Slow-Baked Salmon with Avruga Caviar Sauce |
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Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 50 Minutes Servings: 4 |
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Moderately priced avruga caviar (smoked herring roe from Spain) gives cooks a chance to throw caution to the wind and experiment. Stephen Harris purées it into a slate-gray emulsion, bringing visual drama and a smoky flavor to delicate salmon. Fleur de sel is a good substitute for his house-made sea salt. Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened |
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel plus additional to taste |
4 (6-oz) pieces center-cut salmon fillet (about 1 inch thick) |
1/4 cup créme fraîche |
2 tablespoons hot water |
2 tablespoons avruga caviar (from a 120-g jar) |
2 teaspoons olive oil |
5 oz baby arugula (7 cups loosely packed) |
5 oz mesclun (mixed baby salad greens; 7 cups loosely packed) |
4 small lime wedges |
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice |
Directions:
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 250°F.
2. Spread butter over bottom of a 13- by 9-inch baking dish and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel. Put salmon, skin sides down, in dish and bake, uncovered, until just cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes.
3. About 10 minutes before salmon is done, put créme fraîche in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until just melted. Transfer to a blender along with water and caviar and purée into a very smooth emulsion. Return to saucepan and keep warm, uncovered, over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Thin sauce slightly with a little additional hot water if too thick.
4. Just before salmon is done baking, heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then add greens in 3 batches, stirring and turning with tongs until greens are slightly wilted before adding each new batch, and continue to cook, stirring, until completely wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Push greens to one side of skillet and pour off liquid (discarding it). Divide greens among 4 plates. Top greens with salmon and season lightly with fleur de sel, then squeeze some of lime juice from wedges over salmon. Stir 1/2 teaspoon lime juice into sauce and spoon onto plates.
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