Fall Cooking at its Best

As the season shifts, so does the way I cook. I lean on sheet pan meals that do the work for me, chowders that make use of the odds and ends in the fridge, and salads with heft — grains, roasted vegetables, and something a little crunchy. Seafood works in all of it. It’s quick, adaptable, and brings clean flavor to whatever’s in season.

Here are nine ways I’m cooking with wild-caught salmon, cod, and sablefish this fall, using ingredients that speak to the season: delicata squash, sweet-tart apple cider, roasted carrots, sweet potatoes, maple syrup, and the last of the zucchini and tomatoes before they disappear.

This is the kind of sheet pan supper that doesn’t ask much of you but offers a lot in return. Delicata squash is sliced into rounds with the skin on — totally edible and delicious — tossed with honey and cayenne, then roasted until caramelized and tender. Add some honey-glazed salmon, sage leaves, and feta to the pan for the last 10 minutes and dinner is almost ready. A final scattering of roasted almonds over all just before serving brings balance — a little salt, a little crunch.

Forgot to thaw your fish and need to get dinner on the table pronto? No worries. This last-minute sheet pan salmon recipe, using frozen salmon, pantry-friendly ingredients, and longer cooking vegetables like potatoes and Brussels sprouts makes dinner-time stress a distant memory. Since the salmon is frozen, you’ll have to pick out the pin bones after cooking – a small price for convenience, I’d say.

This is what I make when I want to eat something healthy and fast: a salad of flaked salmon, shaved fennel, canned white beans, and lots of fresh herbs on a bed of creamy yogurt. A drizzle of fruity olive oil and squirt of lemon juice brings it all together. Tuck it into a pita for portability. Or set it on your lap and tuck in with a good movie.

A simple, slightly celebratory dish that comes together in minutes. After searing the salmon, sweat a bit of minced shallot and garlic, then deglaze the pan with a splash of dry hard cider. Add a knob of butter, a spoonful of punchy Dijon mustard, and a sprinkle of chopped herbs. That’s it. The crisp, slightly bitter cider adds just enough fruitiness and depth to balance the richness of the salmon — without tipping into sweetness.

Cook’s note: Use a hard cider you’d want to drink — what goes in the pan should also go in your glass. Ditto for wine.

Warm spices like cumin, paprika, harissa — the usual suspects — are rubbed onto salmon fillets and very slowly roasted. Carrots get a headstart in a pot of boiling water, then roast alongside the salmon, until tender. A sprinkling of golden raisins and chopped almonds tie it all together with sweetness and crunch on your plate. It’s bold without shouting, and it smells wonderful. Serve with warm flatbread and a dollop of labneh.

Call it a grain bowl if you must, but this is elevated health food: nutty red quinoa, pan-roasted sablefish with zucchini and the last of summer's cherry tomatoes, blistered in a hot oven. Drizzle with this herby chimichurriand amaze yourself at how delicious healthy eating can be.

Sweet, smoky salmon candy is like a juicier version of jerky. The best part is you don’t need any fancy equipment to make this cheater’s smoked salmon at home — just an oven and a wire rack. We’ve replaced regular salt with smoked salt in the overnight brine, which gives it a similar flavor to what you’d get from a wood smoker. Found in most supermarkets or online, look for smoked salt that is produced naturally and has an appealing flavor profile like alderwood, hickory, maple, or applewood.

Maple syrup, apple cider, and sweet potatoes are quintessential autumn flavors, making this a great pescatarian alternative to your traditional Thanksgiving dinner. But because sweet potatoes are available year-round, you can enjoy this dish any time you like. Sweet potatoes are roasted until tender and golden and salmon is glazed with maple, cider, and grainy mustard for added punch. Serve it with pan-blackened Brussels sprouts for the full fall monty.

Creamy and nourishing, New England Fish Chowder is the perfect bridge between seasons — simple, warm, and unfussy. It’s light enough for a cool September evening, but sturdy enough to carry you into colder months. Built on smoky bacon, fresh white fish, cream, and earthy potatoes, it’s the kind of meal that doesn’t require much, but delivers every time.

This autumn, take a trip to the farmers’ market and let the season speak. It always has something interesting and delicious to say.

Stay wild and keep cooking!

- Grace

As always, I’d love to hear from you. Share your fall cooking stories with me at AskGrace@sitkaseafoodmarket.com I'll write you back, promise!