Northwest Wine - Online Magazine
Black Truffled Northwest Salmon
The dense earthy aromas of truffle melded with the oil rich salmon makes for an excellent if somewhat bold use of truffles. Double the sauce on this 'nuevo cuisine' recipe and you'll be happy.
What You Do
For the Salmon:
Heat about 1/8 inch of canola oil in a large skillet. Season the salmon with salt and white pepper. When the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets skin side down and cook for about 2 minute, then turn over and cook for another minute. Briefly cook the sides of the pieces by holding the salmon slab with tongs. Remove the cooked salmon and keep warm in the oven.
For the sauce:
Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the butter to emulsify. After adding the last of the butter, whisk in the white truffle oil. Remove the butter from the heat and vigorously whisk in the heavy cream to create a slight froth. Season with salt.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the sauce onto a small pool on the plate. Place a piece of salmon, skin side down. Drizzle with more of the sauce. Garnish each fillet with julienned truffle and a sprig of parsley or chervil. Sprinkle the dish lightly with salt.
Notes: Thomas Keller's original recipe called for you to make little brioche, making little baskets out of shredded celery stalks. Avalon's version was drastically simplified to focus solely on the truffle sauce and the salmon. And yes, making more sauce is always a good thing. This hardly needs mentioning, but the freshness and quality of the truffles affect the aromatics of the sauce. Makes 6 servings.
Source: Adapted from a French Laundry restaurant recipe - Yountville, California
Wine Pairings
Oregon Pinot noir or a weighty Oregon Chardonnay
Ingredient List
Here's what you need:
- Six 1 1/2- by 2- by 1-inch-thick pieces salmon fillet, skin on (6-8 ounces)
- Freshly ground white pepper
- 2 teaspoons water
- 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons white truffle oil
- 3 tablespoons lightly whipped cream
- 18 thin slices black truffle, plus 2 tablespoons finely julienned (slivered) black truffle
- Big grain kosher salt or fancy pants flur-de-sel
- Canola oil
- 6 sprigs chervil or Italian parsley
|
Buy the Wines Mentioned in This Article!
See Past & Present Issues of Our Online Magazine
|
