Salmon are perhaps the most visually striking of the world's fish. Sleek and silvery, they are aquatic vertebrates of grace and beauty with buttery and succulent flesh. It's no wonder that gastronomes have long considered the fish one of the ocean's great natural delicacies, even when unadorned. In fact, revered chef August Escoffier, in his well-known 1903 tome, Le Guide Culinaire, insists that salmon should be "served as plainly as possible."

As its name implies, it's neither red-fleshed nor white, making it an exceptionally accommodating wine companion. Depending on the preparation, salmon dishes can be paired with a spectrum of wines, including Champagne, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Because of its rich, opulent character, the fish stands up well to spices and herbs, and has enough stage presence to play a seminal role in holiday entertaining. "I have been cooking salmon for 30 years and I must have 200 recipes for it in my head," says Jasper White, executive chef-owner of Summer Shack restaurants in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Mohegan, Connecticut. He is especially fond of his Pacific Northwest salmon chowder, noting, "The distinctive flavor of salmon combines beautifully with the other chowder ingredients and makes a splendid winter feast."

At Aqua in San Francisco and Nob Hill in Las Vegas, Chef Michael Mina also uses salmon as the canvas and seasonal ingredients as the palette. "In the spring, I serve pinwheels of king salmon, slowly cooked in lobster-clarified butter accompanied by creamy morels, spring asparagus and fava bean-lobster-stuffed agnolotti. In summer, I poach or grill it; in the autumn, I might pan-roast it with root vegetables." During the winter, he prepares Wellington of salmon, a play on the better-known beef Wellington, made with foie gras, black truffles, braised cabbage and apples. The result makes for a hearty, bone-warming dish. "A bubbly, crisp, clean and acidic Champagne or sparkling wine balances out the high fat content of the salmon," he says.

Salmon, unlike most foods, has the uncanny ability to be matched to wine by texture -- either complementary or in counterpoint -- as well as by its saucing. So while a lean, crisp sparkler will, indeed, cleanse the fat from the palate, a rich, yeasty and mature Champagne marries just as well. And it doesn't matter whether it's a rosé, blanc de blancs or vintage brut because salmon can't be easily overwhelmed. Butter-based sauces are natural fits for big California Chardonnays or white Burgundy from Puligny and Meursault. One could even pair an off-dry white from Vouvray with a salmon glazed by its own caramelized sugars or a fruity sauce. Simply grilled or broiled, salmon has a real affinity for medium-weight Pinots, Cru Beaujolais and even Barberas from Piedmont's Asti or Alba areas.

Other than a flattering wine, salmon's unparalleled taste needs very little embellishment. "Basically, there are only two things you can do wrong in cooking salmon," says Christopher Steinbock, executive chef of Perlot in the Hotel Majestic in San Francisco. "You can buy fish that's inferior or over-cook it." Steinbock developed an appreciation for salmon while working as a teenager with his father, noted chef Tom Douglas of Etta's Seafood, Palace Kitchen and Dahlia Lounge in Seattle. "I grew up smoking salmon, poaching it or cooking it on a cedar plank, but most of the time we simply grilled it to perfection, then served it with simple accompaniments, and let it do the talking,"
he recalls. Today Steinbock is reinterpreting classic recipes such as salmon en papillote garnished with a julienne of fresh vegetables and herbs.

Yet salmon also lends itself to assertive adornments. Bright, acidic sauces - those made with lemon, capers, sorrel, tomatoes and fruit vinegars - work well because they cut through some of the fish's inherent richness. Conversely, salmon's luxuriant qualities can be heightened with sauces made of butter, cream, crème fraîche or sour cream. Asian marinades and sauces that include soy sauce, ginger, garlic, hot peppers and sesame oil enhance salmon without overwhelming its intrinsic flavor. Cooking methods broaden its range - it can be served raw, smoked, poached, grilled, steamed or baked. Even the skin, broiled or grilled crisp, is savored, and the females' roe is often used in place of sturgeon caviar. In short, the list of possibilities for salmon is quite long.

For example, Ris Lacoste, executive chef of Restaurant 1789 in Washington, D.C., serves a novel "salmon martini," unimpeachably fresh, raw salmon tossed with lemon juice and cucumber "noodles" and topped with caviar. "A good, yeasty, lean Champagne or sparkling wine is a great counterpoint with the rich taste of salmon and the caviar," Lacoste says.

At De La Tierra at Sundy House in Delray Beach, Florida, executive chef Johnny Vinczencz spices up a Hanukkah specialty - chive-potato latkes, chunky papaya-applesauce and a dill-shallot sauce on the side - with farm-raised or wild sockeye salmon that he cold-smokes, then grills.

In addition to how it's prepared, the salmon's flavor will vary according to its diet, the time of year it was caught and how long it spent in saltwater versus fresh (salmon that become lake-bound taste more like trout).

In the wild, salmon hatch from eggs that have been laid in the gravel of river bottoms. The hatchlings swim downstream and migrate to the ocean to mature. They then spend one to six years at sea, all the while grazing on shrimp, herring and squid to build up sustaining nutrients and body fat. Completing their life cycle requires that these anadromous fish swim hundreds of miles against the current, sometimes leaping over waterfalls, to spawn and die in the precise spot where they were born.

Despite extensive research, how salmon find their way back to their birthplace, pinpointing the exact river, tributary and pool in which they hatched upward of five years before, remains a mystery.

Prior to the advent of modern salmon farming in the 1960s, the fish were caught in the spring as they moved toward their spawning grounds. These days, the demand for salmon is year-round for many reasons, not the least of which is health. The fish is naturally rich in heart-friendly, omega-3 fatty acids - polyunsaturated fats that seem to lower harmful blood-cholesterol levels by boosting HDLs (high-density lipoproteins, the so-called good cholesterol) found in the bloodstream. Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a dermatologist and author who claims salmon can also diminish wrinkles, has been known to carry daily servings of the fish in his briefcase when he travels. Whether its intake reverses the signs of aging or not, its natural fat, which bastes the flesh during cooking, is paramount to its plush, luxuriant flavors.

Its advantages, both culinary and curative, have not been lost on Americans, who are eating more salmon than ever before - a record two pounds per person in 2000. And as of April, imports of salmon were up 21 percent from 2001, making the United States the second-largest consumer of salmon behind Japan.

Demand now outpaces the production capacity of oceans and streams. Accordingly, aquaculture is one of the world's fastest growing food industries (fish husbandry actually dates back to 1000 B.C., when the Chinese first began to culture carp). Most domestic salmon farming is conducted off the coasts of Maine and Washington State, where hatchlings are first nurtured in freshwater tanks for about 18 months, and then moved to offshore saltwater pens where they reach their full adult weight at about age three. The salmon are fed high-protein fish pellets, vitamins and, if required, small amounts of antibiotics strictly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.

It's estimated that almost half of the fresh salmon consumed in the world today is Atlantic farm-raised - always consistent, always reasonably priced. Yet opinions on farmed versus wild salmon abound. Conservationists are concerned about both the pollution they believe farming causes and the potential risks posed by farmed salmon escaping from their pens and interbreeding with wild stocks. Others argue that genetically altered (transgenic) salmon, which presently exist only in laboratories and contain DNA from the Arctic char (a relative of both salmon and trout), may actually save wild populations, especially because they look and taste identical to non-engineered Atlantic salmon.

From a gastronomic perspective, some breeders maintain that properly farmed salmon has a higher fat content and therefore more flavor, while most chefs insist that nothing approaches the taste of a wild fish caught before it goes to spawn. Chef Lacoste, however, prefers farm-raised Atlantic salmon from Iceland or Canada. "Their pens are in the ocean so there is a constant flux of water and less need for antibiotics," she explains. She also finds the fatter Atlantic salmon very moist and easier to cook than wild Pacific salmon. "The best of all worlds would be wild Atlantic salmon, but I haven't seen it in ten years," she notes.

In fact, as the population of farmed salmon has boomed, the number of wild Atlantic salmon has decreased drastically. The collapse of the Atlantic salmon runs is blamed chiefly on decades of dam-building, overfishing, pesticide run-off and habitat destruction.

In its wild form, salmon has been sought by man as a food source through the millennia. At least 25,000 years ago, cavemen carved in stone a salmon in near perfect detail in France's Grotto du Poissons (Cave of Fish); its bones have also been found in the caves of Stone Age man in southern Europe. The Gauls astonished their Roman visitors with huge feasts of salmon. And in England, the Magna Carta forbade dams on rivers where the salmon spawned.

By the Middle Ages, salmon was served head-to-tail on silver trays to the accompaniment of trumpets in Northern Europe. As civilization advanced, so did salmon cuisine, and many of the dishes invented centuries ago have remained viable. For example, the Swedish specialty of salt-and-sugar-rubbed gravlax, "is a recipe that is hundreds of years old," Chef White notes, "and by now, it's perfected."

But it took the French to elevate salmon to haute-cuisine status. Quenelles, delicate, egg-shaped dumplings made of ground salmon and cream, were the rage during the late 1700s at the court of Louis XV, and later again as part of the French nouvelle cuisine movement in the 1970s.

In his book Ducasse, Flavors of France, Michelin Chef Alain Ducasse writes, "I have loved fish ever since I was a child, growing up on a farm. There, meat was our 'daily bread,' and fish, especially salmon, was the special occasion treat. You might say to me, 'Salmon is a banal fish, something you see on every menu,' but for me it has always meant celebration. Every holiday, every special occasion, out of the kitchen would come this beautiful, succulent fish caught by local fishermen in the River Adour."

The ways in which we Americans have cooked salmon during the modern era says a great deal about the development of our cuisine. In the 1960s, when we were enraptured by Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, poached salmon with hollandaise was considered the height of fish cookery. The next decade, influenced by food writer Craig Claiborne, chefs discovered coulibiac, a Franco-Russian creation comprising salmon layered with rice pilaf, mushroom duxelle, hard-cooked eggs, and crêpes baked in a brioche crust. Next we were swept up by nouvelle cuisine and with it the stylishly undercooked salmon of France's Troisgros brothers - served with a sorrel beurre blanc sauce. The inventive regional American chefs who emerged in the early 1990s brought us salmon fillets blackened and pan-seared, grilled over mesquite or fire-roasted on alder or cedar planks, much in the traditional style of Native Americans. Along with planking came pan-roasting, a two-step process that starts off like a simple sauté, but finishes up in the oven for even cooking.

Smoked fish, the staple of the Jewish deli, has gone upscale with chefs smoking salmon over exotic woods in their restaurant kitchens, then serving it in unorthodox ways. Chef Vinczencz offers his cold-smoked salmon thinly sliced, accompanied by corn arepas and manchego cheese. "It screams Florida," he says of the dish, which represents the region with its cross-cultural Latin American influences.

The simplest of all salmon preparations are those that require no cooking, curing or smoking processes. For carpaccio, fresh salmon is simply sliced as thinly as possible on the diagonal, then drizzled with fresh lemon or lime juice and extra-virgin olive oil, dashes of kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, minced chives and other fresh herbs, such as chervil or tarragon. Salmon tartare, finely chopped and flavored with olive oil, shallots, capers, anchovies and lemon juice, is just as easy (the FDA recommends that raw fish be frozen before preparing it, because it may contain parasites).

Served with toast points, both preparations pair especially well with Champagne, says Domaine Chandon winemaker Wayne Donaldson. "With the touch of acidity in the dishes, sparkling wines with rich fruit flavors and fuller texture combine to create a delightful balance," he explains.

Salmon roe also makes a good match with sparkling wine. Large in comparison to that of sturgeon and with a much more reasonable price tag, its color varies from bright red to light orange and, according to Chef White, the quality may also range from poor to very good. "Look for small firm, eggs that are not packed in too much liquid," he suggests. The brilliantly colored roe adds a rich, distinctive salmon flavor to scrambled eggs, elevating them to brunch fare, and similarly punctuates dipping sauces intended for shellfish.

Although no longer heralded with mediaeval pageantry, salmon in all of its renditions brings gastronomic joy to any feast, whether you're cooking for two or 20.

Food Editor Carole Kotkin is a Miami-based cooking instructor and consultant who co-authored Mmmmiami - Tempting Tropical Tastes for Home Cooks Everywhere.
 

Know your Salmon

While a lot of salmon are simply marketed as "salmon," there are six distinct species - one Atlantic and five Pacific. Each type offers an entirely different eating experience. The designation "Atlantic Salmon" or "Pacific Salmon" means as much as "French Wine" or "American Wine." In fact, think about the provenance in the same way we identify wine: different species of salmon (different grapes), different rivers (vineyards), different runs (vintages).

Atlantic Salmon: Most are farmed, and what little remains of the wild Atlantic salmon stock comes from Norway, Scotland and Ireland. A large fish with pink-orange flesh and a high fat content, Atlantic salmon are especially suited to smoking. They can grow as large as 40 pounds and are available all year. Their fat content is about 15 percent of total body weight. Atlantics are the easiest to farm, accounting for more than 80 percent of the world's farmed production. And unlike Pacific salmon, Atlantic salmon can reproduce several times during a lifetime.

Pacific Salmon: Of the five species, king, also known as Chinook, is the largest, commonly 18 to 20 pounds or more, although an overachiever can weigh as much as 40 pounds. Kings are also the most rare of the Pacific species, accounting for less than 5 percent of North American salmon production. Depending on the color of the flesh, they're referred to as red or white kings, and are thought to possess the "wildest" flavor, especially if taken from stocks originating in fast, strong rivers such as the Copper in Alaska and the Columbia in Washington. Kings have the highest natural oil content, up to 15 percent of total body weight, which gives them a complex flavor and rich texture. They are available fresh most of the year in the Pacific Northwest, though they are more costly in winter when supplies are limited. Although the king takes well to roasting and broiling, most chefs prefer to simply sear it to crisp up the skin and lock in the juices. Kings dominate the cold-smoked (lox) market in the United States.

Silver, also known as coho, is a smaller, leaner fish, averaging six to twelve pounds, with an oil content ranging from 2 to 12 percent. This red-fleshed fish with silvery skin is available wild from July to October, but is farmed in large numbers in Chile and exported fresh from December to March. They make up less than 5 percent of the North American catch, but they are one of the best eating salmon. Because of its lower oil content, the fish can become dry if over-cooked. Silvers are best suited to moist methods of cooking such as poaching, braising or baking in foil or parchment.

Once the mainstay of the canning industry, wild sockeye is now esteemed on the whole fish market for its firm texture and bright, red flesh. Averaging four to eight pounds dressed, fat content is generally higher than the silver's. Available from late May through July, the species is best suited to summer grilling. Although they are not farmed, sockeyes are our most important commercial species; most of the sockeye catch is exported to Japan, where it is the favorite salmon.

Chum, also known as dog salmon because of its canine-like incisors, has mild-flavored orange, pink or red flesh. Leaner (less than 8 percent fat) and firmer than Chinooks and some other salmon species, their average weight is about eight pounds. Chums are farmed, but are available wild from June to October. Chum eggs are sold as salmon caviar.

Pink, also known as humpback, are relatively small salmon, rarely over five pounds, and also the leanest. They are the most abundant of the five species, accounting for half the domestic salmon catch. They are generally taken in large numbers by gill net and mainly go to canners. They are not farmed.

Cooking Tips

o Because salmon is a rich, fleshy fish, figure on six ounces per person.

o Buy only glistening, clean, moist fish with a firm appearance and intact scales. The color will vary, however, depending on its variety.

o Salmon (as with all fish) should be at room temperature before cooking (remove it from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to its preparation).

o Salmon steaks are ideal for baking, poaching and grilling (the backbone holds the fish together while it cooks).

o Fillets are suited to smoking, curing and slicing into escalopes, but small pin bones must be removed; run your fingers over the fish, feeling for the bone ends. Pull them out with needle-nose pliers. - CK

Recipes

Salmon Cocktail
From Chef Ris Lacoste
Restaurant 1789

2 large potatoes
2 eggs
12 ounces salmon fillets, skinned and boned
2 large cucumbers
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced at the last possible moment
2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
3 tablespoons crème fraîche
Freshly cracked black pepper
4 lemons
1-2 ounces extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup capers
6 chives, each cut in half to make 12 straws plus 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
2 ounces sevruga caviar
6 dill sprigs
6 dill crackers (see optional recipe)
6 martini glasses

Cook the potatoes, skin on, in salted water until just barely done (still firm vs. soft when tested with a fork). Remove from the water immediately and chill in the refrigerator.

Cover the eggs with cold water, bring just to a boil, immediately turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove from the water and place in an ice bath or under cold running water. Shell the eggs as soon as possible to prevent further cooking. Chill, covered, in the refrigerator.

Cut salmon fillets horizontally into as many thin layers as possible, generally 3 or 4. Cut each layer into julienne strips.

Cut 6" rounds from one cucumber and set aside for garnish. Peel the remaining cucumber and cut in half horizontally. Julienne the flesh of each piece on the mandoline into cucumber "noodles." Discard the seeded centers.

Peel the potatoes and shred on the largest holes of a box grater. The shred should hold together.

Add to the shredded potatoes, half of the diced onion, the chopped dill and the crème fraîche. Mix together and season with salt and pepper. The mixture should be creamy but fairly dry, not runny. Adjust with more crème fraîche if necessary.

Grate the hard-boiled eggs.
Cut 6 lemon rounds, equal in size to the cucumber rounds.

In a separate bowl, combine the salmon and cucumber and toss with the lemon juice of at least 2 lemons. Add extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

In the martini glass, alternate 4 layers of potato mixture and salmon mixture, starting with potato and ending with salmon. Sprinkle the top with the remaining diced onion, capers, grated eggs and chopped chives. Top with a dollop of caviar. Make slits halfway through each slice of lemon and cucumber and place a slice of each on the edge of each glass. Place 2 chive straws sticking out of the glass and garnish with a dill sprig. Serve on an underliner with a dill cracker.

Serves 6

For the Dill Crackers:
21/4 cups warm water
1/4 ounce fresh yeast
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, mixed with a touch of water
Freshly cracked black pepper
Chopped fresh dill


In a mixer affixed with a dough hook, mix together the warm water and the yeast and let sit a couple of minutes until bubbles begin to form. Add the flour, oil and salt. Mix just until all ingredients are combined.

Roll out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Place the ball of dough into a lightly oiled bowl and also rub the top of the ball with oil. Let sit at room temperature for the first rising, an hour or so, and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the cold dough into 2-ounce balls. Lightly flatten each ball with your hand and sprinkle with flour so as not to stick.

Pass each piece of dough once through each level of a pasta machine, starting at #7 or the highest level down to #2. Do not fold the dough between each level.

Lay the rolled dough on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Poke holes throughout with a fork. Brush with egg glaze and sprinkle with salt, cracked black pepper and chopped dill. Cook in the preheated oven for about 18 minutes or until golden and crisp. Keep for 3-4 days, covered and in a dry place.

Stone Crabs with Salmon Roe Sauce
From Carole Kotkin

1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Dash of hot pepper sauce
5 ounces of salmon roe (save one ounce for garnish)
Sprigs of dill for garnish
8 large stone crabs, cracked (other shellfish may be substituted)

Whisk sour cream, mayonnaise and lemon juice in medium bowl. Season to taste with hot pepper sauce. Fold in 4 ounces salmon roe. Divide sauce between 4 ramekins. Garnish each with dill sprigs and remaining salmon roe. Serve crabs with sauce for dipping.

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Scrambled Eggs with Salmon Roe
From Carole Kotkin

8 large eggs
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 tablespoons heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced chives
4 tablespoons salmon roe

Bring a large pot of water to boiling. Use an egg topper to carefully remove the tops of the eggs. Pour the eggs into a medium bowl. Add empty shells to boiling water, and boil for 5 minutes to remove any bacteria. Place shells upside down on a wire rack to dry.

Whisk together eggs, heavy cream and pepper until thoroughly combined. In a non-stick sauté pan, over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. (Gentle heat is essential for making soft, delectable scrambled eggs.) Pour in the eggs and cook until they begin to thicken; keep the eggs moving with a heat resistant rubber spatula. Stir in the chives and cook until thick and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add half the salmon roe. Remove from heat and stir in remaining butter. The eggs will continue to cook and firm up for several seconds off the heat.

Place empty shells into egg cups. Spoon scrambled eggs into shells. Garnish with crème fraîche or sour cream and top with remaining salmon roe. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Pacific Northwest Salmon Chowder
From 50 Chowders Cookbook
by Chef Jasper White
20 spring onions, 1 pint pearl onions or 12 ounces small boiling onions
4 ounces slab (unsliced) bacon, rind removed and cut into 1/3" dice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 shallots (2 ounces) finely diced
2 dried bay leaves
2-3 sprigs (1 teaspoon) fresh summer savory or thyme leaves, chopped
2-3 sprigs (1 teaspoon) fresh tarragon, leaves, chopped
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/3" thick
4 cups fish or chicken stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds salmon fillet, skinned, boned and cut into large chunks (2"-4")
11/2 to 2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons very coarsely chopped fresh chervil or Italian parsley

Remove all the tough outer leaves from the spring onions and trim them to about 1" long so they have only a little of the green top attached. Blanch the onions in a 2-quart saucepan of boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a bowl of ice water to cool, then drain. Cut the larger ones lengthwise in half; reserve until later. If you are using pearl onions, blanch them in their skins for 3 minutes, then transfer to ice water; drain and peel. If you are using small boiling onions, blanch in their skins for 5 minutes, transfer to ice water, drain and peel; trim them down in size if needed.

Heat a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over low heat and add the diced bacon. Once it has rendered a few tablespoons of fat, increase the heat to medium and cook until the bacon is crisp and golden brown. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat, leaving the bacon in the pot.

Add the butter, shallots and bay leaves and sauté, stirring often with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Stir in the savory or thyme and tarragon and cook 1 minute longer.

Add the potatoes and stock. If the stock doesn't cover the potatoes, add just enough water to cover them. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil; cover and cook the potatoes vigorously for about 10 minutes, until they are soft on the outside but still firm on the inside.

If the stock hasn't thickened slightly, smash a few of the potato slices against the side of the pot and cook for a minute or two longer to release their starch. Add the blanched onions, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Season the mixture assertively with salt and pepper (almost over-season the chowder at this point to avoid having to stir it much once the fish is added).

Add the salmon and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow chowder to sit for 10 minutes. (The fish will finish cooking during this time.)

Gently stir in the cream and adjust the seasoning if necessary. If you are not serving chowder within the hour, let it cool a bit, then refrigerate; cover after it has completely chilled. Otherwise, let it sit for up to an hour at room temperature, allowing the flavors to meld.

When ready to serve, reheat chowder over low heat; don't let it boil. Use a slotted spoon, place the chunks of salmon, potatoes and spring onions in the center of large soup plates or shallow bowls, and ladle the creamy broth around. Sprinkle with chopped chervil.

Serves 6 to 8

Salmon en Papillote
From Chef Christopher Steinbock
Restaurant Perlot, Hotel Majestic

1 6-ounce salmon fillet, skinned and boned
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Parchment paper
2 ounces celery, julienned
2 ounces red and yellow peppers, julienned
2 ounces chanterelle mushrooms, pulled apart into strips
2 caper berries, split lengthwise
1 ounce lemon or lime segments
1/4 cup white wine
Pinch saffron
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Italian parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Rub salmon with one tablespoon olive oil; place just off center of parchment paper. Top with celery, peppers, mushrooms, caper berries and lemon or lime segments. Add wine and saffron. Season with salt and pepper. Fold parchment to cover; crimp edges to prevent leakage.

Bake for 10 minutes. Let stand on stovetop for 2 minutes. Drizzle remaining oil on top of paper to moisten slightly. Carefully cut top of paper open with kitchen shears or sharp knife. (Watch the steam.) Garnish with parsley and serve in paper. Serve with wild rice.

1 portion

Slightly Smoked & Grilled Salmon with Scallion-Potato Latkes and Papaya-Apple-Mango Chutney
From Chef Johnny Vinczencz
De La Tierra at Sundy House

1 pound salmon, boneless and skinless, cut into 4-ounce portions
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chives, finely chopped, to taste
8 ounces field greens
Balsamic Grape Tomatoes (see recipe)
Shallot Sour Cream (see recipe)

Prepare smoker for cold smoking. Lightly rub salmon with vegetable oil on both sides. Season with salt, pepper and fresh chives. Cold smoke for 10 minutes, keeping the temperature between 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit (hot-smoking involves temperatures that top 120 degrees). To keep the temperature down, place ice in the smoker, a method that can also be used to smoke salmon in an indoor oven.

Soak the lightly cold-smoked skinless salmon in brine overnight, then rub with spices, sugar, salt and olive oil, and cold-smoke it again for 15 minutes. Pre-heat grill. Grill salmon as you would a steak to desired doneness.

For the Scallion-Potato Latkes:
2 medium potatoes
1/2 of 1 white onion, diced
1 large egg
2 green onions, cleaned and diced
4 ounces half-and-half
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Peel and shred potatoes, using largest grater possible. Place in a bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a Teflon omelet-style pan with vegetable oil covering the bottom of the pan. When oil is hot, ladle half the mixture at a time into the pan. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Repeat process with remaining ingredients.

For the Shallot Sour Cream:
Vegetable oil
1 large shallot, finely diced
3 sprigs dill, chopped
6 ounces sour cream
1 ounce balsamic vinegar

Heat a small sauté pan with vegetable oil until just before oil begins to smoke. Add diced shallots. Stir constantly until brown. Deglaze shallots with balsamic vinegar. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Add chopped dill and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Chill.

For the Balsamic Grape Tomatoes:
12 grape tomatoes, sliced in half
2 ounces balsamic vinegar
1 ounce vegetable oil
1/2 ounce chopped chives
Salt and pepper to taste


Combine all ingredients and set aside.

For the Papaya-Apple-Mango Chutney:
1 ripe papaya
1 Granny Smith apple
1 ripe mango
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 ounce brown sugar


Peel and clean papaya, apple and mango, and cut into a large dice. In a small pot, cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients and cook over low heat for 15 minutes until all fruits have cooked. Remove from heat. Cool and serve at room temperature.

To plate:

Heat latkes in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes.

Cut into four triangles and fan onto plates. Place salmon to the side, garnish with chutney, grape tomatoes and field greens. Divide sour cream between 4 ramekins and serve on the side.

Serves 4



Courtesy of The Wine News