Recipes: However you cook salmon, the meal goes swimmingly

I suspect that fresh salmon wasn’t easy to come by in my early childhood. Growing up in the ’50s in the San Fernando Valley, I accompanied my mother to the market each week to do her grocery shopping at Mr. Willis’ corner market. I remember rows of chops, steaks and roasts, but nothing that could be described as fresh fish.

The only salmon Mom bought was canned, and it as dreadful, a mix of coral “meat,” plentiful white bones, and dark gray skin. She served it cold on what seemed like the hottest day of the year. Even my youthful ravenous-by-dinnertime hunger couldn’t persuade me to eat the stinky stuff.

Now, super fresh salmon is easy to come by, fish with a fresh, appetizing aroma. I feel fortunate every time I cook it. Served hot or cold, salmon offers the height of culinary versatility. Its rich flavor can be cooked using a variety of techniques and once cooked it can be enhanced by countless sauces, whether acidic, spicy or sweet. The culinary possibilities seem almost endless.

When is it done? Salmon will change from translucent to opaque (pink) as it cooks. The degree of doneness is a matter of personal preference. Most chefs nowadays cook it so that there is a rare, jewel-like strip of red in the center, but many like it completely cooked and a solid opaque pink throughout. To check for doneness, use a small sharp pointed knife in the thickest part to pull flesh apart slightly to have a peek.

Whether I’m baking or broiling, poaching or grilling, I always cook up more salmon than I need for a single meal. Leftover cooked salmon is delicious in salads or pastas, casseroles or patties. The recipe that follows for fettuccine napped with a creamy sauce is one delicious way to utilize it.

The other two recipes start with uncooked salmon. Feel free to augment these formulas with additional salmon to create leftovers for future meals. The cooking times reflect using the center cut of Atlantic salmon. If using a portion of the much thinner tail region of the fish it will probably require a shorter time to cook. Shorter cooking times most often also apply when cooking wild salmon because it is often thinner than Atlantic salmon, and in many cases, has less fat so it is less forgiving if overcooked.

Fettuccine With Asparagus and Leftover Salmon

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 pound fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch lengths

12 ounces dried fettuccine or 1 pound fresh (fresh spinach fettuccine is nice)

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

4 ounces cooked fresh salmon, flaked

1/4 cup snipped chives

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 to 3 tablespoons capers, drained

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional for serving: Lemon wedges

PROCEDURE

1. Bring a large pot (about 4 quarts) of salted water to a boil on high heat. Add asparagus and cook until just barely tender but still firm, about 2 to 3 minutes (the width of the asparagus will determine cooking time — if it is skinny, it will require less cooking). Scoop up with slotted spoon or a mesh scoop. Put in colander and run cold water over it. In the same boiling cooking water, add the fettuccine. Cook according to package directions until al dente — tender but with a little bite.

2. Meanwhile, in the large, deep skillet melt butter on medium heat. Add asparagus, and cook, tossing frequently, to coat asparagus with butter and reheat it, about 1 minute. Add cream and zest; toss. Drain the pasta and add to skillet with salmon, chives, parsley, capers, plus salt and pepper. Toss to combine and serve hot. If desired, accompany with lemon wedges.

Source: The newest “Joy of Cooking” by Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethan Becker, John Becker and Megan Scott

Salmon Baked in Foil

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 to 2 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut crosswise into 4

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, or seasoned salt such as Spike or Lawry’s

16 fresh basil leaves

Aluminum foil

PROCEDURE

1. Arrange four 12-inch-long sheets of aluminum foil on counter, one on top of another. Smear top sheet with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, and layer a salmon filet, 6 tomato halves, salt, pepper (or seasoned salt) and 4 basil leaves and another half tablespoon oil. Seal package by folding foil and tightly crimping edges. Repeat to make other packages, and refrigerate until ready to cook, no more than 24 hours later.

2. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Place the four packages on rimmed baking sheet in single layer. Bake 12 minutes. Let packages rest a minute or two; cut a slit along the top with a knife. Use a knife and fork to open packages being cautious to avoid steam. Spoon onto plates. (Well, it’s weeknight fare — I serve these beauties in the foil, plopping on some cooked rice, farro or couscous.)

Source: Adapted from deannasdaughter.com

Broiled Salmon Fillets Topped With Dukka

Dukka (also spelled “dukkah”) is an Egyptian specialty that is a blend of spices, roasted nuts and toasted sesame seeds. One way to serve it is to combine the blend with good olive oil and dip bread or grilled pita into it. When eating it this way, I like to include a good dollop of yogurt as well. Dukka makes a crunchy coating for salmon. Serve it with plain Greek-style yogurt on the side and either rice pilaf, farro or couscous.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

Dukka:

2/3 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup roasted, salted cashews

1/4 cup roasted pistachios, salted or unsalted

3 tablespoons ground coriander seeds

2 tablespoons ground cumin seeds

Optional: 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste, see cook’s notes

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salmon:

Aluminum foil

1 1/2 to 2 pounds skinless salmon fillet, cut crosswise into 4 (with or without skin attached) or four (6-ounce to 7-ounce) salmon fillets

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Cook’s notes: If using salted nuts in the dukka, do not add salt. Most cashews in the marketplace are roasted. If you buy raw pistachios, roast them on a rimmed baking sheet in a 350-degree oven until lightly browned. Watch carefully because nuts burn easily. Cool nuts before using in this recipe.

PROCEDURE

1. Prepare dukka: Toast sesame seeds. Place a rimmed plate or bowl next to stove. Place half of sesame seeds in medium-sized dry saucepan on medium heat. Toast until golden (lightly browned) using a spatula to stir constantly (a heatproof silicone spatula works well). Sesame seeds burn easily. Place seeds on plate and repeat process with remaining sesame seeds. Set aside to cool.

2. Place nuts in food processor. Pulse until nuts are chopped (some pieces will be fairly large, others ground into a powder). In a bowl, stir together the nuts, cooled sesame seeds, coriander, cumin, salt (if using) and pepper. Use about 1/2 cup of the mixture in this recipe. Store leftover dukka in an airtight container. Best used within two weeks (it usually disappears in just a few days at my house — we eat it on chicken and vegetables as well as salmon).

3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Adjust oven rack to about 8 inches below broiler element. Heat broiler. Place salmon fillets on foil-lined sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Broil 8 minutes. Check for doneness. If more cooking is necessary, turn off oven and place on a lower rack in oven for a few minutes to finish roasting in the residual heat.

4. Place fillets on 4 dinner plates. Top with a generous amount of dukka, about 1/2 cup total. Serve with a dollop of plain Greek-style yogurt on the side, if desired (yogurt can also be topped with a sprinkling of dukka).

Have a cooking question? Contact Cathy Thomas at cathythomascooks@gmail.com