Collard Wrapped Salmon Food

COLLARD WRAPPED SALMON

Steps:

• In roasting pan combine black pepper, san bai su, lemon juice, sesame oil and tahini. Whisk to combine. Using a sharp knife, score several diagonal lines along the length of fish, down to spine, on either side. Place fish in pan and marinate 2 - 4 hours at room temperature. After marination, preheat grill or broiler.
• Blanch greens in a large pot of boiling, salted water, just until the water returns to a boil. Refresh in ice water and drain. On a large baking sheet, arrange greens, overlapping, to form a rectangle as long as the fish and twice as wide as the fish. Place fish in middle and wrap the greens over so only the head and tail are exposed. Seal with a piece of butchers string or dental floss. Place fish on grill. Cook 7 - 12 minutes per side, until greens, head and tail blacken. It will take 2 spatulas, one at the head and one at the tail, to turn fish, don't be concerned about greens sticking. To test for doneness, try pulling out a dorsal fin from the top of the fish. If it slides out easily, it's done.
• To serve, place the whole fish on a serving platter. Using a dull knife and soup spoon, scrape of any remaining skin and remove fins. Spoon half reserved marinade over top. Cut along spine first and serve the top fillet. Lift tail, insert knife between bones and flesh, and run it along the length. All, or most, of the bones should easily lift out. Spoon on remaining marinade and serve second fillet.

PUFF PASTRY-WRAPPED SALMON

Steps:

• For the salmon: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• Heat the oil in a heavy saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and wilt for 4 minutes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Let cool.
• Dust a flat working surface with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out the sheets of puff pastry into 1/4-inch thickness (each 12 by 12 inches). Put the pastry sheets side-by-side so they overlap slightly, by about 1/2 inch. Brush the overlapping strip with the beaten egg, stick both sheets together at the strip and seal with a fork. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
• Spoon the cooled mushroom-spinach mixture over one side of the puff pastry rectangle. To make an even rectangle out of the salmon fillet, you can cut the top portion off of the belly and add it to the tail part. Place the fillet over the mushroom-spinach mixture. Season the salmon heavily with salt and pepper. Fold the other side of the rectangle over the filling and seal by brushing the edge with egg wash and crimping as you would a pie crust (you can use a fork; I crimped like a pie crust with my fingers). Fold the remaining 2 open edges of pastry under the salmon fillet. Brush everything with the egg wash.
• Bake until the puff pastry is crisp and golden in color, 25 minutes. Let stand for about 8 minutes before slicing.
• For the dill sauce: Put the clam juice in a heavy saucepot and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and reduce to 1/2 cup. Add the Mexican crema and heavy cream and reduce to 1 cup. Add the flour and whisk while boiling until thickened. Add the dill and season with salt and pepper.
• Slice the salmon into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch slices. Serve immediately with the dill sauce.

CITRUS SALMON WRAPPED IN BANANA LEAVES

Steps:

• Wash the banana leaves and brush them with a delicate amount of olive oil. Season the salmon with salt and pepper, a little citrus juice and any other desired aromatics. Wrap in the salmon in banana leaves and place in a 350 degree F oven until done (about 7 minutes).

GRILLED BANANA LEAF WRAPPED SALMON

Steps:

• Make the dipping sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Let it sit for the flavors to develop while the fish cooks.
• Preheat the grill. Squeeze the lime juice into a large bowl and throw in the halves. Add the soy sauce, chiles, ginger, cilantro, and mint; season with salt and pepper and give it a good stir. Place the salmon in the center of the banana leaf and stuff it with the lime juice mixture. Fold the banana leaf over the fish to completely encase it and tie closed with kitchen string. Place onto a medium-hot grill. Cook until the fish is cooked through, about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with the dipping sauce.

SALMON WRAPPED IN COLLARD GREENS WITH WALNUT-YOGURT-DILL SAUCE

Steps:

• If using a grill, spray it with cooking spray and preheat it over medium-high heat. Otherwise, wait to preheat a grill pan.
• Toast the walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Allow to cool, then chop finely. Place 8 toothpicks in a dish of water and soak until ready to use.
• Cut the collard leaves away from each side of the spines and discard the spines. (You should wind up with 4 long pieces of collard green leaves.)
• Sprinkle the salmon with 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Wrap each salmon fillet with 1 piece of collard leaf and secure with 2 toothpicks. If using a grill pan, spray it with cooking spray and preheat it over medium-high heat.
• Brush the salmon bundles lightly with about 1 tablespoon total of the oil. Grill the salmon bundles until the collard greens are tender and the salmon is just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• While the salmon is cooking, make the sauce. Finely zest and then juice the lemon into a small bowl (about 3 tablespoons).
• Chop the dill and add it to the bowl along with the yogurt, walnuts, the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve the salmon drizzled with the sauce.

COLLARD GREEN WRAPS

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with 3 inches of water. Add vinegar and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• While water comes to a boil, remove 4 large leaves from the bunch of collard greens. Lay them flat on a cutting board and trim the stems until even with beginning of leaves. Carefully shave center stems down until leaves lay flat, being careful to not tear them.
• Place leaves in boiling water and cook undisturbed until bright green and wilted, about 30 seconds. Use tongs to carefully transfer leaves to a bowl of ice water; let cool 3 minutes. Remove from ice water and pat dry.
• Lay collard leaves flat on a large cutting board and assemble wraps as follows, dividing ingredients evenly among the 4 leaves. Spread an even layer of hummus on each leaf, leaving a 2-inch border. In the bottom third of each leaf, stack bell pepper, cucumber, onion, artichoke hearts, and arugula. Drizzle with lemon juice.
• Fold the sides of each leaf in towards the center, using your hands to help keep the sides tucked in, and roll, starting from bottom. Slice in half diagonally to serve.