Recipes for a sustainable future from California wine and salmon country

Shared Salmon
"The return of the first salmon in the spring should be reason for celebration yet we take little notice because our markets are full of characterless farmed salmon year round. Wild salmon represent perhaps one of our last great wild foods. It is a pillar of the healthy, sustainable, and delicious cuisine that we have all come to know and love in California….

Salmon are resilient and if given the chance will quickly return to former abundance. Hope for the future lies in our hands; good science, habitat restoration, cool, clean water, access to habitat, respect for the environment and consumer advocacy hold the keys to the success of wild salmon. Choose wisely at the market and in restaurants; the simple act of choosing wild salmon over farmed sends a message to business, industry and government that we want healthy wild salmon runs and sustainable fisheries. Vote for legislators who favor water and land use policies that protect salmon rivers and wild salmon. And finally, tell your friends how important wild salmon is to the community and how delicious it is."

- Paul Johnson, owner and founder, Monterey Fish Market, Berkeley, California

Shared Crisis
Rather than a reason for celebration, the 2008 salmon fishing season has been a cause for concern. For the first time, regulators have been forced to cancel the commercial salmon fishing season off the California and Oregon coasts. Headlines across the country have recorded the decline in salmon populations in California and the expected economic loss, expressed in thousands of jobs and millions of dollars. It comes as no surprise that in the wake of closure of the salmon fishing season, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency.  Wild salmon contribute heavily to our economy and our cultural heritage, and the crisis has revealed just how integral salmon are to our communities, our watersheds, our diets, our lives, and our economies along the Pacific Coast.

Shared Solutions
It is time for all of us who share the connection with salmon to share responsibility for solutions. Consumers and businesses can play a key role, and a diverse group of representatives from virtually every stop along the salmon supply chain—from fishermen to salmon suppliers and retailers, vintners and grape growers, chefs and restaurateurs--have chosen to take the lead on solutions. Read our press release.

Have Your Salmon and Eat it Too featured recipes for wild salmon and recipes for salmon conservation.

And now an all-star lineup of Golden State culinary professionals have teamed up to publish Have Your Salmon and Eat it Too: California featuring wild salmon recipes, conservation ideas and commentary. Join Alice Waters, Paul Johnson and many more in advocating for wild salmon by voting with your fork.

• Grilled Wild King Salmon with Cherry Tomato-Basil Relish
  Courtesy of Paul Johnson, Monterey Fish Market
• Grilled Wild Salmon with a Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad
  Courtesy of Chef Alice Waters, Chez Panisse, Berkeley
• King Salmon in Fig Leaves 
  Courtesy of Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, Border Grill and Ciudad, Los Angeles
• Salmon and Cucumber Skewers with Jalapeño Cilantro Marinade
  Courtesy of Michael Ellis, Chef de Cuisine, Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen, Sonoma
• Miso-Crusted King Salmon
  Courtesy of Chef John Ash, Vintners Inn, Sonoma

Download your copy of Have Your Salmon and Eat it Too: California (pdf, 0.81 MB)

Be a part of the solution: How can I create my own recipe for wild salmon conservation?

• Eat wild salmon
• Support businesses that support wild salmon
• Support Trout Unlimited’s work to restore the habitat and water that salmon require in California through its North Coast Coho Project and Water and Wine initiative
• Sign the Salmon Consumer’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
• Get Involved: Join a TU chapter in California

Who knew conservation could be so delicious?