Wood-Grilled Salmon

This past weekend Matt and I watched an episode of Cooks Country on PBS. I usually don't watch cooking shows on PBS because they are on at weird times here in San Diego, but at the moment all we do is stay in the house and take care of the baby, so we stumbled upon it. In this particular episode they grilled salmon over cedar wood chips. Both of us thought that the recipe deserved to be made by us. I have to say that we were not disappointed at all. The salmon was perfectly cooked and it had just the right amount of cedar smoke. You *must* use the cedar chips for this recipe; don't even think about using hickory or mesquite. I paired the salmon with Jasmine rice and braised collard greens with pancetta. The meal was just divine! We will definitely be making the salmon again.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 4 skin-on salmon fillets (each 6 to 8 ounces and 1 1/4 inches thick)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups wood chips , soaked for 15 minutes to 30 minutes

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine sugar, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic in small bowl. Pat salmon dry with paper towels. Brush flesh side of salmon with oil and sprinkle with sugar mixture.
2. Make four 7- by 5-inch trays using heavy-duty aluminum foil. Using tip of knife, perforate bottom of each tray. Divide wood chips among trays and place salmon skin-side down on top of wood chips.
3. Place trays with salmon over hot fire and grill, covered, until center of each fillet is still just translucent, about 10 minutes. Remove trays from grill.
4. Slide metal spatula between skin and flesh of fish and transfer to platter. Serve with Jasmine rice or your favorite side dish.

Pan-Seared Salmon with Yam-Red Bell Pepper Curry Sauce

I learned from cooking classes that I've taken, and from professional chefs, that good, beautiful food takes time. Lots of time. The reason why food we eat at our favorite restaurants is consistently good and beautiful is because they've already prepared most of the major components, such as sauces or gastriques or spice mixtures, ahead of time. The recipe below is something you can start the night before. You can make the curry sauce and refrigerate and just slowly reheat the next day. Make the gastrique that morning and keep it a room temperature. And about half and hour before you eat, make the mashed turnips and sauteed greens and salmon. Of course, you can save lots of time by using a jarred curry sauce and blending it with some cooked yams and roasted red bell peppers.

INGREDIENTS (4 servings)

Salmon

• 4 skin-on salmon fillets, about 6 ounces and 1 to 1-1/4" thick
• Salt & pepper
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped dill
• Mashed turnips (for side dish)
• Sauteed greens, such as spinach or Swiss chard (for side dish)

DIRECTIONS

Run some cold water over fillets to clean; pat dry. Remove any bones. Salt and pepper both sides of fillet. Sprinkle the fresh dill over flesh of each fillet (no need on the skin side).

Heat a 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet (cast iron) for 3 minutes over high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. When oil shimmers (but does not smoke) add fillets skin side down and cook, without moving fillets, until pan regains lost heat, about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium-high; continue to cook until skin side is well browned and bottom half of fillets turns opaque, 4-1/2 minutes.

Turn fillets and cook, without moving them, until they are no longer translucent on the exterior and are firm, but not hard, when gently squeezed: 3 minutes for medium-rare and 3-1/2 minutes for medium. You can easily remove the skin from the salmon at this point with a knife, gently pulling until all skin is removed. Turn the salmon over and sear briefly, or until desired doneness is reached.

Remove fillets from pan; let stand 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Gastrique

• 1/2 cup champagne vinegar
• 1/2 cup blood orange juice
• 4 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup petite diced roma tomato
• 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Combine vinegar and orange juice in small saucepan. Bring to boil and reduce by 1/3. Add sugar and cook until mixture begins to lightly coat a spoon. Remove from heat and add tomato segments and fresh thyme. Let cool to room temperature.

Yam & Red Bell Pepper Curry

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and diced
• 1 or 2 green chiles, seeded and diced
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp corriander powder
• 1/2 tsp chile powder or cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 can of petite-diced or crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup cooked yams, roughly chopped
• 1 roasted red bell pepper, skin removed and seeded and roughly chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the oil or ghee in a sauce pan, wok or pot on medium high.
2. Add the cumin seeds and fry until they start to brown, about 30 seconds.
3. Add the onion and stir well. You want onion to lightly brown and soft (about 5 minutes).
4. Add the garlic, ginger and chiles. When the garlic turns light brown, move to next step.
5. Lower heat a little then add in the rest of the spices and stir well, and cook for another minute or two.
6. Pour in the tomatoes and stir occasionally. Aim for something roughly as thick as tomato sauce; not too watery and not too thick and pasty--this could take up to 15 minutes.
7. Add the salt, cooked yam and roasted red bell peppers. Stir well, to let it absorb the ingredients.
8. Take off the heat and let it cool a little.
9. Add the contents into a blender and puree until very smooth. If too thick, add a little water, a tablespoon at a time.
10. Put the puréed mixture back into the pan and cook for 15 to 20 minutes over very low heat stirring occasionally.
11. To serve, place a dollop of mashed turnips, followed by some sauteed greens in center of 4 plates. Top with pan-seared salmon fillet, and slowly pour a little curry sauce around each plate. Top each fillet with a teaspoon of gastrique.

Grilled Salmon Sandwiches

The Contessa never fails! I got this recipe from Ina Garten's cookbook and I just had to make it because it seemed like such a simple yet healthy meal and, as I mentioned before, my family and I are trying to eat more fish. I am very lucky that there is a fishmonger I can go to and get the freshest catch of the day, and I think that's a big key in this recipe: super fresh salmon fillets. I cut the recipe below in half since it's just me, Matt and Mike, and the portions came out perfectly!

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

• 2 pounds fresh salmon fillets
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

For the sauce:

• 1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 12 fresh basil leaves
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped scallions, (white and green parts)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 teaspoons capers, drained

To assemble:

• 6 fresh white or brioche rolls (4-inch round)
• 1/4 pound mesclun mix or fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS

For the salmon, heat your (coals or propane) outdoor grill and brush the top of the grill with oil. Rub the outside of the salmon with olive oil, salt, and pepper, to taste. Grill for 5 minutes on each side, or until the salmon is almost cooked through. Remove to a plate and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

For the sauce, place the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, basil, dill, scallions, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until combined. Add the capers and pulse 2 or 3 times.

To assemble the sandwiches, slice the rolls in 1/2 crosswise. Spread a tablespoon of sauce on each cut side. On the bottom 1/2, place some mesclun salad and then a piece of salmon. Place the top of the roll on the salmon and serve immediately.

Pan-Seared Salmon with Red Bell Pepper Chutney

Since I've been creating all these fish dishes for the feast of the seven fishes, I've been craving my favorite fish: ahi tuna. Unfortunately, it's not available at my local grocery store because the price has sky rocketed. So, I was thinking about the incredible blackened tuna with five pepper sauce that Matt introduced me to back in Virginia. I wanted to do something similar but this time with salmon and spicy chutney. And after figuring out how to make a sweet/sour/spicy red bell pepper chutney, I put this dish together and, my darling, it was good and slightly spicy!

INGREDIENTS

Chutney (Makes 1 cup. You can make this a couple of days before and refrigerate)

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/8 tsp ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• A healthy pinch (about a heaping teaspoon) of red pepper flakes
• Ground, black pepper
• Kosher salt
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 2 medium red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• Handful of raisins
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup fig vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
• 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Salmon

• 4 Salmon fillets, with skin on and about 1/2" thick
• Salt & pepper
• Olive oil
• 1 Tablespoons dry white wine
• Mashed potatoes

DIRECTIONS

In a sauce pan, heat olive oil on medium and add coriander, allspice, curry powder and cumin and cook spices for one minute. Next add the onions and red pepper flakes and sweat for 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and several grinds of ground black pepper.

Add the red bell peppers and raise heat to medium-high. Sauté for 5 minutes more. Add the raisins, orange juice, vinegar, pomegranate molasses and brown sugar. Add more grinds of black pepper and more salt, if needed, and bring to a boil. Boil for a couple of minutes, then lower heat to simmer, covered, for 30, then uncovered for 30 more minutes, or until chutney thickens and most liquid is absorbed. If not using chutney right away, refrigerate. You can also use this chutney on pork or chicken.

For the salmon: Salt and pepper both sides of salmon fillets. Heat a large non-stick pan (large enough to fit all fillets) on medium-high and add enough olive oil to lightly cover the bottom of pan. When oil begins to lightly smoke, place the fillets skin side down. Cook for 3 minutes. Gently turn over and cook for one minute. Remove from pan. If you're not a salmon skin lover, you can remove the skin at this point.

In the same pan add 1/2 cup of your chutney and a one tablespoon of white wine or water. Bring to a boil. Place the fillets flesh side down over the chutney and simmer for one additional minute.

To serve: Place the salmon over mashed potatoes (I used spinach fettuccini that I lightly dressed with a little olive oil and salt and pepper--I forgot to buy potatoes) then spoon some of the chutney over the salmon and serve.

Salmon Croquettes with Remoulade

I had such a fabulous time in San Francisco because I hung out with my girlfriends who are also foodies like me! We visited the farmer's market by the marina, ate at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and ate a great lunch in Sonoma. I can not remember the name of the restaurant, but I had a very good salmon croquette there. The panko breadcrumbs are a must for this recipe. Yum.... Don't forget to pair with a nice, crips white Sonoma wine or even a rose!

INGREDIENTS (makes 8)

For the remoulade:

• 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon capers
• 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Dash of hot pepper sauce

For the croquettes:

• 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
• 2 large egg whites
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup panko breadcrubms, divided
• 2 6-ounce cans pink salmon, skinless, boneless and drained
• 4 teaspoons butter

DIRECTIONS

To prepare remoulade, combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl; cover and chill.

To prepare croquettes, combine 1/3 cup yogurt, 1 tablespoon mustard and egg whites in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onions and celery; cook 4 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly.

Combine onion mixture, yogurt mixture, 1/2 cup panko, tarragon, pepper and salmon in a bowl; toss gently. Cover and chill 10 minutes.

Divide salmon mixture into 8 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Coat patties evenly with 1/2 cup remaining panko. Cover and chill 20 minutes.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heats. Add patties; reduce heat to medium. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.

To serve,place some remoulade sauce on a plate, place a croquette (or two) over it, then top croquette with a mix of baby-greens salad.

Garlicky Baked Salmon

I've been kind of lax with my postings lately and that has to do with two things: 1. my camera died and I can't take pictures of my food and 2. I haven't been trying any new recipes lately. Anyway, I've been getting into the cooking groove again and I made this very simple but quite flavorful dish. Try to get the freshest salmon for this because it really makes a difference.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

• 2 Salmon fillets, 6 oz. each
• Butter (real butter)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 lemon, cut into slices

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Place a large piece of foil onto a baking sheet (you want the foil to be large enough to create a tent over fish). Smear the center of foil with butter.

Meanwhile, rinse the salmon and pat dry with paper towel. Drizzle olive oil all over both salmon fillets, then season with salt and pepper and divide the garlic on both sides of each fillet.

Place the fillets on top of smeared butter on foil, then place a pat of butter (or two) over each fillet, followed by two slices of lemon over each piece. Bring the corners of foil together to create a tent and make sure all sides a closed tightly.

Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with your favorite side dish (I served it with cannelloni beans and sauteed spinach) however plain white rice and steamed broccoli will also go well with this dish.

Potato-Crusted Salmon Fillet

As the holidays approach, Matt and I have been eating lots of cookies and cakes and breads and we've been going to many holiday parties. So we haven't been really eating very healthy and we've been loading up on carbs. In an effort to eat healthy, I found this recipe. I liked it because it's protein rich and it has just a bit of carbos with the potatoes. Plus, salmon is my favorite fish. A light-oaky chardonnay goes wonderful with this dish.

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

FOR THE FISH

• 3/4 lb salmon fillet with skin on
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 fresh sprigs thyme, leaves stripped from stems
• 1 medium-sized russet potato
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tablespoon olive oil

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• salt and white pepper

DIRECTIONS

Cut the salmon fillet vertically into two strips, one for each serving. Remove the pin bones from the fish with a pair of needle-nose pliers, or by hand if you can get a good grip. Place the strips skin side down and season with the pepper, salt, and thyme.

Peel the potato and slice as thin as possible (the should be flexible and translucent) with a mandoline or sharp knife. Cut the cloves of garlic in half lengthwise, score the cut surfaces with a knife, and rub garlic over the potato slices. Cover the surface of the salmon with a layer of the potato slices. Add a second layer, draping it from the top over the sides of the fish.

For the sauce: Melt butter in a small saucepan over a medium flame. Once it is melted and bubbling, add the flour and stir thoroughly until a uniform paste is formed. Continue cooking until the roux just starts to brown. Add a quarter of the milk, and whisk to incorporate. Repeat three more times until all the milk has been added. Lower the flame to prevent boiling. Cook, stirring a couple of times, for five minutes, then whisk in the mustard. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed.

Heat a large skillet over a medium flame. Once the pan is hot, add the olive oil. It should shimmer, and begin to just barely smoke. Place the fish potato side down in the pan. Be careful not to bend the fish. Cook for two minutes. Once a crispy crust is formed, carefully turn the fish over so that the skin side is down. The potato crust should be a lovely golden brown.

Continue to cook until the skin becomes crisp and the fish is medium rare to medium. This should take about four or five minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. A small knife tip in the side of the fish can be used to check doneness.

To serve, place the fish potato-side up and drizzle some of the Dijon sauce on the side. Serve with a side of sauteed spinach and sauteed baby carrots.