Creamy Wild Salmon With Kale Food

CREAMY WILD SALMON WITH KALE

Steps:

• Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of the turmeric on one side of the salmon fillet and press it into the fish. Turn the fish over and repeat with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric. Set the salmon aside as you prepare the spice paste.
• Combine the vinegar, chiles, salt, and nutmeg in a small bowl to make a slurry. Set the slurry aside.
• Fill up a medium-size bowl with cold water. Take a leaf of kale, cut along both sides of the tough rib, and discard it. Slice the leaf in half lengthwise. Repeat with the remaining leaves. Stack the leaf halves, about 6 at a time, one on top of the other, and roll them into a tight log. Thinly slice the log crosswise; you will end up with long, slender shreds. When cutting the kale, you can't help notice how strong smelling and grassy it is (no wonder I love the smell of fresh-mowed grass in the summer). Dunk the shreds into the bowl of water to rinse off any grit, then scoop the shreds out and drain them in a colander. Repeat once or twice if the kale does not appear clean.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil appears to shimmer, add the turmeric-smeared fillet to the skillet. The instant sizzle and sear will turn the salmon light brown on the underside, about 2 minutes. Turn it over and repeat with the second side, about 2 minutes. Transfer the fish to a plate. Add the garlic to the skillet and stir-fry it until light brown and aromatic, about 1 minute.
• Pour the vinegar-based spice slurry into the skillet and stir to mix with the garlic. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. The pungency will slap you in the face (in a good way-I promise) and the liquid will release all the browned bits of fish from the bottom of the skillet into the thin sauce.
• Add the kale shreds and stir to coat them evenly with the liquid. Pour 1/2 cup of water into the skillet and stir. Lower the heat to medium, cover the skillet, and stew the kale, stirring occasionally, until the shreds are tender when tested (and tasted, I hope), 5 to 8 minutes.
• Stir the coconut milk into the kale. Let the milk come to a boil uncovered. Add the seared salmon to the liquid, basting it to make sure it continues to poach. Cook, uncovered, scooping up the sauce and basting the fish occasionally, until it barely starts to flake, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Transfer the fish to a serving plate. Let the sauce boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour the sauce over the salmon and serve.
• Extra Credit
• A stout bunch, dark green and spritely, Tuscan kale stands for the epitome of winter bravado. Even though it grows all through the year, we often associate kale with cold weather, that brightness among a sea of white, very much like the evergreen Christmas tree. Curly, ornamental (those tight bases of light purple leaves with a frizzy head of green), or Russian kale-all varieties work well for this recipe. Bursting with antioxidants, vitamins A and C, and iron, kale is a nutritional powerhouse among a sea of greens. Its tough leaves make it harder to cook than some greens, but with the right amount of moisture, it turns tender within about 5 minutes.
• To grind the chiles de árbol, pulverize them in a spice grinder (like a coffee grinder) until they are the texture of finely ground black pepper. The heat from freshly ground dried chiles is much more intense than preground cayenne.
• Before opening a can of coconut milk, shake it well to make sure the thick milk gets dispersed evenly. If the can sits around unopened, the thicker part usually floats to the top and congeals into a creamy mass. If shaking does nothing (usually if the can has been sitting in a cool spot, this will happen), then once you open the can, scrape the contents into a small bowl, and whisk the thicker milk with the wheylike separated liquid to create an evenly thick milk.

PAN-SEARED SALMON WITH KALE AND APPLE SALAD

Steps:

• Bring the salmon to room temperature 10 minutes before cooking.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the kale, toss to coat and let stand 10 minutes.
• While the kale stands, cut the dates into thin slivers and the apple into matchsticks. Add the dates, apples, cheese and almonds to the kale. Season with pepper, toss well and set aside.
• Sprinkle the salmon all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Raise the heat to medium-high. Place the salmon, skin-side up in the pan. Cook until golden brown on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn the fish over with a spatula, and cook until it feels firm to the touch, about 3 minutes more.
• Divide the salmon, salad and rolls evenly among four plates.

WILD SALMON WITH CHIVE OIL AND LIME CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lay the salmon fillets on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Coat salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Bring to room temperature.
• Make the chive oil: Put 1 cup roughly chopped chives in a blender or food processor. With the food processor running, slowly add oil and a pinch of salt. You should have a bright-green oil. Transfer chive oil to a small bowl.
• Put crème fraîche in a small bowl. Stir in lime zest and juice. Season with a little salt.
• Bake salmon on top rack of oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until just done. When you see juices begin to rise to the surface of the fish, remove fish from oven. (It is better to err on the less-cooked side; the fish continues to cook a bit from residual heat.)
• To serve, transfer fish to individual plates or a platter. Dollop about 1 tablespoon of limey crème fraîche on each fillet. Drizzle chive oil over the top and sprinkle with chives. Garnish with blossoms and watercress sprigs.

SHEET PAN BLACKENED SALMON WITH GARLICKY KALE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400F. Set an oven rack in the lower-middle position.
• Prepare the salmon: Use 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to grease the bottom of a rimmed sheet pan. Place the salmon, skin side down, on a flat surface and season with salt. In a small bowl, mix together the cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and mustard and set aside. Sift an even layer of the spices over the salmon and arrange filets skin side down, on the baking sheet, with space between each.
• Prepare the kale: In a medium bowl, massage the kale with the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic. Arrange it all around (but not covering) the fish on the pan. Sprinkle the oregano on top of the salmon.
• Cook the salmon: Place the pan in the lower-middle rack and roast for 10 to 12 minutes for medium to medium-rare salmon. (For well-done fish, leave in the oven an additional 5-8 minutes.) Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle all of the lime zest and juice over the fish. Drizzle with honey. Serve immediately.

GRILLED SALMON WITH CURLY KALE & A NOILLY PRAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to high. Make the sauce: pour the stock, cream and Noilly. Put into a medium-sized saucepan and boil rapidly until reduced by three-quarters. Turn off heat and keep warm.
• Brush the salmon on all sides with half the melted butter and season. Place on a lightly buttered baking tray and grill for 8 minutes until just cooked through.
• While the salmon is cooking, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the kale and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove, drain well and return to the pan, then add the remaining melted butter and toss. Cover pan to keep warm.
• Bring the sauce to a simmer, then whisk in the chilled butter one piece at a time. Stir in the thyme and season to taste.
• To serve, divide the kale between 4 warmed plates and top each with a piece of salmon. Spoon some of the sauce over the fish and the rest around the kale. Serve with steamed new potatoes and any remaining sauce in a small jug.

EASY KALE AND SALMON SALAD

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs; cook and stir until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer bread crumbs to a small bowl. Reserve skillet.
• Mash garlic cloves in a small bowl into a paste. Whisk in 1/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper flakes. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
• Combine kale and dressing in another bowl; toss to coat. Let sit for 5 minutes.
• Season salmon with salt and pepper. Place in the skillet over high heat; cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the heat and break into pieces.
• Top kale with salmon, toasted bread crumbs, and 1 tablespoon Pecorino Romano. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over top and add avocado slices and everything bagel seasoning.

ROASTED SALMON WITH KALE AND CABBAGE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss kale and cabbage with 2 tablespoons oil and spread in an even layer; season with salt and pepper and bake 6 minutes. Stir. Season salmon and add to baking sheet. Bake until salmon is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together lemon zest and juice, dill, mustard, and remaining 1/4 cup oil. Season. Drizzle salmon and vegetables with dressing before serving.