Oregon and Washington are encouraged to submit their favorite, original, fresh chicken recipes for consideration for a chance at the coveted grand prize. The deadline to enter is June 3.

For more info and to submit your recipe, check out their website.

Seattle is home to many things: Starbucks and coffee, Nirvana and the grunge scene, and the Seattle Center and Space Needle!

(Photo courtesy of the University of Washington)

Since its unveiling at the 1962 World’s Fair, the Space Needle has been a mascot for Seattle, towering over the horizon and a constant fixture in iconic Seattle photography. This year our beloved landmark turns 50 and Seattle is hosting six months of commemorative events in honor of this milestone occasion.

SkyCity at the Needle (the revolving restaurant atop the Space Needle) asked five local luminaries to each create a dish that invokes the past decades since it first opened. I am honored to be among those chefs, representing the 80’s (minus the Aqua Net hair and shoulder pads)! These dishes will be featured on a special Tasting Menu which will be available all through the month of May.

The view from SkyCity!

Earlier this week, my team and I stopped by at the Eye of the Needle for the special launch party for the Tasting Menu. Here’s my crew getting ready to try it out!

Erwin and I in between tasty bites!

SkyCity Executive Chef Jeff Maxfield is taking on the 60’s with a retro Dungeness Crab en Brochette, featuring housemade bacon. Shiro Kashiba, owner of legendary Shiro’s Sushi is reppin’ the 70’s with his Poke Belltown, made with raw tuna, creamy vinaigrette, scallions and orange tobiko.

I’m bringing back the 80’s with my Fullers’ Warm Spinach Salad with smoked duck, shitake and enoki mushrooms and sesame dressing – served with “oh so 80’s” triangle cut housemade crackers with wasabi goat cheese. Seattle institution Tom Douglas recreates the 90’s with his Aromatic Steamed Wild Salmon served with kimchee fried rice and grilled asparagus with hazelnuts. Crush’s Jason Wilson guides us through the present with his Painted Hills Strip Loin: slow-cooked in beef tallow, roasted veggies and a porcini bone marrow puree!

The tasting menu is $62 (in honor of 1962, of course) and is a great bargain to try all these dish. Space is limited so make sure you book your reservations!

And to whet your whistle, make sure you check out their commemorative cocktail menu. My Seattle Needle Tipple is one of the signature drinks being featured for this special occasion. Douglas Fir-infused vodka is shaken with an apple-honey tincture, fresh lemon juice and splash of champagne then garnished with a floating cranberry! D’lish!

So shoot sky high into the future and help celebrate 50 years of our iconic Space Needle! –Kathy