In our 1982 feature, “Top Sauces: The Best Eight BBQ Sauces in the West,” we searched high and low for the awesomest sauces. And while some entries were wholly bizarre (including one recipe that called for a pound of honey and 12 ounces of raspberry jam and another that used 30€”30!€”cups of ketchup), the greatest concoctions stood the test of time. Here was our number one pick, a sweet sauce for salmon by David Wei. We’re grateful that the recipe aged a bit better than ’80s eyewear (but, let’s face it, Wei pulls it off).

Credit: Raeff Miles/Western Living August 1982

David Wei’s Salmon Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

…” cup Miracle Whip salad dressing, or other variety
…“ cup melted butter
1 heaping tbsp liquid honey
1 tbsp white vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
½ tsp chopped dill
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Make It

Mix ingredients until smooth. Brush sauce on both sides of salmon fillet or steak, and grill one side about six inches from the coals until sauce browns. Turn fish over. Coat top with a little more sauce, and cook fish until sauce on top glazes over. Serve more sauce alongside at the table.

Alyssa Hirose

Alyssa Hirose

Alyssa Hirose is a Vancouver-based writer, editor, illustrator and comic artist. Her work has been featured in Vancouver magazine, Western Living, BCBusiness, Avenue, Serviette, Geist, BCLiving, Nuvo, Montecristo, The Georgia Straight and more. Her beats are food, travel, arts and culture, style, interior design and anything dog-related. She publishes a daily autobiographical comic on Instagram at @hialyssacomics.