Salmon En Papillote, with Basil Butter

Grilling and searing are, of course, great ways to serve salmon. But I also love poaching and steaming fish to retain all the flavorful natural juices. Wrapping them in foil (paper is used traditionally, but foil works very well) along with aromatic ingredients bring out the best in the tender fish. It's a must if you haven't tried this yet. 

Salmon En Papillote with Basil Butter

Salmon En Papillote
Serves 4
Ingredients
Salmon

• 4 salmon fillets
• 1/4lb basil butter (recipe follows)
• 8 tomato slices
• 4 lemon slices
• 4 bay leaves
• salt, pepper, and paprika

Basil Butter

• 15 basil leaves
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4lb unsalted butter
• few drops of lemon juice
• salt and white pepper

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 325F.
2. To make basil butter, blend basil and garlic in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Blend until well combined. 
3. Place each salmon fillet on 2 layers of aluminum foil. Place a spoonful of basil butter on each fillet and top each with a slice of tomato. Add a lemon slice and a bay leaf each. Season and seal foil tightly. 
4. Place foil packages in oven. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes. 
5. Be careful of steam and juice when you open up the foil. The best way is to place those on plates and use forks to open them up slowly. Serve immediately.

Lemongrass Wild King Salmon Spring Roll

Among Asian cuisines, Vietnamese food has always been an unfamiliar territory to me. Growing up, I never had the chance to sample authentic Vietnamese food. That changed when I tried my very first Vietnamese Spring Roll, with the fragrance and freshness wrapped in one spring roll, paired with a garlic spicy dip. As a part of the 5 Star Makeover Cooking Group, I made a deconstructed Vietnamese Lemongrass Wild King Salmon Spring Roll.

Lemongrass Wild King Salmon Spring Roll

The key to making the perfect spring roll is to keep the ingredients as fresh and flavorful as possible. I poached the Wild King Salmon in lemongrass, chicken stock, white wine, orange juice, and garlic. The usual plain rice vermicelli was lightly sauteed in olive oil and green onions. Accompanying the poached salmon are cilantro dust, pesto drops, and steamed baby carrot. For the dipping sauce, I made a spicy garlic sweet and sour jello with fried mint chips.

Lemongrass Poached Salmon, Green Onion Fried Vermicelli, Steamed Baby Carrot,
Cilantro Dust, Pesto Drops, and Spicy Garlic Jello with Fried Mint Chips

I have to thank 5 Star Foodie and Lazaro Cooks! for a fun lesson on sustainable fish. As a part of the 5 Star Makeover Cooking Group, our March theme was Sustainable Fish. It was interesting to learn from the Monterey Bay Aquarium website sustainability of different types of seafood. I have always been a huge fan of salmon and now I know to select wild-caught salmon from Alaska due to the excellent monitoring of fish populations and fishery. To me, understanding the ingredient is just as important, if not more, as cooking or consuming.

hosted by 5 Star Foodie & Lazaro Cooks!

At Santa Monica Seafood, I picked out a beautiful fillet of wild-caught Alaskan King Salmon.

Wild Alaskan King Salmon

I was so excited to cook with these ingredients and enjoy my spring roll with sustainable seafood!

Dessert or Entrée: Salmon Mousse with Teriyaki Glaze

I realize that there are those who enjoy eating something savory first thing in the morning (my husband), like a breakfast sandwich or a plate of pasta, and those who prefer to stick with oatmeal and pastries. I am of the latter. I have managed to convince myself that my stomach enjoys starting the day with the taste of sweetness. My dilemma usually begins on some weekends when I wake up so late that it is pretty much past lunchtime. Today is the day I found a solution for my problem.



Salmon Mousse with Teriyaki Glaze, Cheese Wafer Crisp, Cream Foam
served with Freshly Baked Focaccia Bread

 Now if I can trick my stomach into thinking that it is eating a dessert but really it is a salmon fillet with teriyaki sauce and focaccia bread, I think we may finally be able to make peace. I made a salmon mousse that is flavored with a little bit of mirin and soy sauce, accompanied by a rich teriyaki glaze. I served the salmon mousse with a freshly baked focaccia bread. A parmigiano-reggiano wafer crisp and a little bit of cream foam topped the mousse.

The salmon mousse is both flaky and creamy and the teriyaki glaze has the perfect texture and flavor for this mousse. Teriyaki glaze is very easy to make - all you need is soy sauce, mirin (a Japanese sweet wine), and sugar. I used 1/4 cup soy sauce: 1/4 cup mirin: 1 tbsp white sugar, and I heated the sauce in a pan. As it cools on the plate, it hardens slightly to form a beautiful glaze. The perfect Sunday brunch.