Salmon With Choucroute Food

'CHOUCROUTE' OF FISH

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 300. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Put the rye-bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet, and toss with the melted butter. Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the sauerkraut, ham, juniper, caraway, thyme, bay leaves and all but 2 tablespoons of the wine in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the mixture bubbles, lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes. Lay the fish on top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover the pot. The fish will be tender in about 10 minutes.
• As the fish cooks, put the shallot and the remaining 2 tablespoons wine in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, and stir in the cream. Add the remaining butter, a little bit at a time, stirring constantly. Once the mixture is creamy, stir in the lemon juice and some salt and pepper; keep the mixture warm over the lowest possible heat.
• When the fish is tender, spoon it and the sauerkraut onto a platter; pour the sauce over all, scatter the croutons on top and around, garnish with the parsley and serve.

SEAFOOD CHOUCROUTE

Steps:

• Place bacon over medium heat in a 4-quart stovetop casserole that can go to the table. When lightly brown, remove and reserve, leaving fat. Raise the heat to high, add scallops and sear briefly on both sides. Remove. Reduce heat to low, return bacon to the pan, add leeks and garlic, and cook until softened. Stir in the apple, cook about a minute, then add the smoked trout, broken into chunks. Add beer, bring to a simmer, stir in sauerkraut and season with salt and pepper. Tuck scallops into sauerkraut. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil for potatoes. Simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Cover to keep warm.
• Tuck the mussels into the sauerkraut around the edges of pot. Cut the fresh trout in 2-inch pieces and place on top of sauerkraut. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cover and cook about 6 minutes, until mussels have opened and fresh trout is opaque. Scatter with tarragon and serve from casserole with potatoes on the side.

SLOW-COOKER CHOUCROUTE

Steps:

• Stud each onion quarter with a clove. Layer the bacon, sauerkraut, garlic, onion quarters, herb sprigs, bay leaves, pork chops, kielbasa, apples, and potatoes in the slow cooker in the order listed, then pour the wine and gin over the top. Cover the cooker and set it on LOW. Cook until the pork is falling off the bones and the potatoes are fork-tender, at least 6 and up to 8 hours.
• Arrange the meats, potatoes, apples, onions, garlic, and sauerkraut on a large platter. Serve with pumpernickel rye bread, mustards, cornichons, and horseradish.

SALMON IN A COUSCOUS CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, stir together the parsley, raisins, olives, capers, pine nuts, olive oil, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper; stir in the couscous to moisten completely and season generously with salt and pepper.
• Put the salmon in a single layer in a smallish buttered gratin dish or baking dish (bottom measured 10 by 7 1/4 inches; 2.8 liter); the fillets should not touch one another. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil. Now spoon the couscous mixture over the top of the fish so that it completely covers them and fills in the whole dish at the same time. Pour over the water. Drizzle with olive oil. Put the dish in the oven and bake 25 minutes. Use a large spoon to spoon out the salmon and the couscous.
• Note: 1 cup couscous plus 1 1/3 cups water is a better quantity to serve 2 if you have a smaller gratin dish or baking dish (remaining quantities are the same).

SALMON WITH CHOUCROUTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
• In a non-stick skillet, saute the julienned carrot and onion in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until the onion just begins to get tender.
• Stir in the sauerkraut, 1/2 cup of the wine, the chicken stock (or fish stock, if using that), the 1 teaspoon of salted butter, juniper berries, thyme, bay leaf and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Pour this blend into a 9" x 13" casserole dish.
• Using the same skillet, add the 2 remaining tablespoons of olive oil and sear the salmon fillets over medium-high heat until they are lightly browned -- sear the second side for 30 seconds and then transfer them to the sauerkraut blend in the casserole dish. Bake this in the oven for five minutes.
• While the dish is baking, using the same skillet, (drained of any oil), add the remaining wine and vinegar and reduce over medium-high heat to 1/4 of its original volume, then add the unsalted butter, piece by piece, whisking until the sauce is creamy, then remove from the heat.
• Plate up the Salmon Choucroute from the casserole dish on to 4 individual plates and then drizzle the sauce over each one.

SALMON WITH CHERMOULA SAUCE AND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Make the chermoula: Combine the cilantro, 1/4 cup parsley leaves, the garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander and the lemon zest and juice in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. While the machine is running, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup olive oil and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the zucchini and cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, 1 minute. Add the harissa, 1 1/4 cups water and a big pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous, then cover, remove from the heat and wait 5 minutes; fluff with a fork. Stir in the 2 tablespoons chopped parsley; season with salt.
• Season the salmon with the remaining 1 teaspoon each cumin and coriander and a few pinches each of salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the salmon and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Divide among plates and top with the chermoula. Serve with the couscous and lemon wedges.

SALMON WITH CHOUCROUTE AND GEWüRZTRAMINER SAUCE

Steps:

• Choucroute
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring, until just wilted. Stir in the sauerkraut, stock, wine, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, about 15 minutes, then set aside, still covered, to keep warm.
• Gewürztraminer Sauce
• Combine the wine, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently until the liquid is reduced to 2-3 tablespoons. Gradually add butter, in small pieces, whisking constantly, until all the butter is incorporated. The sauce should be a shiny, creamy yellow. Add salt. Taste, and adjust seasonings.
• Salmon
• Season the salmon with salt and pepper and coat with the bread crumb mixture. Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. When it is very hot but not smoking, add the salmon, presentation side down. Lower the heat to medium, add the butter, and use a spatula to lift the salmon, to allow butter to run under each fillet. Cook until it is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook about 3 more minutes, until salmon is just medium-rare. Cook a little longer if you like it more done, but not long enough to dry it out.
• To Serve
• Divide the choucroute among four plates, top with a piece of salmon, and drizzle the sauce around the fish. Garnish with chives.
• Notes
• At Bayona, we use plain bread crumbs for this dish. But for a little more texture, try panko, Japanese bread crumbs (available at specialty markets and many grocery stores).
• Beurre blancs, or butter sauces, are known for breaking. Luckily it's a cinch to repair them. To fix a broken beurre blanc, skim the butter off the top and reserve the separated part of the sauce. In a small clean saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of water to a simmer and whisk in the reserved sauce. Over a very gentle heat, whisk in the butter, a bit at a time, and the reserved sauce base should pull together.