In the Hands of a Chef (30 page)

4.
Toss the blanched vegetables (including the corn) in a bowl with 1 tablespoon each of the remaining mint and basil, the cream, and the juice of half the lemon. Season with salt and pepper and toss well. Spread the vegetables in a 1-inch layer in a gratin dish.

5.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

6.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Toss with the bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Spread over the vegetables. Bake the gratin until the vegetables are tender and the cream is bubbling, about 10 minutes.

7.
While the gratin is baking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the salmon liberally with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, almost smoking, add the salmon fillets (the side that used to have the skin on it should be up) and sear until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Do not try to move the fillets until they’ve gotten a good sear, or they’ll stick to the pan. Cook them on one side only. Remove from the heat.

8.
As soon as the gratin finishes baking, set the salmon fillets, seared side up, on top of the gratin. Return to the oven until the fish is cooked to medium, another 10 minutes or so. Squeeze the remaining lemon half over the fish and garnish with the mint sprigs. Serve immediately.

I
grew up with “stipers” as
a summer staple, but overfishing took it off the table for many years. The inviting pale rose-white color of the fillets seems to predict a delicate flavor, but the fish actually has a strong, meaty taste and a firm texture. In this recipe, the bass is seared in one pan and then finishes cooking in a second pan atop an aromatic bed of fried green tomatoes sweetened with a few fresh figs. If you have a presentable skillet or sauté pan, the fish can brought directly to the table and served as a gorgeous one-pot dish.

MAKES 4 ENTRÉE SERVINGS

3 green tomatoes (4 to 5 ounces each), sliced ½ inch thick

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 ripe figs, cut in half lengthwise

1 large fennel bulb (about 6 ounces), trimmed of tough outer layers, cored, and chopped into ¼-inch dice

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

16 basil leaves

4 striped bass fillets, about 1 inch thick, skin on

⅓ cup white wine vinegar

½ cup water

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1.
Season the tomato slices on both sides with salt and pepper. Dust with the flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the tomato slices and sear on both sides until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Add the figs, cut side down, to the pan and sear, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the platter with the tomatoes and wipe out the pan.

2.
Add 2 more tablespoons of the olive oil to the pan. Add the fennel, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, just a minute or two. Stir in the orange zest and basil leaves and remove the pan from the heat. Return the tomatoes and figs to the pan, laying them atop the fennel.

3.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a second large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season the bass with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot but not quite smoking, add the bass, skin side down, and sear until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the fish and cook for 1 minute on the second side. Transfer the bass to the first sauté pan, laying the fillets skin side up atop the tomatoes and figs.

4.
Pour the vinegar and water into the pan used for cooking the fish. As the liquid starts to boil, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to dissolve the crispy bits. Pour this pan juice over the fish and vegetables.

5.
Cover and cook over low heat until the fish is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer the dish to a warm platter or serve directly from the pan. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley just before serving.

I
sn’t it funny how ingredients
come in and out of fashion? After receiving some smoked salt from Norway,
I
wanted to develop a dish that was consistent with the salt’s Scandinavian origins. My instincts led me straight to salmon and then to dill. From there it was an easy to step to cucumbers, fennel, mustard, and then crème fraîche. The effect reminds me of an old-fashioned Sunday dinner platter—seared salmon fillets accompanied by toast points and a creamy sauce.

MAKES 4 ENTRÉE SERVINGS

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus 4 sprigs for garnish

2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

Four 6-ounce salmon fillets, skin on

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Smoked sea salt (available in specialty stores; or substitute regular sea salt)

1 small celery root, peeled and cut into ¼-inch dice

1 small red onion, sliced ¼ inch thick

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into ½-inch slices on the diagonal

2 slices dense pumpernickel bread

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

¼ firm red apple, skin on, cut into ¼-inch dice

¾ cup crème fraîche

3 tablespoons spicy grainy mustard

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1.
Mix the chopped dill, tarragon, and lemon zest together. Transfer half the herbs to a small bowl for use in the sauce, cover, and refrigerate. Toss the salmon fillets in the other half. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to 24 hours.

2.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

3.
Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat. Season the fillets with the sea salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the salmon skin side down to the pan and cook, on the one side only, until the skin is crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove the fish from the pan.

4.
Add the celery root and onions to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, or until just tender. Add the cucumber and toss well.

5.
Place the fish skin side up on top of the vegetables and roast in the oven for 7 minutes, or until the fish is cooked to medium.

6.
Meanwhile, toast and butter the pumpernickel slices. Trim the crusts, then cut each slice into 4 triangles.

7.
Transfer the fish to a platter, skin side up. Off the heat, add the apple, crème fraîche, mustard, and the reserved herb mixture to the pan and mix in. Season with salt, pepper, and the lemon juice.

8.
Spoon the salad and sauce next to—not over—the fish. Garnish with the toast points and dill sprigs, and serve.

D
ried cranberries and walnuts are
a pair of obvious New England ingredients for an easy variation on seared salmon, and both go well with spinach. Red cranberries, orange salmon, green spinach, and a golden sauce make a seafood entrée that looks festive, tastes great, and is easy and quick to prepare.

The dish is easily doubled, especially if you grill the salmon instead of sautéing it. Any leftovers translate into an instant lunch. The spinach is delicious cold, and the salmon can be sliced thin and drizzled with fresh lemon juice or given a completely different spin with a flavored mayonnaise (pages 13-14).

MAKES 4 ENTRÉE SERVINGS

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 shallot, minced

½ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons dried cranberries, soaked in ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons grated fresh horseradish, or 2 tablespoons bottled horseradish, drained

1½ teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Four 6-ounce salmon fillets, skin on

1 pound flat-leaf spinach, trimmed of thick stems, washed, and dried

2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts

1.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter with the shallots in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until the shallots are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the white wine and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Pour the orange juice from the cranberries into the saucepan (set the cranberries aside). Reduce the orange juice to just ¼ cup. Off the heat, whisk in the remaining 7 tablespoons butter, a tablespoon at a time. Add the horseradish and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep in a warm spot, away from the direct heat—or the sauce will break.

2.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan (nonstick if possible) over high heat. (Use two pans if all the fish won’t fit comfortably in a single pan.) Sprinkle the salmon liberally with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, almost smoking, add the salmon fillets, skin side up, and sear until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Do not try to move the fillets until they’ve gotten a good sear, or they’ll stick to the pan. Flip and cook on the other side. A 2-inch-thick fillet will take 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium.

3.
While the salmon is cooking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing, until the spinach has just wilted, a minute or so. Add the walnuts and cranberries and cook for another 30 seconds to heat everything through.

4.
Place a quarter of the spinach and cranberries in the center of each of four warm plates. Set the salmon skin side up over the spinach. Spoon the sauce around the plates. Serve immediately.

S
imple ingredients exploited to maximum
effect—that’s the story behind this recipe. Hard cider combines with crème fraîche to pick up the sweetness of fresh scallops. The scallops rest on a bed of spinach and shiitake mushrooms, flavors from the opposite end of the taste spectrum, so that everyone’s palate isn’t exhausted from all of that creamy richness. The most challenging aspect of this recipe is to cook the scallops correctly. The key is to brown them quickly over high heat for just a couple of minutes without disturbing them, then turn them once to finish cooking on the other side. They should still be slightly translucent in the center. Don’t shake them around while they’re cooking, or they’ll release their juices, a double whammy—they dry out and the juice in the pan prevents them from browning correctly.

MAKES 4 ENTRÉE SERVINGS

1½ cups hard cider

½ cup crème fraîche

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup vegetable oil

1¼ pounds large fresh sea scallops, 1 to 1½ inches across, tough muscles removed

¼ pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 pound flat-leaf spinach, trimmed of thick stems, washed, and dried

½ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

1.
Bring the cider to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the cider has reduced to a glaze, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool.

2.
Mix the cider with the crème fraîche. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

3.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Season the scallops with salt and pepper. When the oil is very hot, almost at the smoking point, add the scallops in a single layer, with at least ½ inch of space between them, and allow them to cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the first side, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the second side. They should still be slightly translucent in the center. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

4.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, if necessary. Add the shiitakes and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and toss several times, until wilted.

5.
Make a bed of spinach and mushrooms on each of four warm plates. Arrange the scallops on top. Put a spoonful of the crème fraîche and cider sauce over the scallops, sprinkle with the hazelnuts and chives, and serve immediately.

T
his dish seems antique to
me. It’s not at all something that a modern Western sensibility would devise. The exotic combination of pine nuts, raisins, vinegar, and orange juice seems to call from some ancient time and place, half-European, half-Middle Eastern, strange and appealing at the same time. One of the easiest ways of preserving fish in a hot climate is to store it in vinegar. A sweet sauce or condiment helped create a balanced flavor when the fish was served. I’ve modified
sfogli i saor
, a traditional Venetian sweet-and-sour fish, by adapting it to fresh sole and serving the dish warm, instead of at the traditional room temperature.