Grilled Salmon with Blackberry-Cabernet Coulis

The Pacific Northwest has amazing salmon. It's sort of a big deal here... We also have some great blackberries and wine. So when I saw this recipe which combined three things that are pretty fantastic here, I knew that I needed to make it.

Frankly, the fact that this dinner got made at all was pretty amazing. Not because this recipe was hard-- it wasn't-- but because Alex and I spent all day making jam. It was hot, made hotter from the constant water bath to seal jars and also cooking jam. But after a day full of sticky sugar, something refreshing and healthy was just the ticket. Which is why this salmon actually got made.

This summer it will be made again, just maybe not on the same day as a bunch of preserves.

Grilled Salmon with Blackberry-Cabernet Coulis
From Cooking Light
Serves 6

1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine
2 1/2 cups blackberries, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter
6 salmon steaks (1 in. thick, 6 to 7 oz. each)
Salt and pepper

In a food processor or blender, combine wine and 2 cups berries; whirl until puréed. Rub berry mixture through a fine strainer into a 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan; discard residue. Add shallots, ginger, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Bring berry mixture to a boil over high heat, and stir often until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and more sugar to taste.

Rinse salmon and pat dry. Coil belly strips of fish into center of steaks and secure each portion with a small skewer. Lay salmon on an oiled grill over a solid bed of hot coals or high heat on a gas grill; close lid on gas grill. Cook fish, turning once, until opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), 7 to 10 minutes.

Set a salmon steak on each of 6 plates, removing skewers. Spoon berry coulis equally over steaks. Garnish with remaining 1/2 cup whole berries; add salt and pepper to taste.