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Recipe by:
Stu Stein, chef/owner, The Peerless Restaurant, Oregon
Courtesy of Sustainable Table ® Description:
Stu spent a bit of time working and traveling in southern France, where he picked up his affinity for Mediterranean-influenced dishes. The base of this recipe is a versatile Moroccan-flavored spice rub. One ingredient you may not be familiar with is fenugreek. Native to India and southern Europe, fenugreek consists of small stony seeds from the pod of a bean-like plant. The seeds are hard, yellowish brown and angular, and have a bittersweet, burnt-sugar flavor with a warm, penetrating and pungent aroma. Ancient Egyptians used the spice for medicinal purposes; today, fenugreek is used commercially in the preparation of mango chutneys and as a base for imitation maple syrup. Ingredients:
Dry Spice Rub
(makes approximately 4 ounces)
2 tablespoons ground paprika
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground fenugreek (optional)
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Savory Herb Sauce
1 cup plain yogurt, drained in a fine-mesh colander or cheesecloth for ½ hour
2 tablespoons sorrel, roughly chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chives, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon green onions, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon lemon juice
zest of ½ lemon, finely grated
kosher salt and ground white pepper, to taste
Salmon
4 5-ounce wild salmon fillets, trimmed, skin off
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
dry spice rub Directions:
To Prepare the Spice Rub:
We recommend using whole spices, lightly roasting them, grinding in a spice grinder or coffee grinder, and then mixing them together. To roast, place spices in a dry saute pan over medium heat. Saute until light brown in color. Be careful not to over-roast them, as this will make them bitter.
To Prepare the Savory Herb Sauce:
In a stainless steel or glass bowl, combine the yogurt, sorrel, cilantro, parsley, basil, chives, green onions, lemon juice and zest. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
To Prepare the Salmon:
Preheat a grill.
Place a small amount of the dry spice rub on a small plate. Lightly rub each salmon fillet with enough vegetable oil to just coat the fish.
Press the flesh-side (side opposite of where the skin was) into the dry spice rub and thoroughly coat one side of the fish.
Place salmon on a grill, dry rub side down, and cook over medium to high heat, a total of 8 to 12 minutes or until still pink in the middle.
To Serve:
Place grilled salmon on warm plates and top with a dollop of savory herb sauce.
Advance Preparation:
The dry rub can be made in advance and stored in a dry, cool place in a sealed container. The savory herb sauce can be made up to 4 days ahead and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Other Options:
If you don’t want to use salmon, you will need a firm-fleshed, strong-flavored fish, such as wild striped bass, black bass or even sturgeon to stand up to the strong spices in the rub. Tips:
We are lucky enough to get goat’s milk yogurt at the restaurant from time to time and prefer using it in this recipe. Cow’s milk yogurt will work fine, but make sure it is plain, not non-fat, and made from organic or natural milk. The savory herb sauce makes a wonderful accompaniment for a cured or cold-smoked salmon appetizer. To Learn More:
Used with permission from: The Sustainable Kitchen: Passionate Cooking Inspired by Farms, Forests and Oceans, Stu Stein with Mary Hinds and Judith H. Dern, New Society Publishers, June 2003, $22.95. Recipe Number 38 added on 2009-11-30
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