Balsamic BBQ Sauce

[ppanther]

This is from a Giada recipe on foodnetwork.com, but I altered it very slightly. (VERY slightly, really.)

1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in heavy pan over medium heat. Bring to simmer, continue to simmer 15-20 minutes or until thickened.

I've used this two ways, both with chicken: use as a basting sauce for grilling, or bake until around 140 degrees, then cover with sauce, then continue baking to 165. Both times I used a whole cut up chicken. DELICIOUS!!!

[Mikey]

Reading that got my mouth watering, and I just got finished eating my leftover grilled salmon.

[ppanther]

Well then we're even. Grilled salmon has my mouth watering. We haven't had nearly enough salmon while I've been pregnant, because we won't eat the farmed stuff (mercury risks) and the wild has been so darn expensive... I need some salmon. When this baby is done, I'm going to cure some salmon again. I did it last Christmas, with a cure made from salt/sugar, dried apricot, fennel fronds, and pernod. SO GOOD. Sigh.

[Mikey]

I refuse to buy the farmed stuff too. My son seems slightly alergic to it for some reason, and after hearing what goes into their feed and the conditions they are raised in I can't bring myself to touch the stuff.

The last couple of weeks I've bought wild caught Copper River salmon at Costco for $9.99/lb. They used to sell it at the local market for $25.00 + during the few weeks per year it's available. The fish monger at our local farmers' market usually has wild King salmon for about $12.00. A little expensive but worth it.

I usually just season with Scott's Lemon Pepper seasoning and EVOO and grill it. Last week I marinated with some teriyaki and it was very good.

[smackaholic]

Can't imagine that a farm fish would have higher levels of mercury than a wild one. Wel, I guess it depends on where the wild one was caught. You would think they'd be kinda reluctant to add mercury to their feed.

What do they fed them, btw?

[Mikey]

Don't know about the mercury and I'm not sure what all goes into the food, but it includes antibiotics and it's been shown that they have much higher levels of PCBs than wild salmon.

Also, you know that nice pink color that salmon has? It comes from their diet of krill. Farmed salmon would be grey except for the synthetic pigment that's added to the food. I saw a TV show once about fish farming. They showed a sample color pallette, you know sort of like the fan of samples you can get at a paint store, for salmon farmers. Pick the color of your fish meat. That sort of turned me off to the whole thing.

[smackaholic]

Did a little reading about salmon farms in China. We call them waste treatment plants here.

Won't be running out for Chinese salmon any time soon.

[PSUFAN]

Jezis...under $10 a pound for copper river sockeye? Great price.

Food coloring the fish is an abomination. They actually offer a color spectrum? Gahhhh!