Cooking Salmon on the River, by Zachary Collier, Best Made Guide to River Rafting People are always amazed at the meals we can create on a river rafting expedition. We bring a full kitchen complete with a 6 burner stove, firepan and plenty of cast iron Dutch ovens, so we can create delicious meals! One of my favorite things to cook on a river trip is salmon. Here’s Dale’s recipe for Mustard, Lemon and Dill Salmon to feed 30 people: Dale’s Recipe:  15 lbs wild Alaskan salmon4 lemons2 sticks butter16 fresh dill sprigs4 bottles Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Mustard1 jar mustard seed Lay out a large sheet of aluminum foil for each salmon filet. Slice one stick of butter and distribute the slices on each sheet and then put the salmon on top, skin side down. Spread the Sierra Nevada mustard on top of the filets and then sprinkle mustard seeds on top. Add a few slices of butter, then very thin slices of lemon, and top it all off with the fresh dill sprigs. Wrap the salmon completely in the aluminum foil and then cook over a fire or a camp stove. It typically cooks after 8-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet and the temperature of the fire/stove. The salmon is ready when if flakes easily with a fork and the skin is just starting to separate from the fish. Mike Burke’s Recipe: Sometimes on river trips we lose or forget to bring a key ingredient, which forces us to get creative. A simple recipe that I learned from river legend Mike Burke is to drizzle the salmon with maple syrup and cook. That’s it! Notes: There are several ways to cook your salmon. To keep it moist, we usually wrap it in aluminum foil. Grilling salmon is always fun, and everyone likes to watch it sizzle, but this method can lead to dry fish. A hybrid method is to wrap the firepan in aluminum foil and let the salmon cook in some of its juices. There are also many delicious toppings for salmon, and we like to get creative. Try onions, bell peppers, soy sauce, wine, whiskey, garlic, BBQ sauce, or even a simple pesto made with olive oil and herbs.  Zach is the owner/outfitter at Northwest Rafting Company.
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Cooking Salmon on the River, by Zachary Collier, Best Made Guide to River Rafting

People are always amazed at the meals we can create on a river rafting expedition. We bring a full kitchen complete with a 6 burner stove, firepan and plenty of cast iron Dutch ovens, so we can create delicious meals!

One of my favorite things to cook on a river trip is salmon. Here’s Dale’s recipe for Mustard, Lemon and Dill Salmon to feed 30 people:

Dale’s Recipe: 

15 lbs wild Alaskan salmon
4 lemons
2 sticks butter
16 fresh dill sprigs
4 bottles Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Mustard
1 jar mustard seed

Lay out a large sheet of aluminum foil for each salmon filet. Slice one stick of butter and distribute the slices on each sheet and then put the salmon on top, skin side down. Spread the Sierra Nevada mustard on top of the filets and then sprinkle mustard seeds on top. Add a few slices of butter, then very thin slices of lemon, and top it all off with the fresh dill sprigs.

Wrap the salmon completely in the aluminum foil and then cook over a fire or a camp stove. It typically cooks after 8-15 minutes depending on the thickness of the filet and the temperature of the fire/stove. The salmon is ready when if flakes easily with a fork and the skin is just starting to separate from the fish.

Mike Burke’s Recipe: Sometimes on river trips we lose or forget to bring a key ingredient, which forces us to get creative. A simple recipe that I learned from river legend Mike Burke is to drizzle the salmon with maple syrup and cook. That’s it!

Notes: There are several ways to cook your salmon. To keep it moist, we usually wrap it in aluminum foil. Grilling salmon is always fun, and everyone likes to watch it sizzle, but this method can lead to dry fish. A hybrid method is to wrap the firepan in aluminum foil and let the salmon cook in some of its juices.

There are also many delicious toppings for salmon, and we like to get creative. Try onions, bell peppers, soy sauce, wine, whiskey, garlic, BBQ sauce, or even a simple pesto made with olive oil and herbs. 

Zach is the owner/outfitter at Northwest Rafting Company.