What Is A Salmon?

15 Thursday Jan 2026

Posted by Bob and Robin in fish, Salmon, What's For Dinner?

Tags

I have had several questions about what is the difference in salmon, one very good one from a lady reader from Tucson, AZ. The answer can be very confusing and complicated. I will attempt to make the answer as straight forward and easy as possible. Salmon come in 3 or more different forms, although 1 form is area specific and is actually the same. Chinook salmon and King Salmon are the same fish, the name is location specific.

Chinook Salmon

In Idaho, the main types of salmon include:

Steelhead: This species is also anadromous, meaning it migrates from the ocean to spawn in freshwater lakes and streams. It is known for its impressive migrations and ability to return to its natal stream. These species thrive in Idaho’s diverse waters and play a crucial role in the state’s ecosystem.

Chinook Salmon. Known for it’s size and flavor, it is the largest richest – tasting of the Pacific species. It is often found in the Snake River and Salmon River.

Sockeye Salmon. The species is also known for it’s size and is often stocked in Idaho due to it’s historical abundance in the region.

Coho Salmon. A popular choice for home Chefs. Coho salmon is milder than Chinook, but still rich enough for various recipes. It is commonly found in the Snake River.

Kokanee Salmon. A resident fish in Idaho. Kokanee Salmon are about 10-12 inches long and are known for their blue and green backs. They spawn in the deep lakes around the state.

Kokanee salmon

There are six main types of salmon, each with unique characteristics, flavors, and culinary uses: Chinook, Coho, Sockeye, Pink, Chum, and Atlantic salmon.

Trike Restaurant Finds Worthy of Posting

03 Wednesday Dec 2025

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Boise Area Food Adventures, Buy Local, Ethnic Foods, Food - Asian, Food Photos, Fusion Foods, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Sushi Schack, What's For Dinner?

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Asian, boise restaurants, sashimi, seafood, sushi

I had some very good comments about posting about my trike excursions and the restaurants I found along the way. So here is another. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know. There will be 4 different -places, Westside Drive-In, Sushi Shack, Terraces of Boise and one from my own kitchen. (Not really a restaurant) So let’s get started.

This is from the Terraces of Boise, where my wife was hospitalized. It is a Pear Rutabaga Soup. Two items I would never think to combine. I asked them for the recipe, but they would not give it to me. I know the pears and rutabaga were roasted and then put in a blender and pureed and that gave it a “soupy” consistency. It is delicious and worthy of locating the recipe!

This photo is Eggs Benedict from my kitchen, Most people who have been inn the kitchen and have seen it just love. The Eggs Benedict procedure was taught to me by Bobby Flay and Jacque Pepin via the internet, TV (PBS) and cook books. The Hollandaise Sauce is not hard to make, it just takes some care and do not exceed 130 degrees F. Egg yokes, Dijon mustard, Aleppo Pepper, Worchester Sauce, Unsalted Good Butter, 3 oz good white wine and constant whipping. Delicious!

The last place that I will take you to for now, is the Sushi Shake in East Boise in the Barber Park area, The photo above is of the interior. Same with the photo below.

When you go to an Asian restaurant, one must have Saki and make it a good one.

How about a good Clam and Mushroom Miso Soup? And this is delicious.

A good California Roll Sushi Roll will satisfy that need and goes wonderful with the Saki.

And of course a great Sashimi goes well too! A 4 fish Sashimi. Located at Eckert Road and Warm Springs Blvd.

The Menu

And finally a Beef Stroganoff from Westside Drive-In by Chef Lou Arron. It is awesome as is his entire menu. It is located at 21st and State Street in Boise

This is the GPS map that is on my trike/phone that keeps me on the straight and narrow. Start at5 point A. You bikers can down load this program for your phone. It is called Cyclers. This map is to Sushi Shake.

Food Via ETrike

02 Tuesday Dec 2025

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Antelope, Boise Adventures, Boise Area Food Adventures, Boise Food Adventures, Boise Restaurants, Cottonwood Grill, Food - French, Old Blue, What's For Dinner?

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Antelope, cottonwood grille, French Onion Soup

In order to “eat out”, I now take by ETrike, “Old Blue”, photo on the left.People I have talked to in person and on the internet all name their etrikes ,electric trikes. Great exercise and fun. I am old and I love the color blue! I decided to take a ride on the Boise Greenbelt and it was mid afternoon. There are a lot of eateries along the trail.

This is but one trail, about 5 miles. And I found the Cottonwood Grill, definitely a 5 Star restaurant, The colored line is my route by GPS.

It’s as pretty inside too. I didn’t get any photos inside.

And of course one must start with a good Gin and Tonic. Hendricks Gin! I was not dressed well enough to sit in the main eating area, so I chose to sit in the bar – my choice. Food is the same, menu same ambiance is the same.

A great French Onion Soup thjat is made inhouse.

My main dish was Fish and Chips that is also made inhouse and delicious! If you are ever in Boise, I sincerely recommend The Cottonwood Grill.

So it was the end of another day on the trike. And what a sunset. Just had to get a photo.

And another adventure about food. Antelope Sausage. My daughter’s boy friend makes an awesome sausage which he got hunting. This is the prep procedure.

Eric is trimming the antelope.

Antelope being trimmed.

Eventually he will add pork to the mix and Italian spices that he made to the antelope and mix and blend it. The sausage will be good and I asked him to save me a piece if he cooks some. It’s been quite a while since I have eaten antelope.

An Awesome Chicken Dish

12 Wednesday Nov 2025

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Braising, Chicken, Classic Sauces, Food Photos, Food Prep, Fusion Foods, Garlic, Homemade Sauce, Honey, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Chicken, Jasmin rice, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Recipes - Fusion, Sake, Side Dishes, What's For Dinner?

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

asian food, chicken, fusion, fusion Asian, Jasmin rice, seared rice

I know, another chicken dinner. But this one is absolutely wonderful! I found it on FB, but altered it slightly.The recipe is easy and fairly quick to make. 30 minutes and you are eating. It did not have a name, so I named it Creamy Chicken, even though it has no cream in it.https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Creamy-Chicken.pdf A good Niguri Creamy Sake would be great with this!

**Seasoning the chicken. After the garlic, vinegar, soy sauce and honey have been added**

The only changes I made were different types of salt, I used Celtic Sea Salt, fresh ground Tellicherry Black Pepper, unsalted butter and chopped green onion for the rice, I added braised Jasmin rice with the green onion.

I really think this is a fantastic way to make the chicken. Almost a fusion version of an Asian dish. You might want to add grated fresh ginger, too. The Jasmin rice gave the dish and extra boost of flavor, but searing it in butter is essential, in my point of view. If you make it let us know how you liked it.

Sushi Shack

03 Friday Oct 2025

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Appetizers, Food Photos, Japanese Food, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Sushi Shack, What's For Dinner?

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Japanese food, Miso soup, Sushi Shack

There are not many reviews that I post, but this one deserves a review and I give it a 5-Star rating. They have a wonderful ambiance, good food prepared on site and the wait staff is excellent. The name is the Sushi Shack, at Harris Ranch (east Boise), 3724 S Eckert Road (right off of Warm Springs Rd) #110, 83716 and open Monday – Thursday:11:30 am – 9:00 pm, Friday – Saturday:11:30 am – 9:30 pm, Sunday:11:30 am – 8:30 pm. It is located in the Mill District. Call (208) 286-2945.

The ambiance is fun with both high and low seating. Your choice.

I had the Clam and Nameko Mushroom Miso Soup and it was awesome! I’d go for 2 but 1 will suffice.

Sashimi Boat – choose 4 different types of fish

So there you have an overview of the Sushi Shack in Boise (Harris Ranch). If you go, let us know what you think. Personally, I’ll return!

Awesome Oven BBQ Pork Ribs

05 Friday Sep 2025

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, BBQ Pork, bbq ribs, BBQ Rubs, Boise Farmers Market, Boise Food Adventures, Buy Idaho, Buy Local, Chef Lou, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Family, Local Farmers Markets, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Recipe By: Chef Lou, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Recipes - Salad, Salad, Spices, Westside Drive-In, What's For Dinner?

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

bbq ribs, food, herbs and spices, Potato Salad

Ok. Finally got my computer running correctly after 12 hours of working on it. I know, take it to a shop next time! And miss all the fun?

But now, the real purpose of this post – Oven BBQ Pork Ribs. You can use any ribs you prefer, but we like pork and St Lewis Style at that. Easy to do but takes time,4 hours or so.

These are right out of the oven. Notice the crispness of the outer surface. The broiler did this. The recipe –https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Pork-Ribs-2.pdf And then we served Potato Salad (https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Lou-Potato-Salad.pdf) The recipe comes from Chef Lou Arron of Westside Drive-In on State Street, Boise, ID. The only problem is that he no longer offers this on the menu. He was kind enough to give it to me and it is very similar to my Mom’s. I use it with permission from the Chef. Thank you Chef Lou!! I have added fresh Lovage to the salad to increase the celery flavor just a small amount, abt 2T of fresh, diced. I grow my own and it is easy to grow, even here in Idaho. It is a Scandinavian herb of the celery family.

“… Lou moved to Atlanta, Georgia in 1981 and worked for Hilton Hotels until 1983. In 1983, he opened The Top of the Hoff restaurant in Boise, Idaho. From 1986-1988, Lou worked for Hilton Corporation in San Antonio, Texas, where he was featured in the national television series “Great Chef’s of the West” along with the companion cookbook, “Southwest Tastes”. Lou has won numerous awards for his food presentations and recipes. “He has been a contestant on “Guy’s Grocery Games”(although he didn’t fare very well!)” Westside Drive-In website

3 of the herbs I used with the ribs.

**plated ribs with potato salad and fresh peach sections**

Pickled Beets and Eggs

21 Thursday Aug 2025

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Beets, Boise Farmers Market, Brunch, Buy Idaho, Buy Local, Dinner With Family, eat local, Eggs, Idaho Eggs, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe - Homemade, Recipes, Recipes - Salad, Salad, Spices, What's For Dinner?

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

pickled beets, pickled beets and eggs, recipe, salad

This is a real old family treat and one my Mom made every summer. And we are still treating ourselves whenever the beets are ready in the garden and they are ready now. A smooth vinegar and full of spices, sugar,vinegar, cinnamon and clove. here is the recipe https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Pickled-Eggs.pdf

**The Pickled Eggs and Beets as a salad**

And as a side note the red on the eggs comes from the beets. If you leave everything in the brine long enough – good luck – the yolk of the eggs will turn red. Happy eating!

Boneless Lamb and Guacamole

08 Friday Aug 2025

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Boise Farmers Market, Boise Mobile Market, Classics, Dinner For Robin, Ethnic Foods, Food - Make Your Own Meals, Guacamole, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Vegetables, Local Farmers Markets, Local Markets, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe - Homemade, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Slow Cooking, What's For Dinner?

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Ethnic Foods, guacamole, lamb roast Boise Farmers Market, make your own foods, recipe

Here are two recipes that I made this past week. The Lamb, https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Boneless-Lamb.pdf , is absolutely awesome, if you like lamb. But remember, lamb, is up to one year old and mutton is older than a year. The lamb we used came from the Boise Farmers Market (BFM) – Meadowlark Farms – and most of the veggies for the guacamole did also, at least most of them, came from the BFM. And the guacamole is also wonderful. Use it as a dip at a gathering. My sister adds a little rendered bacon to it. I would use a thick cut bacon, diced, https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Guac.pdf .

At any rate, try these recipes and let us know how you liked them, or not. If you didn’t like them, please let us know why.

**This is the lamb after being cook and the first slice**

This This is the guacamole. We like it a little thick. so we don’t mash it so much. If you add bacon, I would use the thick cut, dice it and then let it cool and drain off some of the fat.

Guacamole The Captain’s Shack Way

01 Friday Aug 2025

Posted by Bob and Robin in What's For Dinner?

≈ 1 Comment

It’s always fun to work on recipes of old favorites. One such recipe is Guacamole, that old favorite full of avocado. Here is the recipe that I use – https://www.rockinrs.com/CS-Guac.pdf It is easy to make and fun to eat. Takes about 10 minutes to prepare and then some time refrigerated to marry the flavors. Probably the most difficult part is finding fresh vegetables, not canned or frozen. The lime in it is from fresh lime and NOT the canned or processed lime. It induces an awful flavor to the guacamole.

So go ahead and try this recipe and tell us what you think. Now we like it a little on the thick side but you can change this to suit your own likes. Have a good time with it. It’s party time!

Snake River Farmstand, Marsing

26 Thursday Jun 2025

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Cheese, Classics, Eggs, Garlic, Idaho, Local Markets, Photos By: Joe Levitch, Snake River Farmstant, Sourdough, Sourdough Bread, Special Information, What's For Dinner?

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Cookies, Marsing, Snake River Farmstand, Sourdough

(Yes, that’s me in the photo!) I found this little farmstand while4 riding my bike in Marsing, ID. South Bruneau Hiway and 4th Ave. A really good small stand, and they have good products. Eggs, sourdough breads and cookies that are fresh baked on site. If you are in the area, well worth the stop. Cash only or EBT.
Just look at some of the products. This is by far not all of them.