The Southern Gourmand

I must admit, there are things that I would rather eat than salmon.  I like it, it’s just that I would rather have shellfish.  What I really enjoy, however is breaking fish down.  Unlike meat, which I can barely even lift, let alone finagle with one hand while using a sharp knife with the other, I can maneuver a fish.  Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I can filet the snot out of a flounder.  If you’ve never done it, try it once to see for yourself. 

Because of this compulsive need that I have to properly butcher fish, I bought skin-on salmon.  I was at the grocery store, looking for inspiration, and this beautiful, wild-caught salmon caught my eye.  I was more excited about removing the skin than I was about eating it.  Clearly, I have no life.

I’ve also been pretty excited to try maltaise sauce.  I first heard about it in my Stocks, Soups and Sauces class.  The chef told me that it goes well with seafood, so when I bought the salmon, the wheels started creaking to life, and my dinner was born.  I still had the other half of the filet, though, so I wanted to try a different sauce the next night.  I decided on a beurre rouge since I had enough merlot left to cook with, but not enough for a glass of it.  Equally yummy and probably easier than the maltaise.

If you’ve never made hollandaise sauce before, you might get frustrated with the maltaise.  As far as sauces go, it’s highly temperamental and it takes a trained eye to spot when  you’re in trouble and how to fix it.  I’ve ruined more batches than I’ve finished, just so you know.  While the chef who taught me how to make it took all of about 3 minutes to do hers, I take more in the 10 minute range.  Go slowly and it’s harder to botch it.  Here are a few tips that I’ve learned, which might help keep your sauce from breaking:

#1:  Don’t fill your water up all the way.  It should not touch your bowl and I’ve found it best to have a few inches of space between the two.

#2:  Place a kitchen towel over the pot before setting your bowl down.  It will help keep your eggs from cooking.

#3:  Don’t be afraid to remove the bowl from the heat if it looks like things are going too quickly. 

#4:  Never ever ever stop whisking and make sure you get up around the edges, too.

#5:  If you notice your eggs are starting to scramble, remove from heat immediately and add cold water to your bowl. 

#6:  If it looks like Duke’s Mayonnaise, add some hot water from the pot to your bowl. 

#7:  You will need everything done beforehand and with you at the stove before you even begin.

Bon chance! 

Clarified Butter

1 lb unsalted butter

Directions

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Once milk solids are at the bottom of the pan and starting to brown, remove from heat and strain through several layers of cheesecloth. 

Stage 1:

Stage 2:

Stage 3:

Just after it reaches this stage, pull it off and strain.

It should be a rich, perfectly clear gold color when it’s finished.  One pound of butter will yield 12 oz of clarified butter.

Sautéed Salmon with Maltaise Sauce

4 4 oz skinless salmon filets

2 tbsp olive oil

 6 tbsp dry white wine

1 1/2 tbsp white vinegar

3 whole black peppercorns, crushed

1/4 bay leaf

1 tbsp cold water

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp blood orange juice

1/2 tsp blood orange zest

5 oz clarified butter, heated 

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine wine, peppercorns, bay leaf and vinegar and reduce by half over medium heat.  Strain and cool completely.

In a saute pan, heat oil.  Season fish with salt and pepper to taste, then place in pan.  Cook until the internal temperature is 145 or flesh is opaque and flaky.  Set aside and keep warm.

Whisk water, yolks, 1/2 tbsp of the reduction and half of orange juice in a stainless steel bowl.  Place bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the bowl doesn’t touch the water. 

Whisk constantly and cook yolk mixture until it begins to ribbon and a drizzled figure 8 hesitates on the surface before disappearing. 

Remove yolks from heat and slowly whisk in clarified butter.  If mixture becomes too thick or starts to separate (it will look like an oil slick), whisk in a little warm water.

Season with salt, zest, remaining juice and reduction, if desired.  Serve immediately.

Grand Total: $12.57

Sauteed Salmon with Beurre Rouge

4 4 oz skinless salmon filets

1 tsp shallots, minced

3 tbsp red wine

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

4 tbsp heavy cream

1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut into small chunks, room temperature

Salt to taste

Directions

Combine shallots, wine and vinegar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced by 90%.  Add heavy cream and reduce mixture by 50%. 

In a saute pan, heat oil.  Season fish with salt and pepper to taste, then place in pan.  Cook until the internal temperature is 145 or flesh is opaque and flaky.  Set aside and keep warm.

Remove cream mixture from heat and whisk in butter.  Return briefly to heat if mixture becomes too cool.  Add salt to taste.  Strain through a fine mesh sieve and serve immediately.

Grand Total:  $12.04