Salmon Recipe

This has been quite a hot topic lately.  I have had roughly 25 requests for my butter-basted salmon recipe.  I had it on the menu for a while as well as featured it in one of my cooking classes.  Here is the recipe for the class...

Butter-basted Wild Salmon with Fennel Marmalade and 

Fork Mashed Potatoes with Olive Oil, Parsley and Sel Gris

1 lb Wild Salmon fillet

3 heads fennel

1 anchovy, rinsed and cleaned

2 T capers, rinsed

1 clove garlic, minced

4 servings new crop (baby) potatoes

8 oz cold cubed butter

1 lemon

3 sprigs thyme

2 T parsley, minced

Sel gris

Extra virgin olive oil

Fennel Marmalade

1.     Using a mandoline, shave fennel into a small pot. Reserve fronds for salmon.

2.     Mince anchovy, garlic, capers and 1 t thyme leaves and add to fennel pot.

3.     Add 2 T olive oil and put over low heat.  Cover and cook until fennel is melted, about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.  If needed, add water 1 T at a time to prevent burning

Potatoes

1.     Put potatoes in large pot and add enough cold water to cover potatoes by 3 inches.  Add remaining thyme and season with salt.  Put over high heat until pot comes to boil, turn down to simmer and cook until potatoes are very tender. 

2.     Remove from water, fork mash and sprinkle with parsley, sel gris and really nice olive oil.

Salmon

1.     Preheat oven (or grill) to 375 F.

2.     In small sauce pan over medium-low heat add 1 T water and juice from lemon.  Whisk in butter a few cubes at a time, if mixture starts to boil (or break) lower heat.  You want the butter to emulsify and stay creamy, not to separate.  When all butter has been emulsified toss in reserved fennel fronds and remove from heat.

3.     Liberally season salmon with salt and fresh pepper.  Brush roasting pan with emulsified butter and add salmon skin side down.  Brush salmon with emulsified butter and put in oven.  Continue to baste with the butter every ten minutes or so until fish is cooked to your liking.  Insert a knife into the middle of the fish, if the knife comes out just warm the fish is MR, if the knife is very warm, almost hot the fish is M-MW, and for well done the knife needs to come out HOT and you need to order take-out.

4.     Serve along side marmalade and potatoes.