EASTPORT – Organizers of the 14th annual Eastport Salmon Festival are fishing for recipes to create a rather unique cookbook blending blueberries and salmon. And they need your help.

This year’s festival will be held on Sunday, Sept. 9 and participants are asked to either bring a favorite recipe with them or send it to the festival organizers. The recipes will be published in a cookbook that will be available for sale at next year’s festival.

“The idea is to have this cookbook reflect people’s favorite salmon recipes and favorite blueberry recipes because these are the two featured items on our menu,” explained Jett Peterson, the festival’s publicity chairman. “We would like people in Washington County and beyond to provide us with recipes that they might have that are a family favorite or a personal favorite. They can be simple or complicated.”

Proceeds from the cookbook will benefit the Eastport Area Chamber of Commerce’s Salmon Festival Scholarship Fund. The scholarship will be given to a Washington County student interested in attending technical college in Calais or Eastport. The scholarship recipient can use the scholarship to participate in either Washington County Technical College’s culinary arts, aquaculture or marine mechanics programs.

Channel 2 meteorologist Steve McKay of Bangor has sweetened the pot with his favorite Salmon Ring recipe.

U.S. Rep. John Baldacci has agreed to do an Italian salmon dish. Throw some spices on the salmon and you get a little Italian bite.

And other celebrities out there – from Stephen and Tabitha King to Gov. Angus King – are invited to send their recipes along too.

But, Peterson stressed, you don’t have to be a celebrity to contribute.

“Salmon is year-round so you can do seasonal recipes. One that I do is Oven Roasted Salmon with Passion Fruit Sauce and Fresh Blueberry Nectarine in a Mint Salsa,” she said. “It’s super simple. And now is the time to do it because we have all of those good things.”

Another favorite of hers is Oven Roasted Salmon Fillet with Tomato, Cucumber and Basil Beurre Blanc sauce.

“After I have finished the sauce, I add a chiffonade of fresh basil,” Peterson said. “I use peeled seeded plum tomatoes and they are chopped. And I take the pickling cucumber and peel it and dice it and add all of that to the white sauce and place it over the salmon. It is just so good. And it look good too.”

Peterson said the size of the cookbook will depend on the number of recipes received.

“We set aside $1,500 from last year’s salmon festival and depending on our festival intake this year we’d like to do that much or more,” she said.

Besides the cookbook, this year’s salmon festival will bigger and better than last year. The festival was founded to celebrate Washington County’s Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry.

This year, there will be a kayak paddle as well as a 1-mile road race for youngsters 14 years and under. There also will be a 5-K run and walk for adults. These activities kick off at 7:30 a.m.

Tickets for the dinner and boat rides to the salmon pens will be available at 10 a.m. at the Eastport breakwater. Also at 10 a.m. there will be an Architectural Walking Tour lead by Eastporter Greg Noyes.

The boat rides and the dinner will begin at 11 a.m. Among the celebrity servers this year are: Laurice Churchill from the Department of Marine Resources, Sebastian Belle of Maine Aquaculture Association, Sanford Kelley of the Maine Wild Blueberry Association, Dr. William Flahive, president of WCTC and his wife, Jean, representing the St. Croix Heritage Commission.

Eastport’s own favorite couple, Nate and Mim Cohen will be on hand to greet people.

Other celebrity servers include several political candidates as well as Jan Smith and Rick Tyler of Channel 2, Bruce Kyle, the Bangor Daily News’s assistant editorial page editor, and mystery author Sarah Graves.

This year’s menu includes grilled salmon with Raye’s mustard sauce, rice pilaf, carrots and peas. Dessert is Blueberry Delight, a luscious blend of whipping cream, sugar and frozen blueberries.

“It makes a pretty plate,” Peterson said. “It is almost like an ice cream, it is so good.”

Again, this year, there will be a Fine Arts and Crafts exhibit with more than 40 crafters and artists.

The ever-popular tour of Raye’s Mustard Mill will begin at 11 a.m. People interested in maritime life Down East can take a tour of the Quoddy Maritime Museum and Visitors Center. Art lovers can stop at the Eastport Art Gallery or tour the Lupine Arts and Music Gallery on Water Street or the Earth Forms Gallery behind La Sardina Loca.

For stamp collectors there will be a special commemorative cancellation offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the pier by the Eastport breakwater off Water Street, next to the salmon barbecue tent.

The price for the dinner is $10 for children and $12 for adults.

Anyone interested in contributing a salmon or blueberry recipe can send it to: Jett Peterson, Weston House, 26 Boynton St., Eastport, Maine 04631. Or they can leave recipes at the ticket counter when they pick up their dinner or boat tickets.

Steve McKay’s Favorite Salmon Ring

3 eggs beaten

16 ounces (2 cups) red salmon, drained and flaked

1 cup fine dried bread crumbs

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

2 tablespoons minced onion or 2 teaspoons instant minced onion

3/4 cup milk

1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a 11/2-quart, glass casserole, combine all ingredients and mix well. Move mixture away from center and place glass to make the ring shape. Microwave uncovered on high 8 minutes or until mixture is set around glass. Remove glass and invert onto serving plate. Serves 6.

Oven-Roasted Salmon Fillets with Tomato, Cucumber and Basil Beurre Blanc

6 salmon fillets

2 large shallots, finely chopped

3/4 cup dry white wine (vermouth can also be used)

1 stick cold unsalted butter cut into tablespoons

2 peeled, seeded, and cubed Roma tomatoes

1 small pickling cucumber, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup chiffonade (finely sliced) fresh basil leaves.

Tomato, Cucumber & Basil Beurre Blanc

Place chopped shallots and wine in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce to about 2 tablespoons liquid. Lower heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter at a time, whisking constantly until almost blended. When all the butter is incorporated, the mixture should be warm and thickened. Do not let the sauce become too hot or boil because it will separate. Should that happen, lift sauce from burner, add a tablespoon of butter and whisk to cool down. Then return to heat and finish adding the remaining butter.

The tomato, cucumber and basil are added to the beurre blanc sauce just before serving. Keep plain sauce warm, if needed, over warm water or in a warmed Add to the sauce the tomatoes, cucumber and fresh basil leaves.

Salmon Fillets

Preheat oven to 500F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with PAM. Arrange salmon fillets on foil leaving space between each one. Rub each fillet lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place salmon in oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove and serve with the Tomato, Cucumber & Basil Beurre Blanc sauce.

To serve: Place fillets on a warmed plate, spoon on sauce and serve.

Oven-Roasted Salmon with Passion Fruit Sauce and Fresh Wild Blueberry-Nectarine and Mint Salsa

1 side of salmon

2 firm ripe nectarines

11/2 cups Maine blueberries

1/3 -1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

4 tablespoons Passion Fruit Sauce (available from Dave’s Gourmet at 1-800-0372)

Mix fruit and mint together. Toss gently and let it rest at room temperature until ready to serve.

Oven-Roasted Salmon

Place salmon on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with PAM. Coat salmon with olive oil and Passion Fruit Sauce. Bake in 500 F oven for 10-12 minutes.

To serve: Salsa can be “draped” over a portion of the roasted salmon. Serve remaining salsa on the side. Fillets are equally good and just as pretty. A garnish of fresh mint and daylilies also add to the beauty and taste.