Poached Copper River Salmon with Avocado Sauce & Cucumber Salsa

Copper River salmon is on sale at Central Market this week! This dish came together after I saw the beautiful heirloom tomatoes and baby cucumbers I received from Farmhouse Delivery this week. Despite it looking like a fancy shmancy dish, the preparation is actually very simple, just highlighting the taste of quality seasonal ingredients. The recipe below is given in parts. It’s fastest to start out with the cucumber salsa (which needs a few minutes to marinate and develop flavor), then move on to prepping the salmon, then while the salmon is poaching, prepare the avocado sauce, for dinner in about 45 minutes total.

Recipes below yield 2 servings.

Cucumber Salsa

1 medium English cucumber, peeled and diced (or 2 to 3 baby cucumbers)

1/4 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (with seeds if you want spicy)
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

• Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper (and additional lime juice if desired).
• Let chill in refrigerator.

Poached Salmon

2 6-oz skinless salmon fillets, of similar thickness (for cooking evenly)
1 or 2 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves torn off
3 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper

• Season salmon on both sides with salt and pepper. Lay fillets in a baking dish just large enough to fit both fillets (8x8x2 for example). Sprinkle tarragon leaves on top of fish. Let sit 5-10 minutes to let salmon reach room temperature.
• Meanwhile, boil vegetable broth in a small saucepan. Pour boiling broth over salmon until salmon is fully submerged. Cover baking dish (with lid or foil), and let salmon poach for 8-12 minutes (for medium rare to medium doneness).
• Transfer salmon to plate with a slotted spatula/fish turner.

Avocado Sauce

1 small avocado (or half of a large one)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper

• Scoop out flesh of avocado into a  small food processor. Combine with remaining ingredients and pulse in food processor until sauce is smooth and velvety, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and additional lime juice if needed. If sauce is too thick, add in water 1 tbsp at a time until desired consistency.

Putting It Together

1 heirloom tomato, sliced thinly

• Build a flavor foundation for each plate with approximately 1/4 cup of avocado sauce, spreading it out with the back of a spoon.
• Place 3 slices of tomato on top of the avocado sauce.
• Transfer salmon atop the tomato slices.
• Garnish with cucumber salsa on top of the salmon.
• Add an additional dollop of avocado sauce on top of cucumber salsa if desired.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving
as calculated by Sparkpeople Recipe Calculator

Calories 630 | Fat 39g | Cholesterol 120mg | Sodium 1299mg
Carbohydrate 18g | Fiber 8g | Sugars 4g | Protein 54g

Vitamin A 15% | Vitamin B-6 59% | Vitamin B-12 87% | Vitamin C 46%
Vitamin D 154% | Vitamin E 13% | Calcium 11%| Folate 28% | Iron 9%

Green Tomato and Cheddar Pie

I love the tartness of green tomatoes but am not a big fan of deep frying, at least in my own kitchen. I received a deep fryer as a wedding gift and it is still sitting in the unopened box. I am not sure if this considered a crime of misuse in the great state of deep fried Texas. I ran across a recipe for tomato and cheddar pie in the August 2011 issue of Bon Appetit and tried it with red and green tomatoes. While the magic of the combination of the juicy tomatoes with creamy mayonnaise and cool dill exists in both versions, the green tomatoes hold their texture better (red tomatoes tend to become more “stewed” in texture) and the additional tartness is the perfect balance to the cheddar and mayonnaise in this rather rich dish. I find the flavor combination so addictive that I could probably eat half of the pie, but since it is a heavy dish, self control is key (at least an attempt at it).

Green Tomato and Cheddar Pie

Recipe yields 6 servings

1 deep dish pie crust
1/4 cup coarsely ground cornmeal
4 to 5 medium green tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch slices
2 cups coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (matured Irish cheddar works well with the green tomatoes)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 or 3 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Spread 1 or 2 tbsp of cornmeal evenly to cover the bottom of the pie crust.
• Toss both cheeses together in a medium bowl until blended.
• Whisk together mayonnaise, dill, vinegar, sugar, the remainder cornmeal, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl.
• Spread a layer of 1/4 of the mixed cheese on top of the cornmeal covered pie crust,  layer 1/3 of the tomato slices on top of the cheese, spread 1/3 of the mayonnaise mixture, and repeat with cheese, tomatoes, and mayonnaise for 2 more repetitions.
• On top of the last layer of mayonnaise, spread the remaining 1/4 cup cheese mixture and bake in oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is starting to brown around edges of tomatoes.
• Let pie cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving
as calculated by Sparkpeople Recipe Calculator

Calories 446 | Fat 34g | Cholesterol 48mg | Sodium 556mg
Carbohydrate 22g | Fiber 2g | Sugars 8g | Protein 14g

Vitamin A 24% | Vitamin B-6 8% | Vitamin B-12 7% | Vitamin C 41%
Vitamin E 12% | Calcium 35%| Folate 8% | Iron 9%

Onion Jam

I spent Memorial Day weekend in New Orleans indulging in food whenever I could find room in my stomach. One bite stuck out in my memory through the eating marathon, the sweet onion jam on top of seared chicken rillette with bacon broth at Chef Donald Link’s Herbsaint restaurant. I couldn’t believe how easy it is to make this stuff after Googling several recipes for onion jam on the internet. A lovely enhancement to a cheese plate, pizza (particularly paired with a strong cheese), burger, or even just spread on some toast, I definitely see this little condiment becoming a regular in my fridge. The best part? You can make this jam many ways with different types of onions and vinegars depending on what you have available. The variety of possibilities makes it even more exciting!

Onion Jam

1 medium onion, halved and sliced thinly (I used a sweet onion variety)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp sugar
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp vinegar (I used a sherry vinegar)

• Melt butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium-low heat.
• Add in onions, salt, and sugar, and let the onions “sweat” for 20 minutes, covering the saucepan with a lid and stirring occasionally to make sure onions cook evenly.
• Uncover, increase heat to medium-high, and add in wine and vinegar, stirring and cooking until liquid evaporates and onions are caramelized to a golden brown color, about 15-20 minutes.
• Let cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

I initially meant to make this jam for a pizza with smoked mozzarella, but one bite of this good stuff on some crusty French bread made me realize that I couldn’t wait. So my pizza became a cheese plate for lunch garnished with the onion jam 🙂

Orzo with Shrimp, Kalamata Olives, Tomatoes, Feta & Mint

My better half is doing some long stints in Shanghai for work this year. His request for home cooked meals when he returns stateside is always the same, “Something with cheese!” Consistent with my travel experiences to east Asia, there is something about missing dairy for an extended periods of time that starts resembling a mind game.

For a quick and light summer lunch, feta was the dairy indulgence of choice. In this orzo dish, feta is combined with other Mediterranean flavors like Kalamata olives and oregano.

Orzo with Shrimp, Kalamata Olives, Tomatoes, Feta & Mint

Recipe yields 4 servings

1.5 cups orzo (or other small pasta)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup (8-10 large) pitted Kalamata olives, halved or roughly chopped
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled
a few leaves of fresh mint
salt and pepper

• Cook orzo according to package directions to al dente (boil in rolling water for about 6 minutes), drain, and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in minced garlic and shrimp. Cook 2-3 minutes or until shrimp is starting to become opaque, and flip shrimp over, and fry for another minute.
• Add in tomatoes, olives, and oregano to skillet and stir mixture until tomatoes start to release juices, 1-2 minutes.
• Add in white wine and bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and add in cooked and drained orzo.
• Toss everything in skillet until combined and orzo is heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Turn off heat and add in feta cheese, tossing to combine.
• Top with roughly chopped mint (and additional feta for garnish, if desired) and serve.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving
as calculated by Sparkpeople Recipe Calculator

Calories 480 | Fat 14g | Cholesterol 96mg | Sodium 1206mg
Carbohydrate 56g | Fiber 5g | Sugars 7g | Protein 27g

Vitamin A 40% | Vitamin B-6 4% | Vitamin B-12 11% | Vitamin C 43%
Vitamin D 22% | Vitamin E 9% | Calcium 14%| Folate 35% | Iron 24%

 

Michi Ramen at North Austin Trailer Yard (NATY)

UPDATE: Michi Ramen is closing their trailer location on June 17. Per Michi Ramen’s Facebook page:

“As of June 17th, Michi Ramen will be closed indefinitely. As a 2-man operation, cooking in a kitchen down south and serving from a truck up north is realistically unsustainable. That said, we are actively searching for a brick-and-mortar space of our own. Relocating will bring about much-needed changes and hopefully lead to a proper ramen-ya in Austin.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The North Austin Trailer Yard is having their grand opening party today. I stopped by last night to check out the converted space in the middle of the giant Hobby Lobby/Planet Fitness parking lot at Anderson and Lamar. What really piqued my interest was a tweet from @AustinNATY about Michi Ramen joining the fun.

Michi Ramen’s menu is simple. Every bowl of tonkotsu ramen is currently served in their homemade pork broth (a result of a 20+ hour cooking process), and you simply add the toppings you’d like. The top of the menu has some combination suggestions (for those who are unsure of what combination of toppings to get). I ordered a bowl of the simply named “ramen” which comes with two slices of chashu (braised pork), woodear mushrooms, onions, and blackened garlic oil.

This phone photo doesn’t do the rich broth justice. This is dense, rich, milky, so viscous that it sticks to your ribs kind of pork broth! I’ve only had ramen at a few of places in Austin, but this definitely ranks up there as one of the best. The ramen, flown in from California and never frozen, has the perfect al dente texture.

Michi Ramen plans to have a chicken-based broth on their menu soon.

The North Austin Trailer Yard also features several other trailers that I hope to check out soon (Snarky’s sandwiches, KraK2 gourmet donuts, Genuine Joe’s Coffee, Big Fat Greek Gyros, and The Dog Pound hot dogs and shaved ice.)

Michi Ramen
1012 W. Anderson Ln
Austin, TX 78757