While following in the footsteps of American explorers Lewis & Clark in season 9 of Bizarre Foods, Andrew Zimmern's road trip took him to Salmon King, a fishery in Warm Springs, Ore., run by Brigette McConville. Salmon is indeed king there, and he was inspired by his experience at the shop and on the Columbia River with Brigette to create a recipe that uses parts of the salmon that don't belong on the grill or in the oven. Watch the video and find directions for Andrew's Thai Coconut Salmon Soup below. 

Serves 6

Ingredients

3 cups chicken stock
1 large stalk lemon grass, trimmed and thinly sliced
3 fresh Kaffir lime leaves
2 ½ tablespoons golden brown sugar
1 golf ball sized piece of galangal or conventional ginger root, cut into ¼-inch slices 
2 tablespoons chile tamarind paste (nam phrik pao)
2 cans (14 ounces each) unsweetened coconut milk
1 pound salmon (you can use the collars, belly and tail meat, or a salmon filet)
½ pound mushrooms (shitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms or enoki mushrooms work well)
2 large Thai red chiles, sliced in half lengthwise
2 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
¼ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish

Directions

Prepare the salmon by cutting off the collars, and cutting 1-inch pieces of tail and belly meat. If using a salmon filet, cut the filet into 1-inch pieces. Reserve.

Place a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the chicken stock, lemon grass, lime leaves, sugar, galangal and chile tamarind paste. Stir and let cook for a few minutes. Add the coconut milk, and bring to a boil. Next, add the salmon and mushrooms and bring back to a simmer. Cook for a minute and add Thai chiles, fish sauce and lime juice. Sprinkle in a handful of cilantro leaves. 

Serve, garnishing with more chiles if desired and additional cilantro.

Recipe compliments of Andrew Zimmern. Visit AndrewZimmern.com for more recipes like this.