For as long as I can remember, I’ve been eating fish. Growing up in Alaska, every summer my family would pack up the van and drive several hours to the Kenai River in Soldotna.

Boy, I have a lot of memories there! Like the time, a salmon pulled so hard that it ripped the rod right out of my brother-in-law’s hands. Of course, he dived after it. Completely soaked head-to-toe, but he got it back (I think…I was laughing too hard to actually care about the outcome.)

That river is where I learned to fish. You did not want to be the fisherman next to the 8-year-old blonde fly fishing! I’ve done my fair-share of hooking people – but never injured anyone. Just want to make that clear. 😉

I actually turned into a great fly fisher! Starting in Jr. High, I was usually the first in my family to reach my limit each day. I would take my haul, fillet the fish, and walk back through the woods to our RV. (We upgraded from a tent to RV when I was around 10- thank goodness!) I would spend the rest of the day capturing minnows in the still water areas or walking up and down the riverbank watching other fishermen reel in their catch. When someone got a salmon in, everyone around them would cheer. It didn’t matter if you knew them or not.

There’s a certain camaraderie among fishermen. A code. If your neighbor got one on the line, you stopped fishing, grabbed your net helped them bring it in. If your neighbor’s hook got caught on a rock, you would help them try to get it loose. By the end of the day, you were friends, telling each other the best fishing holes and sharing fish recipes.

Today, let’s be fishermen together. Let’s grab some line, reels and hooks and become friends.

My Family’s Famous Salmon Seasoning Recipe…For Friends Only

I’m not sure how my dad came about this recipe. He’s been using it for decades. Perhaps it was shared by another fisherman…or maybe he perfected it over the years. Either way, it transforms any salmon fillet into a deliciously seasoned salmon dinner.

The seasoning can also be used for chicken, making it very versatile and worth making even if you don’t have salmon all the time.

Their are two component to the seasoning mix, first is what we call the Basic Spice Rub. You can then use just the Basic Spice Rub on chicken, pork, and BBQ! By adding crushed coriander to the Basic Spice Rub, you get a sweet and savory steak– perfect for grilling!

For salmon, I take a portion of the Basic Spice Rub and add additional seasonings to it to make the best salmon seasoning you’ll ever taste. You can bake it, grill it, add blackened seasoning to it and then pan-fry it to make blackened salmon.

In this post, I’ll be sharing the Basic Spice Rub and Salmon Seasoning, but sign up for my free email newsletter to get notified when I publish my halibut seasoning and and post on how to make blackened salmon.

I’m always asked what’s the secret to my amazing fish recipes-buying good fish!! 🐟 if I can’t get it straight out of the #alaska #russianriver then I get wild caught sockeye salmon from @giantfoodstore in the fresh seafood section. It can get expensive so I check every week to see when it goes on sale $10/lb or less and I ask if they have any still frozen and vacuum packed in the back. I usually buy several fillets and keep them frozen till the week I’m cooking. I also don’t buy the fillet if it’s discolored or mushy looking. Once thawed, cook the fish within 72 hours. If a little on the old side, spritz with lemon juice or soak flesh side down in orange juice for 15 minutes. #salmondinner #salmon #salmonlover #wildcaught #wildcaughtsalmon #fish #fishdinner #cookingtips #healthyfood #healthyeating #healthyliving #healthylivingtips

A post shared by Alicia Lawrence (@awhitecavage) on Apr 6, 2017 at 2:44pm PDT

Basic Spice Rub Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup smoked paprika (regular paprika works, too)
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1/4 cup dry mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl or in a mortar and pestle.

Set aside a half cup of the seasoning mix for your salmon seasoning. The other half you can store in a container in the fridge to use on pork, chicken, and steak. Shelf life is six months (though I’ve kept it and used it up to a year and never noticed the difference).

Whenever you want to use it for steak, take a tablespoon of the Basic Spice Rub and add it to your mortar and pestle with around 10-15 granulars of coriander. Use the pestle to grind the coriander down and mix it all together. Rub on both sides of the steak.

Salmon Rub Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Basic Spice Rub
• 4 tablespoons lemon pepper
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons dry tarragon
• 2 tablespoons dry basil
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar

Mix together and store in a container for up to six months. When ready to use, sprinkle onto salmon fillet and rub in before cooking. How much you use will vary on personal preference. If you love seasoned food, then you may want to thoroughly cover it. Otherwise just a few dashes onto the fish will be plenty.

This is the fish seasoning I use for my famous fish chowder recipe here. One of our all-time favorite recipes!