R & J Seafoods is a new addition to the mail-order kosher marketplace this year. Their Kenai Select Wild Alaskan Salmon as well as wild halibut now have OK certification, after two years of inquiries about going kosher. R & J, a small family company, has been in business almost twenty-five years in Kasilof, Alaska, just a few miles south of the Kenai River — famous for its salmon sportfishing.

We were sent a full order of R&J’s sockeye salmon, which was shipped FedEx Priority Overnight and arrived by 10:30AM. The thorough packaging kept the fish in excellent frozen condition through its trip and until it reached the kitchen. The three beautiful filets which emerged from the box weighed approximately five pounds total.

After a quick thaw, it was ready to cook. Even in its raw state, the fish had a fresh, clean smell, the flesh was firm and deep red — a distinctive characteristic of sockeye — and the skin shiny and smooth. Their local salmon season runs from late June to mid-August, but attentive and prompt cleaning, packing, and freezing of the fish ensures high quality in the off-season.

We prepared the salmon two ways, on the grill and served with a garlic-lime sauce, and pan-seared with a lemon-balsamic reduction. In both cases, we cooked the fish medium-rare, leaving the interior abundantly moist. The sockeye had a very rich flavor, with none of the off-putting qualities of lesser products that tend to keep people away from salmon, clinging ignorantly to “safe” pale-fleshed fish. The skin crisped up nicely, providing a fine contrast to the salmon’s smooth texture.

As is the tradition with our mail-order reviews, a word about shipping costs is in order. R & J’s overnight shipping costs — a surcharge of about $9/lb. — are in line with other online purveyors of fresh Alaskan salmon. Additonally, their price for sockeye, at about $13/lb., is very competitive.

In short, R & J’s salmon has made me a believer: a high quality ingredient, cooked gently in an appropriate manner, can’t help becoming good eats.