Wild Salmon Is Worth the Price Wild salmon with green beans and sauce verte. I have come to view a meal of wild salmon as a splurge, a treat to be savored, and I'm willing to pay the price. Wild salmon is a seasonal thing, available from May to October. It's not cheap, but the flavor is incredible - sweet, silky, meaty - and the vermilion color is magnificent. With the abundance of relatively low-priced farmed salmon, however, many of us succumb. But the flavor of farmed salmon doesn't even compare. It's like the difference between a free-range chicken and one that's been factory raised. Wild salmon swims long distances, its color a result of a natural diet of krill, plankton and algae. Farmed salmon languishes in pens, and its pink color comes artificially. And even if some fish farms are exploring more-sustainable methods, it is well known that aquacultured salmon is an environmental danger and potential health hazard. A quick Internet search will give curious cooks more information on the topic. It's enough to put you off your dinner, and may well make you a wild-salmon convert. Certainly, once you taste wild salmon you'll be convinced. There are many ways to prepare this good salmon. For a summer lunch or supper, I like to keep it simple, so I often opt for a room-temperature salad, pairing the fish with seasonal vegetables and herbs. At the market now, there are lots of wonderful green beans, many still on the juvenile side; known as haricots verts, they are also called filet beans, and may be green, yellow or purple. Look for the smallest, which are more tender than the big blue lakes. Cook them in salted water briefly, just past al dente, so they're firm but not crunchy. Freshly dug creamy new potatoes are here now, too, and they make a fine accompaniment. As for the salmon, the most important thing is not to overcook it. Whether baked or grilled, it is ready as soon as you see white juices rising to the surface, which means the fish will be succulent, not dry. It is better to err on the rare side. All that is needed to complete this salad is a green herb sauce: sauce verte in French. It's basically a zippy vinaigrette with shallots, capers and a mixture of herbs, mostly parsley. Use chervil, too, if you can find it. It is similar to parsley but more delicate, with a faint anise taste. A little fresh tarragon or mint also makes a nice addition. There you have it. Wild salmon, green beans, new potatoes and herbs: simple seasonal ingredients for an epic summer dining experience.