Alder Roasted King Salmon With Wild Fennel Pollen Food

BI-LEVEL KING SALMON FILLET

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
• Set a 10-inch heat-proof saute pan over medium heat for 2 minutes. Brush the fillet with the oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the fillet in the pan flesh side down and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the fillet over, place pan in the oven, and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the fillet to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

ROASTED WILD SALMON WITH CARAMELIZED FENNEL AND FENNEL-FROND PESTO

Steps:

• Pesto: Turn on a food processor and drop garlic through tube; process until finely chopped. Add pistachios and pulse until coarsely ground. Add fennel fronds, lemon zest, fennel seed, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; pulse to combine. With machine running, gradually add both oils until combined. (Pesto can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week.)
• Salmon: Preheat oven to 425°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Using a rasp, zest 1 lemon (you should have 2 teaspoons), then cut into 1/8-inch-thick wheels. Cut second lemon into wedges. Toss panko with 2 tablespoons oil, season with salt and pepper, and spread on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; stir in lemon zest.
• Toss fennel wedges with remaining 3 tablespoons oil; season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly onto two rimmed baking sheets and roast, rotating sheets once, until golden brown in spots, 30 to 35 minutes. Flip fennel, add lemon wheels, drizzle with oil, and roast 5 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, season fish with salt and pepper. Mix together yogurt and 3 tablespoons pesto; spread a thin layer of mixture over fish. Sprinkle panko mixture over top, patting gently to adhere.
• Remove fennel from oven; push fennel and lemons aside to create room, then add fish. Roast until fish is almost completely opaque in center, about 8 minutes. Serve fish with fennel and roasted lemon wheels, more pesto, and lemon wedges.

SALMON-FENNEL POTPIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bring chicken broth to a boil over high heat with reserved fennel stalks and fronds and simmer until reduced by half.
• On a lightly floured work surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out puff pastry to 1/8-inch thickness. Using an inverted two-cup ramekin or individual casserole, trace four circles from puff pastry dough with a sharp knife, creating a one-inch overhang. Place circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap and chill.
• In a heavy skillet, melt butter on medium-high and add chopped fennel fronds, reserved chopped fennel stalks and shallot and white wine. Cook, stirring, for two minutes, then reduce heat and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, about seven minutes. Add sliced mushrooms and continue cooking and stirring until fennel and mushrooms are tender, about two minutes. Add herbs if using and salmon pieces, stir to combine and reserve.
• Mix cornstarch and milk together until cornstarch is dissolved. Whisk milk mixture into simmering broth and continue whisking until liquids are incorporated and mixture thickens into gravy. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, an additional two minutes to cook starch. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir one and a half cups gravy into salmon-fennel mixture.
• Assembly: Butter four individual two-cup ramekins. Distribute salmon mixture evenly in the ramekins, but do not over-fill. Spoon in some additional gravy and put a pat of remaining butter in each ramekin. Top each with a pastry circle, curling the edges of the overhang upward and pressing gently just inside the lip of the ramekin to adhere pastry. Place ramekins on a baking sheet in preheated oven and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

ALDER ROASTED SALMON WITH ROSEMARY POLENTA AND WILD MUSHROOM-PEARL ONION RAGOUT

Steps:

• Polenta:
• In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic, shallots, rosemary, and red pepper and saute until vegetables are tender. Add all liquid and bring to a boil. Slowly pour in polenta, whisking constantly. Continue to stir for about 3 to 5 minutes and then add Parmesan and parsley and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Pour onto a half-sheet pan and cool. (You can make the polenta the day before and store in refrigerator.)
• Cut cooled polenta into 4 by 4-inch squares and then cut each in half to make triangles. When ready to prepare salmon, lightly oil a flat grill or grill pan; when hot, place polenta triangles in pan and brown on both sides, in batches as needed.
• Ragout:
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add garlic and onions. Saute until golden brown, then add mushrooms and saute until tender. Deglaze with white wine. Reduce until little liquid remains and then stir in 2 tablespoons cold butter. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Keep warm until ready to serve.
• Salmon:
• Heat a grill or grill pan. Lightly oil the salmon fillets and season with salt and pepper. Place on grill, skin side up, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip over and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes. Remove from grill and serve promptly with a portion of the ragout and 2 polenta triangles per person.

OVEN ROASTED SALMON WITH POTATOES, BEETS, AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Place potatoes in a plastic bag with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss and shake to coat. Pour onto 1 side of a cookie sheet. Place beets in same bag, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss and shake to coat. Pour onto same cookie sheet as potatoes, but keep divided. Place fennel in same bag with remaining teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss and shake to coat. Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Cook all vegetables, turning once until golden and cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.
• Place salmon, skin side down, in a non-stick pan with an oven-proof handle and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and cook until fork tender and cooked through, about 15 to 17 minutes.
• Distribute orange slices among serving plates. Distribute potatoes, beets and fennel. Divide salmon into four pieces. Place one piece on each plate. Drizzle one tablespoon tapenade vinaigrette per plate over salmon and veggies.
• Whisk together all ingredients in a small non-reactive bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and combined. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

ALDER GRILLED FRESH ALASKAN KING SALMON WITH A LIGHT JUNIPER AND SAGE MARINADE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill.
• Whisk together celery seed, garlic, lemon pepper, onion, chopped sage leaves, thyme, oil, balsamic vinegar, wine, plum vinegar, and a dash of water (quantities of liquid and dry spice ingredients are best adjusted to individual taste). Place alder chips over coals of grill to add flavorful smoke (mesquite may be substituted). Dredge fillets lightly in marinade then rub in juniper berries and a few whole sage leaves. Place on hot grill (medium high if controllable). Cook for about 10 minutes per side. (Salmon is best cooked until it is still moist, but flesh starts to flake easily with a fork and translucency is gone. Salmon is a bit forgiving, so if it's not quite done, put it back on the grill...but don't cook it until it dries out!) Garnish with lemon slices.

ANNE'S FABULOUS GRILLED SALMON

Steps:

• Make a pan out of aluminum foil by doubling up layers of foil large enough to hold your fillet. Place the foil onto a cookie sheet. Lay the fillet onto the foil with the skin side down. In a small bowl, stir together the oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, ginger, honey, basil and shallots. Pour over the salmon and let it marinate while you preheat the grill, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat a grill for medium-low heat. Slide the foil with the salmon off of the cookie sheet and onto the grill. Cover with the lid and grill the fillet for 10 minutes per inch of thickness, about 20 minutes. Salmon should be able to flake with a fork, but not be too dry. When you serve the salmon, the skin will stick to the foil and your grill will remain clean. Simply slice and use a spatula to scoop the fillet off of the skin to serve.