Salmon – Grow. Cook. Eat.

January 17, 2011

Nothing but the Real Thing (Recipe: Arctic Char with Soy – Orange Glaze)

I am the queen of substitution. If a recipe calls for pork, I may make it with venison, duck or tuna. And if a recipe calls for tahini, and I don’t have any on hand, I’ll use what I have – either sesame oil or grind toasted sesame seeds.

No different in making Thomas Keller’s Pacific Moi with Fresh Soybeans, Scallion and Radish Salad, and Soy Temple Orange Glaze. I use salmon or arctic char in place of the moi, and Tropicana in place of the fresh squeezed Temple Orange Juice. The dish is exceptional even with my substitutions.

But one day last spring, I took it too far. When fava beans were in season, I opted to use them instead of the edamame. I knew the flavor would be different, but the color and size were similar so it seemed like an appropriate seasonal substitution. Oh, how wrong was I! First, the mealy texture detracted from the dish and the flavor did nothing to enhance the dish. I realized that the soy-beans played a critical role in the flavor profile of this dish.

This week, I had daikon and carrots in the fridge, leftover from a friend’s CSA. I decided to make this dish again, but using the soy beans as originally called for in the dish.

Some things just shouldn’t be messed with.

Arctic Char with Radish Salad, Soy Beans and Orange Glaze

2 lbs. Arctic Char
2 scallions, julienned
1 carrot, julienned
3 radishes, julienned
½ carrot, finely diced
¼ celery stalk, finely diced
¼ leek, finely diced
1 tomato, finely diced
1 stick butter
1 tbs. soy sauce
2 cups orange juice
¼ cup fresh soy beans
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
plain oil for cooking

1. Place orange juice in a pot, and cook over high heat until reduced by to about ½ cup. Remove from heat and whisk in 3 tbs. butter. Season with soy sauce. Set aside in a warm place.

2. Combine scallions, carrot julienne and radish julienne in a bowl. Season with lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Melt 2 tbs. butter over medium heat. Add carrot dice, celery dice and leek dice. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add soy beans tomatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper

4. Season fish with salt and pepper. Heat skillet over high heat, add plain oil. Cook fish on first side until brown and crispy, flip and cook for just a minute more on the second side.

5. Serve fish with glaze, small dice of vegetables, and scallion salad

Thanks to David for taking photos.

August 12, 2010

Salmon Belly

After the trip to the farmers’ market, I bopped over to New Deal Fish Market. On Mondays they don’t open until the can get a fresh fish delivery so I waited until 3pm.

I requested a piece of salmon from the thick end. The owner of the store assured me the salmon was sushi grade – a good thing to know when you might consider serving fish rare or raw.

When I got home, I noticed the thin belly-flap. Some fish-mongers may trim this section away because it’s fattier than the center portion. And it has the added challenge of cooking properly – it cooks through so quickly that it would be grossly overcooked before the rest of the fillet is even medium rare.

Knowing that the grade of fish was suitable for eating raw, I opted to slice it off and turn it into a small appetizer. With thin slices of cucumber from the garden, I seasoned it with kaffir lime, chilies and scallions. I drizzled a sweet and sour glaze on top and garnished it with fried shallots.

This turned out to be a refreshingly light way to start off a summer meal.

Salmon and Cucumber Carpaccio
½ cup white vinegar
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 salmon belly
1 cucumber
1 kaffir lime, thinly sliced
1 small red chili, thinly sliced
1 scallion thinly sliced
Sea salt
1 tbs. fried shallots

1. In a small stainless steel pot, combine the vinegar and sugar. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Add the chili and fish sauce and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat.

2. With a sharp knife, thinly slice the salmon across the grain. Lay the slices on a serving plate. Thinly slice the cucumber and layer it along the salmon.

3. Season the salmon with the kaffir, scallions and sea salt. Drizzle the vinegar reduction on top. Garnish with fried shallots.

From the Garden: Cucumbers, Chili, Scallions

Salmon Filet Photo Credit: SFT Japan

August 10, 2010

Regeneration (Recipe: Roast Salmon with Tomatoes and Potatoes

Subsequent crops of garlic are generated from the previous year’s harvest. Farmers reserve the largest cloves and then plant them in mid-September. The following July, each clove will have sprouted a new bulb.

When I decided to grow garlic for the first time last year, I didn’t have bulbs which I could replant. I didn’t trust supermarket garlic as I know that some commercial varieties are bred to *not* sprout: fine for long-term storage, not fine for growing new garlic. Instead I ordered 3 bulbs from Seeds of Change for $15.

The yield was decent: about ½ pound of scapes and 20+ bulbs. Some of the bulbs were decent sized, but many were small-ish. Was this a result of inadequate sun and fertilization? Perhaps, the smaller, internal cloves produced smaller bulbs? Or maybe it was just the variety of seed I bought (it was rather random how I chose). I’m not sure the cause but I’m hesitant to replant the smaller cloves. And I don’t have enough of the larger bulbs to yield a sufficient crop for next year.

Yesterday, I walked over to the Central Square farmers’ market. I really didn’t need any veggies as my backyard is bursting with tomatoes, cucumbers and kale. But I was having guests for dinner and thought perhaps I would supplement my bounty.

A Dick’s Farmstead, garlic bulbs spilled out from the display. At $1.50 per bulb, this seemed like an economical solution to getting seed garlic. I confirmed with the farmer that his garlic was suitable for planting. I will store it in the basement until the timing is right in September. I put several bulbs (a bag of peaches) in my bag.

Feeling good that I supported my local farmer, I went home otherwise empty-handed. I decided to make do with what I already had.

Roast Salmon with Tomatoes and Potatoes

4 salmon fillets
1 tsp. aleppo chili powder
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. honey
3-4 medium sized, ripe tomatoes
2 scallions
1 small chili
4 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes
3 tbs. butter
large fistful of fresh basil
1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. canola oil
salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

1. Season salmon with salt, pepper and aleppo chili powder. Set aside (in the fridge) until ready to cook.

2. In a small stainless steel pot, reduce the balsamic vinegar until 1/4 cup remains. Mix 1 tbs. of balsamic reduction with honey. Brush glaze on top of salmon.

3. Dice tomatoes. Mix with basil (not all of it), scallions, chili and olive oil. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

4. Cut potatoes into a dice. Put them in a pot with cold, salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 5 – 10 minutes more. Timing depends on how small you cut the potatoes — smaller potatoes will cook more quickly. Drain the potatoes. Set aside until just before serving.

5. Put salmon on a sheet tray. Place under broiler for 10 minutes or until it the salmon begins to brown. Switch the oven to bake (375F) and cook for 5 minutes more.

6. Just before serving, reheat the potatoes with the butter. Toss in the remaining basil and season with lemon juice.

From the garden: tomatoes, scallions, basil, chili

From the farm: potatoes

July 6, 2010

Drought-Like (Recipe: Horseradish Crusted Salmon with Beet Lyonnaise)

We haven’t had rain in New England in about 2 weeks, and there is none in the forecast for the next one. Temperatures are predicted to hit 90F every day this week. Technically, though, this is not a drought. Perhaps, the water tables are still high from the flooding we had in March.

Drought or no drought, my garden is parched as can be. On the bright side, it makes weeding much easier. The soil is so dry that the weeds, roots and all, pluck out easily.

If I were to employ proper watering technique, I would need to water only every 3 days. That means saturating the soil 6 – 8 inches deep. While the moisture from the top layer is susceptible to evaporation, this gives a buffer and the roots can still pull the moisture up. When I water, I only manage to get about 1 inch deep. I think it’s just a matter of patience, or lack thereof. I water for about 15 minutes and then I get bored… I really need a sprinkler system to spray for at least one hour.

The other factor to consider when watering is the timing: water either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The foliage needs a chance to dry before the sun hits them. Otherwise the leaves will burn. Also, this gives the water a chance to seep deep into the soil before evaporating from the heat of the sun.

Despite my less than stellar watering habits, I was still able to harvest several beets. And they were as sweet as can be.

Pistachio and Horseradish Crusted Salmon with Beet Lyonnaise

This recipe is adapted from Daniele Baliani. We worked together under Lydia Shire, and again when I had my business Interactive Cuisine. Today, you can find him heading up the kitchen at Il Casale.

Beet Lyonnaise

1medium onion, julienned
4 medium sized beets, peeled and sliced
2 oz. double smoked bacon

Salmon

2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
4 salmon filets
2 tbs. prepared horseradish
1/2 cup crushed pistachios
Salt and pepper to taste

1. For the beets: place the bacon in a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat. Add the smoked bacon., and cook until it begins to release its fat. Add the julienned onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add the sliced beets. Continue cooking over medium high heat until the beets are tender (Note: as the beets cook they will release a bit of water. If the heat is too low, the beets will release too much water and boil and you will end up with beet soup! If the heat is too high, they will stick to the pan and burn! Be careful and watch this step closely) Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. For the salmon: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper. In a medium skillet, add 2 tbs. of olive oil. Brown salmon on both sides and transfer filets to a cookie sheet. Rub each filet with the prepared horseradish. Sprinkle pistachios on top of the filets. And bake for 7 – 10 minutes until a crust has formed.

You can serve the salmon with a watercress salad, I opted for a bed of wilted kale from the garden.

From the garden: beets, garlic, kale

March 17, 2010

Rich Man, Poor Man (Recipe: Lentils and Foie Gras)

Chefs have long paired pauper ingredients with luxurious ingredients to create a new level of refinement and balance. Cabbage and Truffles; Potatoes and Caviar; and Hot Dog Rolls with Lobster Salad.

For the same effect, Jean Georges Vongerichten poaches foie gras in lentils for an alluring juxtaposition of luxury, richness and texture. I happened to have more foie gras in the freezer….

(As a side note, I wanted to let you know that despite what it may seem with the regularity of foie gras posts, I do have a more balanced diet. But since they come in 1 pound lobes, I invariably have a left over chunk to indulge with at a later time).

His recipe called for poaching a full lobe in the lentils. To me this seemed overly decadent and not the best way to lure out the foie gras’ refined flavor. I prefer foie gras when it’s seared to crusty brown. But in a nod to the Jean-Georges, I melted a small piece of foie gras in the lentils to infuse some of the distinct flavor.

Lentils, red wine sauce and salmon on its own is a wonderful flavor pairing. The foie gras adds a new dimension, though this meal would be fabulous without it.

Seared Salmon with Lentils and Red Wine Reduction

1 tbs. plain oil
4 – 6 oz. salmon filets
1 cup pinot noir or other red wine
1/2 lemon juiced
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 cup chicken broth or water
butter
salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

Lentils
1 tbs. butter
1 shallot, small dice
1/2 carrot, small dice
1/4 celery rib, small dice
1/2 leek, small dice
1 sprig thyme
1 cup French green lentils
1 oz. foie gras
2 scallion, cut into rounds

Cook the lentils: Over medium heat sweat shallots, celery, carrots and leeks in 1 tbs. of butter. Add lentils, salt and pepper and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Add the foie gras and simmer for 5 minutes more. When lentils are cooked, stir in scallions.

Cook the salmon: Season salmon with salt and pepper. Let salmon rest, skin side down on a paper towel to make sure skin is dry.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil. Carefully, place salmon, skin side down in the skillet. Do not poke or prod, when the skin is crispy, the salmon will easily come off bottom of pan. Flip over, and continue cooking until desired doneness. Remove salmon from pan, and keep in a warm place while preparing sauce. If you are serving foie gras, you can sear it in the hot, salmon pan at this point

Make the wine sauce: Pour off excess fat from the salmon/foie pan. Return pan to heat, add shallots, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until soft. Add wine, and let it reduce to about 1/4 cup. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil and reduce by half again. Turn the heat off, and whisk in butter, 2 tbs. at a time – for a total of 1 stick of butter (or more depending on your taste). Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and a small squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve lentils with salmon, wilted spinach and seared foie gras. Drizzle sauce around the plate.

August 11, 2009

Summer Trilogy

One of the best parts of summer (right behind the Crane's Beach and fried clams on the Essex River) is all the fresh produce available at farmers' markets and from my garden. I could subsist on tomatoes, corn and fresh herbs.

The garden tomatoes are still producing (and as I back-up, the farmers' at the weekly markets still have field tomatoes). My romas are a bit mealy — is it the variety or all the rain we've had this summer? Whatever the reason, they are better for cooking anyway. And the cooking changes the texture so that mealiness disappears. I slow roast them in the style of Fred Flintstone tomato sauce.

Grilled corn is wonderful, but I also like it sauteed in butter with a touch of cream and a pinch of curry powder.

And to make the trilogy pop with color, I saute zucchini with fresh mint.

In the summertime, my cooking simplifies. While baked salmon doesn't have the crispy brown skin that's only achieved from sauteing, it's so much easier. I cover the fillets with fresh basil and tarragon, and layer lemon slices on top. The flavor is wonderful, the fish is moist and delicate and the presentation's okay too.

Roasted Salmon with Creamed Corn, Roasted Tomatoes and Zucchini

6 – 8 oz. filets of salmon, skin on
3 ears of corn, kernels cut off
1 tbs. butter
5 shallots, diced
5 cloves garlic, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 cup cream
1/2 tsp. curry powder
4 roma tomatoes, cut in half
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chiffonade
1 tsp. fresh thyme
1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 tablespoon fresh mint
2 lemons: 1 juiced, 1 sliced thinly
1 fistful of fresh basil and tarragon
plain oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Toss tomatoes with 1 tbs. olive oil, thyme, 1 tbs. chopped shallots and 1 tsp. garlic. Roast in 450F oven, until tomatoes begin to brown. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with fresh basil.

4. Melt butter in a skillet. Add corn, 1 tbs. chopped shallots and 1 tsp. garlic. Cook until garlic and corn begin to brown. Add curry powder and cook for 1 minute more. Add cream, and cook for 5 minutes, or until cream is reduced by 1/2. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

5. In a skillet, heat remaining oil on high heat. Add zucchini and garlic slices. Cook until the zucchini turns bright green and the garlic browns. Season to taste with mint, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

6. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Cover the fillets with fresh herbs and layer lemon slices on top. Roast in 375 oven for 10 minutes, or until cooked to desired doneness. Garnish with corn, tomatoes and zucchini.

June 16, 2009

Herbalicious

I favor the soft herbs — tarragon, basil, chervil, chives. On the other end of the spectrum – rosemary, sage, and oregano – the flavors tend to overpower. Too often, cooks have a heavy hand with the hard herbs, and ruin an otherwise good dish.

But back to the soft herbs… They can be mixed with lettuces for a salad or blended together for my cherished dreamy green goddess. Or, mixed with soft butter to make a compound butter.

Compound butter is versatile. I rub a few tablespoons under the skin of chicken breasts before roasting

Or finish a tomato sauce with the butter for salmon.

Or toss steamed asparagus in it.

Herb Butter
1 tbs. fresh tarragon
1 tbs. fresh chives or scallions
1 tbs. fresh parsley or chervil
1 tbs. fresh basil
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
1 stick butter
salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop herbs and spices. Mix with butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I'm submitting this recipe to the Weekend Herb Blogging #188, hosted this week by the ever-charming Graziana of Erbe in Cucina – Cooking with Herbs. This event was originally started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen, and is now organized by Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once. For more information, see the rules, hosting schedule, and weekly recaps for WHB.

March 11, 2009

Cook. Eat. Grow? (Recipe: Salmon Teriyaki)

When I started this blog, I wanted to write all about the food cycle – from growing and raising our food in the fields, to cooking it in the kitchen, and finally enjoying the meal around the dining room table. When I referred to “grow”, I specifically thought of the beginning of the cycle – what happens in the fields; and not of the end of the cycle: what happens to our bellies.

With several friends on diets, I’m reminded that I can still afford to lose a few pounds, too, and have pulled out a few healthy recipes of my own.

One of my favorites is Salmon Teriyaki with Soba Noodle Salad. The teriyaki sauce has minimal added fat and makes a great marinade for the fish and dressing for the noodles. Soba noodles, which are high in fiber and protein, offer a great alternative to steamed rice or even brown rice. And mixed with julienne of vegetables, you have a complete meal.

Salmon Teriyaki with Soba Noodle Salad

1 teaspoon butter

1teaspoon chopped garlic

1teaspoon chopped ginger

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup sugar

2 tablespoons mirin

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

4 – 6 oz. salmon or arctic char files

8 oz. soba noodles

Lots of Julienne vegetables: carrots, scallions, cucumbers, red peppers and avocadoes are my favorites

1 kaffir lime leave, finely chopped

1. In a small skillet, melt butter over medium flame. Add garlic and ginger and cook until they become aromatic, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the soy sauce, sugar, mirin and vinegar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking on high heat for about 1 minute or until sauce starts to thicken. Let cool.

3. Use half the teriyaki sauce to marinade the salmon.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add soba noodles. Cook according to package directions (this can vary from 4 minutes to 8 minutes, depending on the brand). When noodles are cooked, drain and rinse under cold running water.

5. Toss noodles with remaining teriyaki sauce, vegetables and kaffir lime leaves.

6. Put salmon in an over-proof dish and broil for 5 minutes, or until the teriyaki starts to brown and glaze the fish. Turn the oven to bake to finish cooking the fish – timing depends on the thickness of the filets, but can take another 5 minutes.

August 16, 2008

Farm Share Thursday

My neighbors were on vacation this week, and they offered me their weekly CSA subscription box. The vegetables come from Parker Farm. I knew Steve Parker back when he used to deliver to restaurants. He also used to be a fixture at the Central Square Farmer’s Market, but this year he’s only at the Saturday’s Market in Union Square, Somerville. I especially like to support the farmers I know.

In the spirit of Farm Share Tuesday, I invited a few friends over to enjoy a dinner in the garden eating farm fresh food.In my box this week: yellow carrots, cucumbers, corn, sweet onions, radishes and arugula. To add to the bounty, I still had a few things left from my visit to the farm: Cherokee purple and turtle gold tomatoes, eggs and new potatoes. And to round out the offerings: fresh herbs and celery in the garden.

With Dina in the house, I had to make my now famous Smoked Chicken Salad¸ tossed with celery, carrots, and onion tops, mixed with mayonnaise. I canned peachy mamas at the farm, which made a lovely hors d’œuvre to accompany the chicken, served with crackers. Or if someone has celiac disease, you can use cucumber slices instead of crackers.

The main meal, which coincidentally was gluten-free, manifested itself into: Arugula, Tomatoes and Cucumber, Simply Dressed with Basil, Lemon and Olive Oil

Creamed Corn – the surprise hit of the night

Tortilla Espangola with Smoked Tomato Ketchup

Vietnamese Crepes

(Makes 16 8” crepes)

1/2 Pound Rice Flour
2 Ounces Corn Starch
2 Eggs
1 ½ Cups Coconut Milk
1 Cup Water
2 Teaspoons Salt
2 Teaspoons Turmeric
4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1 Pound Carrots, Peel, Julienned Or Shredded
6 Red Radishes, Julienned Or Shredded
½ Cup Mint Leaves, Julienned
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Cup Vinegar
1 Cup Sugar
Pinch Chili Flakes
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce

Combine corn starch, rice flour, salt and turmeric in a bowl. Stir in eggs, coconut milk and water. Add more water if the batter is too thick, more rice flour if too thin.
Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high flame. Add 1 tbs. of oil, or enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add 1/3 cup batter to pan, swirl around to create a thin layer.
Cook crepe until crepe is crispy and brown on the bottom. Fold crepe in half. Repeat process with remaining batter.
Mix carrots and radish with salt and let rest for ½ hour, or until carrots are soft. Add mint.
Combine remaining ingredients for sauce in a stainless steel sauce pot. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.
Combine carrots/radish with sauce.
Serve crepes with salad.