Saturday 9 June 2012

Proscuitto & Salmon with a Red Wine Scallion Butter + Sides

Whew! What a week!

Actually, it's been a hectic last couple of weeks. J and I had big exams and so we were studying wildly and admittedly very, very stressed. I even lost the picture of my Pistachio Halibut that I was going to post, oh no!

But, if I've learned anything in life, it's always important to have a Plan B. So, I present to you a date night recipe that I made two  weeks ago (and again last night): Prosciutto wrapped Salmon with a Red Wine Butter, very slightly adapted from Karen Barnaby's Low Carb Gourmet that I talked about a few weeks ago. I can never say enough about this book, seriously. It has resulted in so many delicious meals in our house, it's one of the best ways I've ever spent $20.

So the one thing you'll probably notice is that the salmon isn't wrapped. When I did this two weeks ago, I had been so frazzled that I had totally forgotten to wrap the salmon as I was searing it. Whoops! But, I had a bright idea as I was cooking -- see those mushrooms in the back? They were roasting in the oven and I draped the long slices of prosciutto over them, so not only did I get extra tasty mushrooms, I got slightly crispy, warm prosciutto as well. Oh, also take note of those beautiful scallions. We picked those up from a local organic farmer at the farmer's market in town. They last FOREVER and are so very fresh!

The Full Meal Deal
There's also a delicious salad, which pleasantly surprised J. As I said, the salmon is adapted, but the mushrooms and salad are GG originals (simple, but still mine!) Barnaby calls for you to cook the salmon for about 8 - 10 minutes per side, but this is a waste if you're using fresh salmon. She also calls for you to season the salmon with thyme, but I found that adding it to the sauce was much more flavourful! I'm also going to let you in on my quick and easy way to sear salmon, or any kind of fresh fish. This is a trick passed down from Chef Todd Bright at Wild Rice. If you're ever in Vancouver or New Westminster, be sure to check out the restaurant! Haven't had a bad meal from there EVER!

And without further adieu, here's the recipe for the Salad, Mushrooms, and Salmon.

Simple Salad
Serves 2

Source: Original Recipe

2 cups of any mixed greens of your choice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sprinkle of fresh (or freeze dried) Basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Whisk your olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt and pepper in a small bowl until combined. In a larger bowl mix your salad greens (if they haven't been already). Pour dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Let sit for 8 - 10 minutes. Serve

Note: The reason why you want to let it is is so that your greens start to absorb the flavours of the dressing. You don't want to let it sit too long though, or you'll lose that great crunch!

Oven-Roasted Herbed Mushrooms
Serves 2

Source: Original Recipe

6 - 8 medium  sized mushrooms, quartered
1 - 2 tbsp of Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Herbes de Provence

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Thoroughly wash and quarter your mushrooms, placing them into an 8" x 8" square baking dish. Whisk your olive oil and Herbes de Provence in a small bowl. Drizzle over your mushrooms and toss to coat (don't be afraid to use your hands!)

Roast for 25 - 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Note: Watch these things pretty carefully after the 20 minute mark. They should be lightly browned, still plump and firm, but not shriveled! It will depend on how your oven feels that day (mine is quite temperamental) and the size of your mushrroms.

Seared Salmon with Prosciutto and Red Wine Butter
Serves 2

Adapted from: Low Carb Gourmet by Karen Barnaby

Look at those Fresh Shallots!

For the Salmon:
2 salmon filets, about 6 oz (170g) each
A little bit of salt and peper
1/2 tbsp - 1 tbsp of olive oil for the pan (you'll need less if you use a cast iron pan - another great investment!)

Let the salmon come up to room temperature, about 15 - 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper on each side. Heat the pan over medium high heat. When your pan is hot, add your oil, and wait a few seconds to allow your oil to heat up. Add the salmon and DO NOT TOUCH (peek, prod, poke or otherwise lift from the pan) for 3 minutes and then flip. Turn off the heat and let sit for another two to three minutes. Serve topped with the red wine butter and over your crispy prosciutto.

Not flipping or touching the salmon, fish, or whatever else you're searing is very important. If the sear isn't complete you risk breaking your fish or having an uneven sear. Trust me, you won't burn it, no matter how much it sizzles. The great thing about searing is it is so easy, it's perfect to try during the work week for  a versatile dish that you can put any glaze or dressing, or add any side dish you want. Remember, practice makes perfect with searing! It doesn't take long to get the hang of it, and you'll impress everyone you know with your superior searing skills.

For the Red Wine Butter:
1 tbsp minced shallot
1/2 cup red wine
1 tsp fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Place the shallot and red wine in a small sauce pan. Heat over medium heat until the sauce is reduced and the shallots are glaze-y and the sauce looks sticky. Place the butter in a small bowl and pour the reduction over the butter. If your glaze is too thick, add 1 tbsp of hot  hot water and then add to the butter. Stir gently until the butter is incorporated. Serve over the salmon.

That's all I've got for you today! Hope this makes up for my dropping off the face of the blog-o-sphere for a little while. Life should give me a little more time to cook (hopefully!) so I hope to get one or two posts up every week.

Happy cooking! Feel free to email me (check out the sidebar to the right!) and don't forget to like me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter!

1 comment:

  1. Hi,

    I have a quick question about your blog, do you think you could email me?

    Jillian

    ReplyDelete