Once you catch a pink salmon, bleed them by cutting the gill rakes with a knife, scissors or shears, or tearing a section of the gills with your hand while holding the fish in the water. If you need to club them, do so gently, as this can also damage the meat. Then clean and gut your catch, removing the stomach and entrails as well as scraping out the blood line below the spine, and get them on ice in a cooler or insulated fish bag as soon as possible. Frozen water bottles or ice packs also work well.

By taking the right steps, you’ll be able to ensure a pink salmon is the hit around the dinner table!

Here’s are a recipe that will work well with your pink salmon catch.

Salmon in Parchment with Fresh Corn, Tomatoes and Basil
By Nancy Leson

Serves six
Preparation time about 45 minutes
Baking time about 15 minutes

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks, white part only, diced
3 ears of corn, kernels removed
8 leaves fresh basil, very thinly sliced
3/4 pint sweet cherry tomatoes, halved
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 (16-inch) sheets parchment paper, folded in half and cut into semi-circles
6 (6- to 8-ounce) fillets of salmon, skin and pin-bones removed, seasoned with kosher salt.
Grated zest of 1 lemon, to garnish

Directions

For the sauce:
Melt the butter in a skillet or sauté pan over medium heat. Stir in the leeks and sauté a few minutes until they begin to wilt. Add the corn kernels and sauté until the corn and leeks begin to lightly caramelize. Turn off the heat and stir in the fresh basil and the tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To assemble:
Take one piece of parchment at a time and lay it open on the counter. On the lower portion of the fold, place 2 large spoonfuls of the corn-tomato sauce snug against the middle line, leaving a generous ring of paper around the edge of the parchment.

Place 1 fillet over the sauce, then spread a generous spoonful of sauce atop it. Fold the top (empty) side of the parchment over the fish.

Beginning at one end, make small overlapping folds as you move along the outside edge, tucking the last fold under the sealed packet. Place each on a sheet-pan or rimmed cookie sheet and repeat the process. (Note: At this point, you may refrigerate the packets for up to one day in advance, but for best results make this earlier on the day you plan to bake them.)

To bake:
Preheat oven to 450° F. Bake the fish on the sheet pan for about 15 minutes (or as little as 12 minutes if the fillet is less than two inches thick). When the parchment begins to brown and puff a bit, that’s a good visual cue for “it’s done.”

To serve:
Plate-up, then use kitchen shears to cut a slit in package and garnish with a generous hit of freshly grated lemon zest. Rice or roasted new potatoes make a great accompaniment.