Filets de poisson et asperges, grille

A springtime treat, with the asparagus and chives. And it is done in 10 minutes. Using the Silpat saves a lot of cleanup.

Serves 4

4 four to six ounce fish filets, such as trout, ocean perch, tilapia
1 pound asparagus--thinner is better--lower stems cut off
Cajun seasoning
Herbs de Provence
sea salt
pepper
herbs for garnish, such as scallion tops chopped, chives, chive flowers, capers, thyme

Preheat broiler.

1. On a baking pan (half sheet) place one pound thin asparagus, lower stems cut off, and the fish filets, skin side down.
2. Drizzle all with olive oil, toss the asparagus in the oil, and dust the asparagus and the fish with sea salt. 
3. Season the filets with Cajun seasoning and herbs de Provence.
4. Broil the fish for three minutes on top or until they are lightly browned. Turn and broil for one or two minutes more, tossing the asparagus as you turn the fish.
5. [OPTIONAL:] Nap the fish with Hollandaise or herb butter
6. Garnish with scallion tops, capers, chopped chives, and/or chive flowers.

Tartare de saumon

Easter brunch 2013 continues, with salmon tartare. This is a sort of French ceviche, where lemon juice "cooks" raw fish. It's really really good. It made a nice little starter for us, before the quiche.

This is another lightning dish if the fishmonger (butcher here in Iowa) dices or minces the fish, as the friendly folks at Fareway did for me. Don't dare use a food processor, as it mangles the fishie's tissues.

I suppose verrines are really supposed to have layers. That's easy to do, such as Thomas Keller's with a layer of red onion crème fraiche, or one I did yesterday with capers. A red layer of marinated roasted pepper, drained from the jar and chopped would be nice too.

These "verrine" glasses are actually votive candle holders from Walmart, 88¢ each.

Serves 4

8 ounces of salmon filet (belly if possible) cut into 1/8 in dice or minced
10 chive spears or 2 green onion tops
2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, preferably Maille
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 medium lemon)
salt and pepper

1. Chop the chives or green onion tops very finely
2. In a bowl, beat the chives, mustard, olive oil, and lemon juice into an emulsion.
3. Toss the salmon into the dressing and season.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
5. Serve in small "verrine" glasses, garnished with chives or green onion tops.

Fish stew Burgundy--Matelote de poisson

The best is Lotte, the lobster of fish, and the ugliest of fish too. But catfish will do nicely, as it is firm and holds up in the stewing (simmer only, please). You can use the catfish 'nuggets'--the meat from behind the gills. It comes with some skin. OK. My wife thinks this tastes 'rangey'--and she is a rancher's daughter. But I like it. It's a workman's (specifically fisherman's) dish after all. And it is priced like that--half of what the catfish fillets cost. But you can buy the catfish fillets and cut them in pieces. Fine. Or you can take out a second mortgage, travel to New York, and buy Lotte, which is called Monkfish or Angler Fish. God they are ugly.

This is really a stew, so it's good to serve it in a big shallow bowl or deep plate. Have a soup spoon there, and good bread to soak up the soup. Toasted is nice. This you can have simmering away in 10 minutes.

Serves 3-4

2 ounces lardons OR salt pork in 1/2 inch cubes, OR pancetta OR bacon in 1-inch pieces
1 cup sliced onions (or 1/4 cup sliced onions and 12 small boiling onions, peeled and added later)
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup red wine, preferably Burgundy or Pinot Noir
1 cup clam juice (or fish stock)
pepper
bay leaf
1 allspice berry (or one clove)
1 clove garlic, mashed
salt (none if you use fish stock)
8 ounces mushrooms, cut in half or quartered
[optional: 2/3 cup frozen boiling onions]
1 and 1/4 pounds catfish OR scallops, or other fish such as walleye, halibut, haddock, etc.

1. In a fait-tout over high heat, cook the pork (no need to wait for the pan to heat).
2. Slice thinly and add the onions. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally
3. Add the flour and stir until it is browned, about 2 minutes
4. Add the rest of the ingredients except the fish and bring to a boil, stirring the bottom to incorporate the browned flour.
5. Add the fish pieces, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the fish is done, about 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Serve in bowls, garnished with chopped parsley, along with bread or potatoes or pasta

Bourride rapide--Provencal Fish Stew with Aioli

This fish stew (MAFC II 50) is all sunny and Midi. It reminds me of Uzès, where I spent a lovely lunch before biking down to Pont du Gard.

I used flounder last time I made this (pictured). But snapper or sea bass or catfish or mahi mahi or a range of other fish will do fine, or a combination. Shellfish is great too, and cooks even faster.

Serves 4

1 to 1.5 pounds of fish fillets (firm-fleshed) in pieces no more that 1/2 inch think
1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1/2 cup clam juice
1/2 cup vegetable stock (best quality)
1 cup aioli mayonnaise with red pepper (see the blog post on aioli light)
1 teaspoon herbs de Provence or chopped fresh herbs
1 bay leaf
(optional) 1 tablespoon Pernod or other anise-flavored liqueur
(optional) herbs or green onions for garnish
(optional) Nice olives for garnish

1. Over the highest heat, bring the wine, clam juice, aioli, and stock to a boil in a large skillet or saucepan.
   
2. Cut up the fish and add it to the pan along with the other herbs and bay leaf.
3. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the fish is just cooked through (about 4 minutes).
4. Add the optional Pernod. Mince the optional green onions or herbs or olives for garnish.
   
5. Serve in a soup bowl with a slice or two of crusty French bread in the bottom. Garnish with chopped basil (a chiffonade, as in the picture).
   

Caviar and Martinis

I bought a copy of Escoffier, the bible of grand old French cooking, on my first trip to New York, in 1973, which was also the first time I ate at a French restaurant. I remember wondering why so many recipes were Russian--until I learned how many great French chefs cooked for Russian royals. Of course they brought back buffet favorites, the grandest of course was caviar.

J likes caviar for her birthday, which was last week. And it is of course very fast. As she is not finicky about her caviar (nor am I), we like whitefish roe from the state to the north of us. I like it as simple as possible, almost. Just some sour cream, chopped shallots or scallions, and chopped egg (another reason why Edouard is so right about having one or two always boiled and ready). We sat around the coffee table and put a bit of each on a cracker, as a way to make the Martinis special.

J likes a Martini most every evening, which is neither Russian or French, but thoroughly American. Cocktail culture began in New Orleans. The Martini was invented in the Bay Area. And come to think of it, the Martini combines Russian vodka with French vermouth. We just discovered Noilly Prat, the queen of all vermouths. (T. S. Eliot had a cat named after it.) We are anxious (in a bad way) to taste the reformulated product, which the cocktail critic J reads (Wall Street Journal Weekend) says is much inferior to the recipe in use for Noilly Prat in the U.S. market for decades. It will be a while before we find out, as a bottle lasts a very long time at a teaspoon a day.

J said she enjoyed her birthday. And as we drank, we reminisced about happening onto the Russian Tea Room by Carnegie Hall and having, for us, a record $16 Martini, surpassing our record from 07 set at the Algonquin. I looked on the Tea Room's web site and noticed there are some amazing specials. J said we need to get back to New York while there is still a financial crisis.

Smoked salmon roses, ol' fashion': Saumon fumé rosette

I like these little roses because the color is so beautiful. The color is, well, salmon.

4 ounces Scottish style, thin sliced smoked salmon
Dill or parsley sprigs.
Extra virgin olive oil or walnut or almond oil
Rose or mixed peppercorns in a grinder
[optional: and capers]

1. If necessary (and it usually isn't) cut the salmon into long strips.
2. Starting at one end, roll the strips into a rose shape, by rolling one side more tightly than the other.
   
3. Drizzle with oil and garnish with herbs and [optional] capers.
   

http://www.metzgerei.ch/francais/rezeptsammlung/fisch.php?navid=33

Rillettes de saumon--salmon spread

I first had this in Tours, as I started my bike trip along the Loire last summer. It was a little tourist restaurant called Roi something. On the Rue du Grand Marché just off the vieux carré.

The salmon at the best places comes from the Loire, where there has been an effort to help the Atlantic salmon spawn far up the what is the longest river in France. The river system is beautifully clear (compared to Iowa especially). I could look down from the grand gallery at Chenonceau, the chateau the spans the Cher (a Loire tributary) and snap a pic of the fish in the afternoon light below. The story is that during WWI, soldiers taken there to recover from their wounds fished from their hospital beds in the river below.

The charcutiers compete as much on the salmon rillettes as they do on their pork rillettes (pork meat and fat melted into a spread). And I had several versions of both during my five days on the bike.

This is great on a buffet, with bread or crackers, but also as a first course.

Serves 12 as a first course on crackers or bread.

• 8 ounces smoked salmon (thin sliced Scottish style)
• 8 ounces cooked salmon (leftover, or microwaved 3 minutes)
• 3 ounces European-style butter (e.g., Plugra)
• 6 ounces creme fraiche (recipe below)
  
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill and more for garnish.
  

1. Soften the butter in the microwave (about 7 seconds on high). Mince the dill.
2. Cut the smoked salmon into thin strips lengthwise, then cut crosswise into small dice. Roughly chop the fresh salmon.
3. With a fork or whisk, toss the salmons, softened butter, creme fraiche, lemon juice, dill, and freshly ground pepper until it is lightly combined.
4. Put in ramekins or a bowl. Garnish with additional dill. Refrigerate for two hours if possible.
   
   

Creme fraiche: If you can't buy this in a market, you can make it overnight. In a microwave, warm a 1/2 pint carton of heavy cream slightly (110 degrees, for those who must be precise). Pour 1 tablespoon buttermilk into the carton of heavy cream. Shake and leave out about 24 hours, or until the cream has thickened (check it every eight hours or so). Then refrigerate.

Roasted salmon

This is so quick. Season a fillet of salmon (five minutes tops). Put it in the oven (twelve minutes tops). While it's cooking make a sauce, a vegetable, a starter, a dessert, or a phone call. And it comes out really moist and tender.

This is my favorite entree for a big buffet or pot luck. It's possible to make twice or three times this amount in almost the same time. People just dig in.

There are a thousand seasonings and sauce possible, but here's my standard.

Serves 4-6 as a main course, 10-12 as a starter or buffet item.

• 1 fillet of salmon (1.5 to 1.75 pounds)
• 1-2 cloves garlic
  
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon herbs de province
• Cajun seasoning (or ground cayenne)
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper
• [optional: capers and sliced lemon]
  

1. Preheat the oven to 350 (375 for 1.75 pounds or larger)
   
2. Dust a cookie sheet with sea salt and place the fish on it skin side down.
   
3. Using a garlic press, crush the garlic onto the fish and rub it in (hands are good here)
4. Using a pastry brush, coat the fish with mustard.
5. Dust with herbs and seasonings.
   
6. Bake for 12 minutes.
7. Sauce (see below) or simply garnish with capers and lemon slices

I like a a warm vinaigrette made by combining 1-2 cloves minced garlic with 4 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice (salt and pepper), then heating until it the garlic is fragrant (don't burn it!). But there are an infinite number of sauces possible.

with tapenade
with aioli (right)
olive oil, garlic, and lemon

with asparagus
with green beans
with zucchini sliced thinly (right)
with shaved Brussels sprouts (right)

Salmon with Sorrel (or Spinach)

The great Lyon chef Pierre Troigros has for four decades made a jeweled salmon with sorrel--a dish that started the French food revolution, really. This has similar flavors using similar ingredients. The presentation is much less elegant (here is what Martha Stewart does with Pierre's marvel). As for the taste, judge for yourself.

Sorrel is amazingly easy to grow. I planted some 20 years ago in the herb garden, and it's still going strong, from April to November. Just a few torn leaves give a salad a lemony tartness. And a chiffonade makes a great garnish. It makes me feel like I really can garden.

Serves four

1 tablespoon peanut oil
4 salmon fillets or steaks (4-6 ounces each)
4 ounces sorrel (or spinach), washed and dried in advance
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions or shallots
1/2 cup white wine or vermouth
1/2 cup fish stock or clam juice
1 cup creme fraiche (or heavy cream or low- or non-fat sour cream)
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (the juice of about 1/2 lemon)
salt and pepper

1. Heat a 'fait tout' (Dutch oven) or large skillet on high (ideally one with a glass cover) and add the peanut oil. Salt and pepper the filets on the top (skinless) side.
2. Saute the filets, skin side up, for one minute on each side or until lightly colored. Remove to a plate and cover
3. Add the wine, stock, cream, scallions and lemon juice (use less if you use sorrel). Boil for four minutes.
4. Lower heat, add sorrel or spinach and cook for one minute, then off heat and swirl in the butter, in bits.
5. Pour the sauce around the fish and serve.

VARIATION

Salmon Provencal

4 salmon filets or steaks (4-6 ounces each)
8 ounces spinach (or sorrel), washed
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup white wine
2/3 cup nonfat sour cream (or 1/4 cup heavy cream or creme fraiche)
1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cajun seasoning
Herbs de Provence

1. Heat a 'fait tout' (Dutch oven) on high (ideally one with a glass cover) and add the olive oil.
2. Using a garlic press, smear the top (skinless) side of the filets with garlic. Sprinkle with herbs and Cajun seasoning. Salt and pepper.
3. Saute the filets, skin side up, for two minutes or until lightly colored.
4. Add the spinach (or sorrel) and the wine. Cover and steam for four minutes.
5. Remove the filets and spinach (or sorrel) to a plate(s).
6. Add the cream or sour cream, and squeeze one tablespoon lemon juice in, holding the seeds back. Stir rapidly, boiling, until the sauce thickens slightly.
7. Pour the sauce around the fish and over the spinach (or sorrel). Serve with lemon wedges.

VARIATION

Saumon saute beurre blanc

1. skin side down. Remove to a warm plate.
2. Add the spinach and scallions. Cover, and melt for two minutes, tossing frequently.
   Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Remove to a warm plate.
3. Add 1 tablespoon chopped scallions and 1/4 cup white wine (or red wine or champagne). Boil one minute or until reduced almost to a syrup.
4. Off heat, and swirl in 2 tablespoons butter, cut into bits.
5. Nap the salmon with the sauce, and garnish with green scallions or parseley.