Silver Salmon Martini Food

FLIRTINI

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake vigorously and strain into chilled martini glass.

TUNA MARTINI

Steps:

• Combine tuna with sesame oil and kosher salt, to taste. Set aside. Mix creme fraiche with Sri Racha and kosher salt, to taste. Place creme fraiche mixture in the bottom of a 6-ounce martini glass. Put seasoned tuna on top of creme fraiche. Drizzle soy sauce on top of the tuna. Sprinkle scallions and sesame seeds on top of the tuna. Gently place the fried gyoza or wonton skin on top of tuna. On either side of the skin, place julienned ginger and wasabi infused fish roe.

SALMON WITH MARTINI SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine vermouth, shallots, juniper berries, and peppercorns in heavy small saucepan. Boil until liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup, about 12 minutes. Add clam juice and boil until reduced by half, about 8 minutes. Add cream and boil until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 8 minutes. Add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until melted before adding more. Strain sauce through fine-meshed strainer. Return sauce to saucepan. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Keep at room temperature.)
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with parsley, then salt and pepper. Add salmon to skillet and sauté until just cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
• Meanwhile, rewarm sauce. Stir in olives, gin, and lemon juice. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Place salmon on plates. Drizzle sauce over. Garnish with chives and serve.
• *Juniper berries are available in the spice section of most supermarkets.

POACHED ALASKA SILVER SALMON

Steps:

• Add water, wine and spices to poaching pan and place over low heat. Bring to a simmer just below boiling point. Rinse and dry fillet, then place skin down on poaching rack and lower into poaching mixture. Cover and simmer until done, approximately 20 minutes, depending on size of the fillet. To check, poke gently with sharp probe. If it passes through readily, the fillet is done.
• Remove poaching pan from heat and allow contents to cool to room temperature before removing fillet. Lift cooled fillet from pan and allow to drain a few minutes. If tiny pin bones are still present above the position of the ribs, remove with tweezers. Carefully transfer the fillet onto serving platter and peel off skin.
• In a mixing bowl, combine ranch-topping package with sour cream. Follow package directions. Spread uniformly over the salmon fillet to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4-inch. Slice cucumber into 1/8-inch thick rounds. Start at slender tail of fillet and press individual cucumber rounds gently into the dip with each vertical row slightly overlapping the previous row to create "fish scales." Continue with row after row toward the head, until fillet is completely covered. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Serve cold.

PINEAPPLE SAPPHIRE ICEPOP MARTINI

Steps:

• To make the icepop: In a large bowl, combine the puree, water and lemon juice. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and follow the directions for your machine to freeze the guanabana mix to the consistency of a sorbet. Once the mixture has become somewhat solid, pour the icepop mix into an ice cube tray and insert the cinnamon sticks. They will act as the handles of the icepop. Place in a freezer and freeze until solid, about 8 to 10 hours.
• To make the martini: Fill a martini shaker with ice. Pour the gin and pineapple juice into the shaker. Cover and shake for 1 minute. Place the icepop into a chilled martini glass and strain the martini over it.