There have been a few quirky dishes on the board recently, with a few considered outside the box. Last week I promised something a little more traditional and, with this week dumping more rain (and even snow in some parts), I figured some hearty comfort food would be appreciated. What is comfort food? For starters, there’s no real right answer. Comfort food can be something that reminds us of childhood. It can be something that “sticks to your ribs” when we’re really hungry. It can be an ultimate hangover cure. It can also be something that makes us feel grounded and, more simply put, full and happy.
According to the people I fed, this dish could classify as all of the above, so today it gets passed on to you. Even better, I made it on the fly with whatever was in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry that needed to be used. There was some vac-sealed salmon from Alaska that a friend just handed off, a half bag of potatoes, a pack of biscuit dough in the back of the fridge, half a cube of cheese and some neglected artichokes because I didn’t have time to cook them during the week. Sometimes our most creative dishes (and tastiest) show up when least expected, and we’re forced to combine ingredients that we typically may not always put together.
Next Recipe: Dubu Jjigae My Way
Not to stray too far from the subject, but I have to share that while I was cooking this dish, I really thought a lot about fishing, how it has been a while since getting out there, and how much I can’t wait to get back on the water. Boat, kayak, shore, whatever… I just can’t wait to fish. I’m sure the same goes for a lot of you. This weather has been nuts, but I know it will break soon. Hopefully everyone is taking this time to buff out the gear, spool reels with fresh line, fix broken eyelets, organize hooks and lead, clean up lures, and wrap up the pre-season prep work. It’s just like cooking – you don’t want to go into burning stovetops and hot ovens with nothing chopped, sliced, measured, and prepped. It’s all about the pre-game work. But I digress…
Going back to the dish, please take the challenge of making some of your best food when your resources are at their lowest. Things don’t have to be complicated and/or perfect pairings to taste good. And, as you can see with this dish, they certainly don’t have to be pretty to taste good.
Recipe: Old Bay Salmon
Ingredients
- Fish:
- Salmon fillets - cleaned, trimmed, and patted dry
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Lemon EVOO for baking sheet
- Fresh Meyer lemon juice
- Cheesy Potatoes:
- 6-8 cups cubed russet potatoes
- 2 TBSP fresh thyme & rosemary (1 ea.) - minced
- 1 head of garlic - roasted and roughly chopped
- ½ shallot - peeled and minced
- 2 leeks, white part only - finely chopped
- 1 cup Edam cheese - cubed (any soft cheese like brie or Port Salut work)
- 2 TBSP Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 2 TBSP dried onion chips
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 cup milk/half-half/oat milk (your preference) and amount more or less, depending on desired consistency
- 1 Tsp B&O Lemon EVOO and 3 TBSP butter for sautéing
- Old Bay - to taste
- Artichoke:
- 1 artichoke per person
- Dipping sauce - 3 TBSP butter, fresh lemon juice, 1 Tsp grated Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh cracked pepper
- Biscuits:
- 1-2 rolls of preferred brand (biscuits from scratch recipe coming soon)
Preparation
- Like always - clean, trim, and pat fish dry
- Lightly cover your salmon with Old Bay seasoning. The fish is naturally oily, but I still layer the baking sheet with B&O Meyer Lemon EVOO.
- Heat toaster oven to 400F. Cut the top from one head of garlic, add EVOO, and Old Bay, and wrap in foil. Roast for 20 minutes, or when cloves are soft.
- Artichokes take a while, so prep them and put them in the steamer first for 30 minutes or so, depending on the size.
- Put your biscuits in the oven and cook per instructions. Do this early on, too, because you’ll need the oven (at a different temp) for the salmon.
- Cube your potatoes and put them in cold water for a bit, in order to remove excess starch, which can make potatoes gummy. Boil until soft, drain and remove from heat.
- In a sauté pan, add oil, butter, shallots, and leeks and cook down for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Squeeze the garlic cloves from the bulb, chop and add to the mix, along with the fresh thyme and rosemary. Add the white wine and let it cook down another 5 minutes. Season with Old Bay to taste.
- When the artichokes have about 10 minutes left, put the salmon in the preheated oven at 375F.
- Now it’s time to mix the potatoes, milk, cheese, and dried onion chips to the sauté mixture and bring to a simmer while mashing together, heating through and melting the cheese. Once incorporated, use an immersion blender (aka: the motorboat) to blend until smooth.
- Just before the salmon is cooked to preference, crank up the oven to broil and give it 30-60 seconds for a little color, then remove.
- In a few ramekins or small bowls, microwave the butter, lemon juice, grated parm and pepper and mix. Serve alongside the artichokes.
- By now the potatoes, artichokes, biscuits, and salmon should all be done. Plate it, give a final squeeze of fresh Meyer lemon over the top and serve.
