Fourth of July Menu | Salmon & Peas (with a whopper of a twist)

Come and celebrate the Fourth of July with us,” Don Seamans said. “We’re cooking salmon in the dishwasher.” Don and his wife, Beverly, who live in Marblehead, Massachusetts, are known for trying new things … They spread a piece of cheesecloth large enough to enclose the nine-pound beauty in several layers, placed the fish in the center [of the dishwasher], and stuffed its cavity and mouth with fresh dill sprigs. Don poured dry white wine into the cavity, squeezed in some fresh lemon juice, and added thin slices of lemon. He formed a neat bundle with the ends of the cheesecloth, then positioned the swaddled fish on top of a dish towel in the upper rack of the dishwasher. “A dishwasher is the perfect place to cook a salmon,” Don said. “The very hot water and steam it creates keep it beautifully moist. We put it in for the complete cycle, check it, and then put it back for a second rinse.” … After the second rinse, the salmon was done … As we ate our fish, we turned our thoughts to what else we could do with a dishwasher. “One Full Cycle and a Second Rinse,” by Georgia Orcutt, July 1987