The weather is still cold, rainy and generally pretty crappy, but despite the lousy weather I’ve been in the Spring mood. It might be nasty out but a walk through the local forest has already offered up the first ramps of the season, which I used not long ago on a previous post. I also went out and checked on our herb garden. The mint and Lemon Balm are already starting to emerge and take over (that means lots of weeding to keep them in check) and the tarragon already has 3-4 inch shoots.

I was in the mood for something simple, light and “Springy” for dinner tonight. My wife had recently picked up some nice looking salmon which I was itching to cook and with the newly sprouted tarragon I knew I had the basis of a wonderfully simple and elegant dish right in front of me. Add in some asparagus and baby Yukon Gold potatoes and I was set for the evening.

You can’t get much more simple than the recipe that follows. I hate to even call this a recipe, but it does illustrate how easy it is to take a few simple ingredients, at their peak of freshness and flavor and create a dish that is quick enough for an everyday meal or elegant enough to serve at your next dinner party.

Pan Seared Salmon with Roasted Asparagus
serves 4

4 fillets salmon, skin removed, 4-6oz. each
1 pound fresh asparagus
2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes
1/2 lemon
1-2 tsp. fresh tarragon, minced
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the potatoes into quarters or sixths, depending on their size. Toss with about 3 Tbs. of the olive oil then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Toss to coat then place on a baking tray and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Gently stir them after about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the asparagus by cutting off the bottom, tough portions of the asparagus. When the potatoes have about 5 minutes left raise the oven temperature to 425°F. Toss the asparagus with about 2 Tbs. olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay out on a baking tray, 1 layer thick. When potatoes are done remove from oven and put in the asparagus. Cook for 8 minutes.

While the asparagus is cooking heat 2 large saute pans over high heat (you can use just 1 pan but then you will probably want to cook the fish in 2 batches). Add 2 Tbs. olive oil to each pan. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Once the oil just starts to smoke add the fish, skin side up. Immediately lower the heat to medium high. After 3-4 minutes flip the fish over. I like my salmon on the medium rare side so I then take it out of the pan after another 2-4 minutes depending on the thickness (sometimes even less time if the fillet is really thin). If you like it well done then it will need about 6-7 minutes longer.

After the asparagus has cooked for 8 minutes, sprinkle on the minced tarragon and roast for 1 minute longer. Remove from the oven and squeeze the lemon juice over top. Divide the asparagus and potatoes between 4 plates then top with a salmon fillet.

In my effort to try eating healthier meals on a more regular basis, to please my doctor, I’ve rediscovered miso paste. For those of you not familiar with it, miso paste is a fermented soybean product, from Japan. There are many varieties of miso paste, many made from rice or various grains, though the white and red soybean miso is probably the most popular. Most Americans are probably most familiar with miso in miso soup, a dish often served at sushi bars, in this country, as a first course.

Like many fermented products, miso contains live cultures that are said to be very beneficial. As such miso is often added to dishes at the end of cooking so that the live cultures are not killed. In this recipe salmon is marinated in a miso based marinade and then cooked, killing any live cultures that might be present, but it still makes for a really tasty marinade.

While this marinade works great for salmon, I also have used it on halibut and tilapia as my wife doesn’t care for salmon.

Miso Marinated Salmon with Soba Noodles

3 Tbsp. miso paste (preferably white miso)
2 Tbsp. mirin (sweet rice cooking wine)
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 lime, juiced
2 portions salmon (5-6 oz. each)

2 Tbsp. vegtable oil
1 head bok choy, leaves torn and stems sliced
3/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and julienned
6 oz. soba noodles, cooked and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup green onion, minced

Combine miso, mirin, honey and lime juice and mix together until honey is dissolved. Place salmon in a zip lock bag, add marinade, and close. Rub marinade into fish and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Meanwhile prepare the rest of the ingredients. Just before fish is done marinating turn your oven to “broil.” Line a sheet try with foil and spray with vegetable spray. Place fish, bottom side up, on try and broil for 3 minutes. Flip over and broil another 4-8 minutes depending on how you like your salmon done. While fish is broiling, heat a large saute pan and add the vegetable oil. Add the mushrooms and saute for 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger, cook for 30 seconds longer then add the bok choy stems. Cook for 1 minute then add the bok choy leaves, green onions and soba noodles. Cook until bok choy leaves are starting to wilt then add the remaining ingredients and cook until heated through. Divide among 2 plates and top each mound with a piece of the broiled salmon.

I don’t make salmon often since my wife can’t stand it, but when I got my new smoker I knew I had to do a batch of hot smoked salmon, as it is one of my favorite things in the world. I also really like the more traditional cured/cold smoked salmon that often accompanies bagels, but hot smoked salmon just can’t be beat, in my opinion.

As luck would have it, as I was shopping, last weekend, for things to try out in my new smoker, I came across some wild sockeye salmon at my local grocery store. Despite its having been previously frozen (not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to hot smoking salmon), the fish looked great and I knew immediately that I would have to buy a side and smoke it.

Unlike cured/cold smoked salmon, that takes days to make, hot smoked salmon can be done in a single day, and is a rather simple process. One thing to remember though is this salmon is not fully cured to the point of preservation so it should be kept under refrigeration when done and should be eated within a week.

The brine for this recipe is pretty straight forward. Feel free to add any other flavorings that you feel would go well with salmon. Replace the brown sugar with maple syrup, cane syrup or even plain white sugar. Add coriander and/or various other spices and herbs such as tarragon or dill.

I slightly overcooked my salmon as you will be able to see in one of the photos, but because the wild salmon I used had such a high fat content it still came out nice and moist.

Hot Smoked Salmon

1/2 gallon cold water
3/4 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. freshly cracked pepper

1 side wild caught salmon (use a smaller fish, 1-2 pounds for this recipe. Any larger and you might need to increase the brine)
freshly cracked black pepper

Combine 2 cups of water, the salt, sugar and pepper in a pot and bring to a boil to dissolve the salt and sugar. Once dissolved stir this into the remaining cold water. Make sure the temperature of the brine is 40°F or lower. Pour into a large pan, big enought to accommodate the side of samon. Weigh down the salmon to ensure it is fully submerged. Brine for 1 hour per inch of thickness of the fish, with a minimum of 1 hour brining.

Once brined removed from liquid and quickly rinse off under cold, running water. Place on an oiled rack, skin side down and gently dry the surface. At this time you can add addtional seasonings such as spices or herbs. I chose to add freshly cracked black pepper. Place in front of a fan and allow to dry for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until the surface is dry and slightly tacky. This is called the pellicle and it is a layer of proteins that will help protect from too much moisture loss during smoking. It also creates the ideal surface for smoke to stick to, and, in instances where smoking is used as a preservation method it also helps to keep the fat from rising to the surface and spoiling. For us, it is the first 2 reasons, for forming the pellicle, that matter.

Once dried place the salmon in the cold smoker. By starting in a cold smoker you run less of a risk of drying out your salmon and will achieve a better flavor. Start your smoker, and if possible set it for 160°F. Once your smoker reaches this temperature, which should take about 20-30 minutes, start monitoring the internal temperature of you salmon and pull it when it hits between 155-160°F

I allowed the temperature of my salmon to get away from me (sorry got caught up in a TV show!), and it cooked a little too far. The white you see on the surface of the fish is protein that is being squeezed out of the fish. This usually results in a dry product, but I caught it just in time, barely, and it turned out fine. Monitor the temperature of your salmon to make sure this doesn’t happen. This can also happen if you are smoking your fish at too high of a temperature so monitor the temperature of your smoker.

From start to finish this project took me approximately 4 hours, with only about 30 minutes worth of actual work, so this can easily be accomplished in an afternoon. Of course, if you don’t have a smoker you can still create great tasting hot smoked salmon on your covered grill, using just enough charcoal to maintain that 160°F temperature.

Living in Wisconsin, it can be hard to track down nice, fresh fish sometimes unless you catch it yourself. Much of the stuff to hit the stores has been frozen at one time or another. Worse yet it has been frozen and not handled properly, meaning its been frozen, thawed and refrozen at least a couple of times turning the flesh into a mangled mess. Needless to say, I often avoid seafood which is too bad because I really love fish and shellfish, but I am not about to pay top dollar for second rate or poorly handled fish. There are a few fish “markets” within driving distance of me, but you pay top dollar for the fish they bring in. I have a really hard time doing that as I know what it costs restaurants to get in fresh fish, and while not exactly cheap it is sure a lot less expensive than what they are selling it for. It was with this mindset that I happened upon some beautiful looking halibut today at none other than my local “mega-mart.” The stuff looked pristine and the man behind the counter assured me that it had never been frozen. At $14 a pound he had better be right, but I couldn’t resist. It looked too darn good and it had been too long since I had good fish. Into my basket went 8oz of halibut, a bulb of fennel and a ruby red grapefruit, along with the other stuff I had stopped at the store to pick up, then on home to whip up a quick and simple dinner to surprise the wife.

Halibut with Fennel and Grapefruit
8 ounces Halibut, skin removed and cut into 2 4ounce portions
1 bulb Fennel, plus a couple sprigs of the fronds
1/4 each Red Onion, thinly julienned
1 each Ruby Red Grapefruit
3 Tbsp. Butter, unsalted
1Tbsp. Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Slice the fennel bulb in half, from top to bottom, reserving one half. Cut out the core of the other half and cut into thin juliennes. Peel the grapefruit with a knife, making sure to remove all the white pith. Remove all the segments by cutting parallel to the membranes releasing the pulp in whole segments. Squeeze all the juice out of the membranes and reserve. Chop some of the fennel fronds to give yourself 1 tsp. Season with fish with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a medium sized saute pan until hot but not smoking. Saute the fish until just done. Don’t overcook or the halibut will dry out. While the fish is cooking, melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter in another saute pan and add the fennel. Saute a couple of minutes then add a couple tablespoons of water, cover and allow the fennel to wilt. Stir, add a little more water, cover and continue to cook until fennel is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook until wilted. Add the the grapefruit segments and juice. Toss until warmed through then add the remaining butter. Remove from heat and continue to toss until all the butter is melted and incorporated into the juice. To serve place the halibut on a plate, top with half the fennel-grapefruit mix and drizzle with half the sauce. Do the same on the other plate. Serve with your choice of vegetable (I served sauteed green and wax beans tossed with fresh dill, from my herb garden) and starch.