Sunday, October 7, 2012.
Sharpened Salmon.
Still trying in vain to get the lawn tractor started.
Today I was determined to cook the nice piece of salmon I bought yesterday. I made up the recipe while I was at the store shopping, but I had most of the ingredients at home already. The idea progressed this way:
1. Salmon broiled with a wrapper of thinly-sliced Chisesi ham. Prosciutto would be too powerful a flavor. The noticeable smokiness and leanness of the Chisesi would do what I was looking for.
2. Salmon with ribbons of ham broiled on top. That way, the fish itself would be exposed to the heat, not just the ham.
3. Salmon with ribbons of ham incorporated into a mixture of bread crumbs, herbs, olive oil, white wine, and. . . I need something with a little edge here. . .
4. Mustard! Mixed into the bread crumb mixture, and spread across the top of the salmon, with the ham mixed into it. But that layer may bo too thick once again to allow the top of the salmon to get properly roasted.
5. Salmon spread with a mixture of mustards. I found little jars of Dijon mustard and an herbal, egg-based mustard, both of which the Marys brought home from their trip to London in July. The latter mustard was very mellow, so I added some lemon juice to the mix, giving me an almost (but not quite) pourable mustard spread. The ham shreds would go on top of that, then the bread crumb mixture.
Yes, that would be it. I preheated the broiler and the rack at 550 degrees for about fifteen minutes, while spreading the various toppings on the big (pound and a half) salmon fillet. Into the broiler it went.
Earlier in the day, I found about a third of a pound of dried field peas in a jar under my kitchen counter. I soaked them for a couple of hours and then began cooking. Started with onions and celery, plus savory and thyme, all sauteed in olive oil. In went the beans and the water. And something peppery (Tabasco Chipotle pepper sauce) and something sweet (Canadian maple syrup, fresh from our visit there a week ago).
The beans were too old to cook properly. Also, I used too much pepper sauce. That explained the maple syrup, but that wasn't enough of a balance. So I asked Mary Ann for leftover rice. She gave me a frozen bag of rice and quinoa. I didn't think this would ruin these already compromised beans, so I just dumped the grains into the pot and mixed them with the beans. This did the trick, mellowing the flavors out and adding some interesting textures. And beans are always good with seafood.
The salmon was finished. I could tell by my standard trick: shoving a kitchen fork into the center of the fish, then touching it to my lips. It felt warm, so it was done. But MA likes her fish cooked practically dry, so I let it go another couple of minutes.
The end result had a look and texture I find incredibly appetizing: crusty and dark brown in spots. And the flavor was exciting, if I say so myself. A keeper. If I ever write another cookbook, this recipe will be in it.
I cut the fish in two pieces. Mary Ann said that she'd been nibbling all day and wasn't that hungry. She's always begging me to cook, but when I do, she gives me that.
Well, I got what I wanted.
I will have the exact recipe for this in tomorrow's edition.
To browse through all of the Dining Diaries since 2008, go here.
