Melissa made this one a couple weeks ago, and we're both still raving about it. I don't know how or where she found it, but it was tailor-made for your truly. It's…
Salmon with Martini Sauce
You'll need:
1 cup dry vermouth
2oz minced shallots
1 teaspoon lightly crushed juniper berries
1 teaspoon lightly crushed green peppercorns
4oz clam juice
Half a cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 skinless salmon filets
Half a teaspoon of chopped parsley
1 tablespoon dry gin (whatever brand you use to make you martinis)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Remember your favorite 8-inch saucepan from a few weeks ago? Put the vermouth, shallots, junipers, and green peppercorns in there, and reduce the hell out of it. Like, down to less than a quarter cup. Should take seven or eight minutes, maybe less. Pour in the clam juice and reduce by half. Now do the same with the cream, reducing until the whole thing is down to less than half a cup.
Don't think you can measure that exactly without a measuring cup? Don't worry about it. You know what a good sauce looks like – so just keep reducing until it looks like that.
Whisk in the butter to finish the sauce, then strain out all the shallots and various berries. Pour the strained sauce right back into your pan. Keep it on low heat while we get to the rest.
Now get out your ten-inch skillet for the salmon. Get your olive oil up to medium high in there, and season the fish with salt and pepper and the parsley. Sauté about four minutes on each side.
After you flip the salmon, bring the heat under the sauce up to medium. Stir in the gin and lemon juice, and add salt & pepper to taste.
Take the salmon out of the skillet, and plate it. Pour the sauce on top.
Serve with angel hair pasta and the thickest asparagus you can find.
What, no wine recommendation? Hell, no! Instead, make a pitcher of martinis, using the same gin you used in the sauce. Whatever you use to garnish your cocktail (olives, lemon zest, etc), add a three or four on top of the salmon.
You'll be talking about this one for weeks, too.
Any thoughts on a substitue for clam juice? (To make this kosher.) Olive juice perhaps?
What?!? Stir in gin? Not vodka? Is this vodkapundit or ginpundit?
I need a drink!
"Any thoughts on a substitue for clam juice? (To make this kosher.) Olive juice perhaps?"
Use fish stock.
But what if my gin of choice is Beefeaters?
Stephen,
I see Melissa is out to displace you as the Green family chef of accomplishment.
Already cut and past to my recipe files.
Mike
But, if you're in a hurry, this may do the trick.
Moist Poached Salmon (2 Servings)
2 salmon steaks, or fillets 8oz each (fillets are far better) [Atlantic farm raised salmon work quite well with this recipe]
Salt
2 to 3 cups of water or a combination of water and dry white wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc, but Pinot Grigio should work just as well, whatever you'd like to drink with the meal is best {I use 2 parts wine - 1 part water})
1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds
Bay leaf
Arrange salmon in a single layer in a skillet that is 2 inches deep. Season with salt. Add enough liquid to completely cover the salmon ; add the coriander seeds and bay leaf.
Slowly bring the liquid barely to a simmer.
Reduce heat to low, cover the skillet and simmer for 3-4 minutes, or until the salmon looks opaque.
Turn heat off and let stand covered for 10 minutes, or until you are finished eating your "greens"
Do you have any recipes for Tuna Steaks?
