Salmon with Onion Gastrique

Saturday night’s dinner with honey Carolyn Flynn was one for the books. In fact, it came from a book, the National Parks Cookbook. This time it was a splendid meal called “Wild-Caught Copper River Red Salmon with Onion Gastrique. I made a few changes, and scaled it down.

While we have portabelas and white mushrooms here in Colonial Beach, often there isn’t much more of an option. These mushrooms add so much to a meal.

Lacking said Copper River Red Salmon, I made mine with Coho Salmon.

I was cooking for myself, so I halved the recipe. But this is the full recipe:

INGREDIENTS FOR ONION GASTRIQUE
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar. This is crazy. I used a tablespoon of agave.
2 white onions, thinly sliced

FOR DANDELION PISTOU
1 bunch dandelion greens, coarsely chopped. I used a couple cups of arugula.

3 garlic cloves, peeled
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
Salt and ground black pepper

FOR ROASTED POTATOES 1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes (I used 4 petite yellow potatoes), halved lengthwise
Olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper

FOR FORAGED MUSHROOMS 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces wild mushrooms (morels preferred), cleaned and left whole or halved lengthwise, depending on the mushrooms. I re-hydrated a cup of wild dry mushrooms…it was PERFECT!
Salt and ground black pepper

FOR SALMON 4 skin-on Copper River red salmon fillets. I used a single fillet of Coho Salmon.
Ground black pepper
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
To make the onion gastrique: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the vinegar and sugar and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the onions and bring to a light boil. Cook for about 30 minutes until the onions are slightly translucent and the liquid has reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally. Keep warm until ready to serve.

To make the dandelion pistou: In a food processor, combine the dandelion greens, garlic, and lemon juice and process until well blended, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, as needed. With the motor running, add a slow, steady stream of oil through the feed tube, starting with 1/2 cup and adding more, as needed (1 tablespoon), to make a thick, sauce-like consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then set aside.

To make the roasted potatoes: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the potatoes on a large sheet pan and add a drizzle of oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Toss to coat on all sides, then spread the potatoes across the sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for about 25 minutes, or until fork-tender.

To make the foraged mushrooms: Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle in the oil. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and cook for 2 minutes, undisturbed. Stir the mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, for 2 minutes more. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking for 4 to 6 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are brown on all sides. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then keep warm until ready to serve.

To make the salmon: Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and season generously with pepper. Add enough oil to thinly coat the bottom of a large skillet and heat it over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Just before adding the fish, reduce the heat to medium-low. Place two fillets in the skillet, skin-side down, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, undisturbed, until the skin is crisp and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the flesh registers 120°F for medium-rare.

Gently flip the fillets and cook for about 15 seconds. Transfer to the prepared plate. Reheat the oil, then repeat the process to cook the remaining two fillets.

To assemble, in a large bowl, toss the mushrooms and potatoes with half the dandelion pistou to evenly coat. Divide the vegetables among four plates.

Place each salmon fillet over the vegetables, skin-side down, and top with a few spoonfuls of onion gastrique before serving.

The result was one of the best meals I’ve ever cooked in this kitchen, and every kitchen I’ve ever had. Yes, it was a fair amount of work, but it was worth every inch.