Home Away from Home: an Oregon Girl Cooks Salmon

After more a decade of living the life of a nomad, I have discovered that I can be happy living almost anywhere: east coast or west coast, big city or small town, red state or blue state. While I may have mastered the ability to find the positive within every living situation, there is no denying that I am an Oregonian through and through, and always will be.

I recently returned from a two-week trip out to Portland, Oregon to visit my family. Portland summers are nothing like the ones we have here in New Jersey - it's cooler, drier, more temperate and BUG FREE. So we spent a lot of time outside with the kids, hiking, biking, swimming and playing.

We also did a lot of eating. In my family, we usually start planning our next meal before we finish the one we're enjoying. As I come from a long line of foodies, we spend much of our quality time together talking about food, shopping for food, preparing food, and stuffing our faces with food. My dad is my partner in crime. When I was a teenager he seriously contemplated abandoning his medical career for that of a professional chef. One weekend working in a restaurant kitchen cured him of that fantasy, but could not diminish his zeal for great home cooking.

Since we were on vacation, we tried to take it easy and not be too scheduled. We could not possibly plan multiple meals in advance because we did not know what we'd be doing or how much time we'd have to spend in the kitchen or what we'd be hungry for. So we pretty much went to the store every single day. Grocery shopping in Portland is actually enjoyable (even with kids) when it means I can go to New Seasons, a locally owned and operated chain of stores specializing in locally raised meats, produce and dairy products. They buy directly from Pacific Northwest farmers, ranchers, creamery co-ops, vintners, brewers, and coffee roasters. The result is fresher and more sustainable food, all while supporting local businesses. So while I was visiting, we made our daily pilgrimage to New Seasons in search of inspiration and many delicious family meals were the result.

My Dad and Sean, on the deck, enjoying one of many family meals together.

Since we got back, I've been suffering from more than a little bit of homesickness. So to make myself feel better, I decided to cook a classic Pacific Northwest meal - Salmon! There are so many good ways to cook a piece of salmon: boil it, bake it, grill it, it all tastes delicious. When the fish looks really good, I am always tempted to just go minimalist - salt, pepper, lemon, and 10 minutes under a broiler - I swear you can actually taste the river in the fish. Still, every now and then, you want to try something a little different.

This recipe comes from Wildwood: Cooking from the Source in the Pacific Northwest, by Cory Schreiber. Schreiber opened his restaurant, Wildwood, in Northwest Portland in 1994 and won a James Beard Award in 1998. It has long been a family favorite of ours and when I spotted the book on my dad's shelf I instantly wanted to stuff it into my suitcase. You see, my dad and I have a ritual where I search through his voluminous library of cookbooks and convince him to let me "borrow" as many as possible. Most of the time, I smuggle a few home, gush to him on the phone about how delicious the food is and guilt trip him into letting me keep them. He buys himself another copy and we're both happy! When it came to Schreiber's bible of Pacific Northwest cooking, I knew it was not getting on the plane with me, no matter how much I begged and cajoled. So instead, I spent the better part of two days furiously copying by hand as many recipes from the book as possible. This was one of the first that caught my eye. We served it with a bottle of Evolution, Lucky Edition, from Sokol Blosser Vineyards in Oregon's Wine Country. I'm home already!


Salmon Steaks Braised in Grape Juice with Whipped Potatoes and Horseradish


First, how to prep a salmon fillet:
1. Run your fingertips up and down the center of the flesh, feeling for tiny bones. If you find any, use a pair of tweezers to yank them out.

2. Beginning at the tail end of the fillet, work the edge of a sharp, long and narrow slicing knife between the flesh and skin. If you don’t have a tail end, start at one corner of the fillet and work your way in until the knife is between the skin and flesh all the way across one short end of the fillet.

3. With your free hand and (use a paper towel for better traction), grab the just-freed end of skin and pull on it as you run the knife down the length of the fillet in the opposite direction. Keep the knife angled slightly down toward the skin, and use a slight sawing motion if necessary. The skin will hopefully come off in one piece.

Ingredients:

For the Potatoes:
1 lb red bliss or yukon gold potatoes, halved
2 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tbs butter
1 tbs horseradish
1 tbs fresh chives, minced

For the Salmon:
2 Tb olive oil
4 salmon steaks (8-10 ounces), or fillets (6-8 ounces)
1 1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
2 1/2 cups white grape juice
1/4 cup chardonnay
1 small red onion, cut vertically into thin crescents
1 cup seedless green grapes
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 cup minced flat leaf parsley
2 tbs butter
2 tbs fresh lemon juice

Cover the potatoes with water. Add 1 tsp of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and let stand for 5 minutes. In the meantime, heat the milk and 1 tbs of butter. Mash the potatoes in a stainless steal workbowl, season with 1 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Gradually add the hot milk, whipping until light and fluffy. Fold in the horseradish and chives. Set aside and keep warm. (As a side note, the easiest way to keep the mashed potatoes warm is to set the stainless steel bowl over the pot of boiling water in which you cooked the potatoes. Stir it every ten minutes or so - you can probably keep them there a solid 30 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In an oven proof skillet large enough to hold the salmon, heat the oil over medium heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Add the salmon and brown for 3 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.

Wipe out the pan and add the grape juice, wine, onion, grapes and fennel seeds. Bring to a simmer. Return the salmon to the pan and braise in the oven for about 20 minutes for steaks and 10 minutes for fillets, or until opaque throughout. Remove and keep warm. (But do not overcook! When cooked properly, the salmon will flake easily with just a fork. When salmon is overdone, it takes on a rubbery texture).

Return the pan to the stove and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the parsley, butter and lemon juice. Cook for 1 minute.

Portion the potatoes, place the salmon on top, and spoon on some sauce.

Enjoy!