When folks prepare a Fourth of July salmon next Saturday, they're continuing a tradition going back over 200 years. If someone catches the main course with their own hands, so much the better. Except for about 45 Maine waters, landlocked salmon come from hatcheries, anyway -- a put-grow-take stocking program.

The Canadian government came up with a wicked neat recipe for cooking salmon that no one can improve upon and, in fact, James Beard -- my favorite cookbook author -- shamelessly borrowed the technique from this northern country and promoted it to the world his whole life.

The recipe calls for an ultra-simple, two-prong approach:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Precisely measure the thickness of a fillet, steak or whole fish from side to side, not top to bottom. Then, cook the fish 10 minutes per inch of thickness in a metal pan, which transfers heat better than pottery utensils do.

The result is an absolutely perfect cooking time. Just as the salmon meat turns from translucent pink to cloudy pink but still remains plenty moist, the chef removes the fish to a warm serving platter.

As a quick example to solidify the thought about cooking time, let's say the fillet measures two even inches in thickness. The fish goes into the preheated 450-degree oven for exactly 20 minutes -- or 10 minutes per inch.

Few things in nature measure an exact distance on a ruler, so you'll probably deal with fractions. To emphasize the preciseness of the recipe and to practice with a fraction, let's say the fillet is 21/4-inches thick. The piece of fish should cook 22 minutes, 30 seconds for perfect results.

Most pieces of salmon have an uneven thickness from end to end -- not a problem. In each family, some folks dislike overcooked or undercooked fish, so the diplomatic chef caters to each taste, giving the thin end to the one who likes it well done and the thick end to the sushi lover.

I know many of you are going to do something, particularly if you are an inexperienced cook. I know because I did it in my early 20s, too. As the temperature nears 450 degrees and smoke wafts from around the oven door and the metal sides start snapping, you'll turn the heat down to 400 or lower.

Don't do it!

Stick with 450 degrees and use a metal dish for baking. These two steps lead to fish cookery perfection. The recipe simply cannot go wrong for the all-important Fourth of July feast.

My favorite seasoning before baking is simply salt, pepper and dill weed -- simplicity in itself.

If home chefs want a fancy recipe for a more festive holiday, then they should try cooking a whole salmon or large fillet in a court bouillon.

Gather the following:

* 1 quart water

* 1/2 cup of dry white wine

* 11/2 teaspoons salt

* 1 onion quartered

* 2 or 3 cloves stuck into the quartered onion pieces

* 1/2 carrot quartered

* Leafy part of celery stalk

* 4 peppercorns

* 1 bay leaf

* 6 sprigs of parsley

* 1 sprig of thyme

Simmer the court bouillon for 30 minutes. Then, put the salmon in the gently bubbling broth, wait for the bouillon to reach a smiling boil again and poach the fish for 10 minutes per inch of thickness or until the meat flakes.

If you have a fish poacher, even better, but in pod-auger days, folks never used special utensils for poaching fish. After all, this was a pig-simple dish in colonial times and lacked the snob appeal of today.

A very patriotic side dish goes with freshly cooked salmon -- a boiled potato recipe allegedly favored by Thomas Jefferson himself. Quarter the potatoes or cut even smaller and cook covered in salted water until tender. Then, dump out the cooking broth, put the potato pot back on the stove and completely dry the potatoes, shaking often so the veggies don't stick. This makes them fluffier.

As soon as the potatoes dry, add butter, freshly chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste and serve with salmon, fresh peas, a white Graves (or Sauvignon Blanc for the more patriotic minded) and homemade bread. Strawberry shortcake or strawberry pie would be the perfect finishing touch -- a seasonal meal right to the core.

I asked William Woodward, a fisheries biologist in central Maine for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, where to catch a Fourth of July salmon this coming week. These days, it must be a landlock.

Without hesitating, Woodward said, "St. George Lake in Liberty."

Then, this field biologist elaborated by saying the 60-foot deep hole below Millstone Island on the west side of the lake has been producing as of late. This fairly shallow deep hole attracts salmon this time of year.

Smelt-imitating flies such as a Gray Ghost, Jerry's Smelt, Supervisor, Red Gray Ghost and Umbagog Smelt might do the trick as well as a hardware choice like a copper Mooselook Wobbler, silver Mooselook Wobbler, Weeping Willow, Cecil's Smelt or Rainbow Trout Rapala.

Regulars on St. George Lake often use small Dodgers with their lures, flies or sewn bait, which attracts game fish from great distances.

To me, catching a salmon, growing your own potatoes (from last year) and peas (this year) and picking or growing your own strawberries can make this July 4th spread ultra-special. Folks with those ingredients for the menu have a right to feel proud.

 

Ken Allen, of Belgrade Lakes, is a writer, editor and photographer.