For founder Marti Emch, MEEL started as a family food project with her then 4-year-old twins.
“In an effort to connect them to the local food community, we started making and selling organic granola at the 12South Farmers Market,” she says. Watching farmers pack up their produce at the end of the day coupled with her long-established lifestyle of eating with the seasons evolved into a vision to “make it easier for other families to enjoy the bounty and do the same.”
While MEEL has grown significantly over the past eight years—from a two-meal-kits per week subscription service to an online shop with everything from meat and cheese to produce boxes, pantry goods, prepared dishes and more—the MEEL kits remain a core focus, providing everything families need for a farm-to-table dinner at home. While the kit menu changes monthly to evolve with the seasons, this partially cured Campfire Salmon is a “classic” that’s available year-round. “The sugar and salt ‘cure’ is brilliant and helps make it more palatable even for those with a seafood or salmon aversion,” explains Emch. “In the summertime, I like to keep it simple with a great salad, crusty bread, and really good, cultured butter.”
Campfire Salmon
Courtesy of Marti Emch, MEEL
- 1 1⁄2 to 2-pound wild Alaska salmon 1⁄2 cup sugar
- 1⁄4 cup sea salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons melted butter for cooking (can sub olive oil)
Mix the sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. In a large dish (or sheet pan) sprinkle half of the mixture over the bottom of the pan. Place the salmon, skin side down in the mixture, and then sprinkle the remaining spice mixture on top of the salmon. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two to four hours.
Preheat grill to medium-high heat. (You can also use a grill pan or cast-iron skillet.) Rinse the salmon gently under running water and pat it dry. Brush the salmon with the melted butter on the skin, and place skin-side down on the grill for four minutes. Baste the salmon generously with melted butter, then flip it over, continuing to cook for three more minutes (or until the fish is cooked through).
Transfer to a platter and serve with a simple side salad or side of your choice.