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September 2006
Recipe
Salmon with a Crispy Skin and Saffron Butter Sauce
Striped
bass or any fish with a tender skin that sears to be crisp can be
substituted for the salmon. Saffron colors butter sauce golden,
while a bed of Fennel for Fish (see below) makes a nice
accompaniment.
Serves 4
For the Saffron Butter Sauce:
-
2
tablespoons dry white wine
-
2
tablespoon white wine vinegar
-
2
shallots, very finely chopped
-
large
pinch of saffron threads soaked in 1 tablespoon boiling water
-
2
tablespoons heavy cream
-
3/4
cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter, cut in small pieces
-
salt
and pepper to taste
-
For
the Salmon:
-
1 to 2
salmon fillets, scaled with skin (about 1 1/2 pounds)
-
1 to 2
teaspoons olive oil for the pan
Make
the sauce: Put the white wine, vinegar, shallots, and saffon
in a small heavy saucepan. Boil until the liquid is reduced to
about 2 tablespoons. Add the cream, reduce again to 2 tablespoons,
and remove from heat. Add 2 to 3 cubes cold butter, whisking
vigorously so the butter softens and thickens the sauce. Add more
cubes of butter, several at a time, whisking constantly and if
necessary returning the pan to low heat. When all the butter has
been added, the sauce should be just soft enough to pour. Do not
let the pan get more than hand-warm. Taste the sauce and adjust
the seasoning.
Prepare the salmon: Preheat the oven to 425 F. If your frying
pan does not fit in the oven, heat a baking sheet. Run your
fingers over the flesh and if you feel any bones, pull them out
with tweezers. Cut the salmon in 4 portions and season both sides
with salt and pepper. Oil the base of a large heavy frying pan or
skillet and heat it until very hot. Add the salmon, skin side
down. Fry it over high heat without moving the pieces, 2 to 3
minutes, until the skin is crisp. When brown, it will shrink and
loosen from the surface of the pan. Turn the pieces skin side up.
Transfer them to the oven in the pan or on the heated baking sheet
and bake until done to your taste, 1 to 3 minutes for medium
salmon, 4 to 5 minutes for well done. The cooking time will vary
with the thickness of the fillets.
Set the
salmon skin side up on warm plates with the butter sauce spooned
around it, and pass any remaining sauce separately. Serve
immediately while the skin is crisp.
Getting ahead: You can brown the salmon skin up to 3 hours
ahead, though it will soften a bit on standing. Keep the salmon in
the refrigerator, then finish cooking in the oven and make the
sauce at the last minute.
Fennel for Fish
The
anise flavor of fennel has an affinity for fish, and this
delicious sauté takes no time at all.
Serves 3
to 4
Thinly slice 2
fennel bulbs (about 1 pound), cutting through stem and root so the
slices hold together. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large frying
pan, add the fennel, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons fennel seeds,
salt, and pepper. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, add a lid, and
cook over low heat so the fennel softens and cooks in its own
juices until it is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the lid, raise
the heat, and sauté the fennel until lightly browned, 3 to 5
minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley and
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, then taste and adjust seasoning.
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