Everybody and their brother think they know how to make the best salmon meal, but most of the salmon dishes I’ve had from so-called salmon chefs are lacking in depth and creativity. Oil, maybe a little acid, salt and pepper, that’s about it.

Growing up fishing on Lake Michigan, I’ve had my share of coho, steelhead. While vacationing on Lake Tahoe I got introduced to pinhook and other species of salmon. Along with catfish and trout, these are my three favorite fish to cook and eat. Not hard to see how salmon and trout are cousins. They cook similar and taste similar.

Salmon can be forgiving, is versatile, and goes well with fruits and acidic marinades. Some anglers I know like their salmon rare, some prefer it cooked somewhere in the middle, others want it cooked all the way through.

Whether it is baked, grilled, sautéed or smoked, nothing beats or is as healthy as a salmon-centered dish. Low fat, high in Omega-3 fatty acids, it was the one freshwater fish taco meal I made that my son Taylor didn’t complain about it looking funny. He also liked when I told him salmon had a lot of protein and little fat and eating it would make him more muscular.

Taylor and I put our heads together, and the following are a couple of the salmon dishes we made while camping, chillin’ in the backyard or when making a quick dinner, reflecting on the smoked salmon we had at some of the shanty shacks on the southside of the city along the Chicago River.

Lemon Garlic Salmon

4 salmon fillets

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Juice from two lemons

Melt butter in pan. Cover fish with garlic and seasoning; cook about five minutes per side. Remove from pan and top with fresh lemon juice. Serve with sautéed green beans cooked in leftover butter and pan drippings.

Basil and Cherry Tomato Salmon Tray Bake with Strawberry Salsa

4 salmon fillets

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

40 cherry tomatoes

3 zucchinis, cut in half

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

In a bowl combine oil, basil, fresh garlic and powders. Make an aluminum foil boat and place on baking tray. Place tomatoes and zucchini on each salmon fillet, top with seasoned oil mixture, and season with salt and pepper. Bake 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees.

Strawberry Salsa

1 cup chopped strawberries

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 green onion, chopped

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 teaspoon mustard

Mix all ingredients and serve with salmon.

You’ll find more recipes to prepare using the meat and fish that you’ve harvested yourself in every issue of MidWest Outdoors, available by subscribing on our website.