Living in the great Pacific Northwest for over 40 years I’ve enjoyed many a salmon dinner. From Chinook, Coho, Sockeye, Atlantic and even Alaska’s Copper River salmon, either pan-fried, baked, broiled, BBQ’d, sautéed, smoked, cedar planked, open fire grilled or Almondine. But steelhead isn’t salmon, it’s a rainbow trout, that migrates to the salt water ocean and returns to the fresh water rivers and streams to spawn. They say that steelhead get their name from the color they acquire after leaving the stream.
Instead of the brilliant and colorful lateral stripe that other rainbows have, steelhead have a less pronounced red or pink lateral stripe and are more of a silver color across the back. Unlike salmon, which die after spawning, steelhead can return back to the lake or ocean to grow even larger for the next seasons spawning run. I’ve had it pulled directly from the river and within minutes grilled over an open fire right on the beach.
Along with the sound of the rushing river, the moon and stars starting to shine, a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and spending time with dear friends, I gotta tell you, there is nothing better.