Quick Salmon Dinner (AKA What Would Eric Ripert Do?)

[The Nid Hog]

My wife and I were both working at home yesterday. The plan was to go to our daughter's game then make dinner later on. The game was called for rain and our daughter showed up home, hungry and tired, much earlier than we expected. At that point, all we had was a plastic refrigerator tray of salmon and a vague determination to make something different. So I asked myself: what would Eric Ripert do? Google and the New York Times gave me the answer--and one of the quickest satisfying dinners that I've ever made.

BAKED SALMON WITH COCONUT-TOMATO SAUCE

FOR THE COCONUT-TOMATO SAUCE:

1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil

1 tablespoon finely diced garlic

2 tablespoons finely diced onion

1/2 cup canned tomato sauce

1/2 cup coconut milk

Salt and ground black pepper

FOR THE CREAMY JASMINE RICE:

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup jasmine rice

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup coconut milk

Salt and ground white pepper

FOR THE SALMON:

2 tablespoons butter

46-ounce salmon fillets

Salt and ground black pepper.

1. For coconut-tomato sauce: In a saucepan, heat oil and add garlic and onion. Sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add tomato sauce, coconut milk and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

2. For creamy jasmine rice: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water and the butter. Bring to a boil, add rice, and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover snugly with foil, and allow to sit for another 12 minutes.

3. Combine milk and coconut milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir into cooked rice, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

4. For salmon: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place butter in roasting pan large enough to fit salmon fillets, and add 1/4 inch water. Place over medium heat to bring to a boil, then add salmon and cover pan snugly with foil. Place in oven and cook as desired, about 5 minutes for medium-rare. Remove fish from pan and drain on paper towels.

5. To serve, reheat sauce. Place an equal portion of rice in center of each of four plates. Top each with a fillet, and pour sauce around rice and salmon. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings. [I served it with some leftover grilled asparagus on the side. Cause you gotta have your veggies!]

[Carlin]

Nice recipe, and I actually have all of the ingredients (sans Salmon), I'll have to try it some time.

Something I ate the other night was kinda like a thick/dense crepe (1/2 the thickness of a pancakes, but more creamy) w/ green onions with salmon, creme cheese. It was kinda weird, but it tasted fine. Almost like lox on a bagle :P

[tsmba]

Nice recipe, NH! I like doing the parchment packets....hard to fold but endless variations.

[Topgumby]

Sounds great!

The standard salmon at our house consists of a filet set in a tinfoil "tray". After rinsing and patting dry, I hit the fish with some kosher salt I smoked, then prep a mixture of butter, lemon juice, garlic and mayo in the microwave. That gets spooned over the filet, and then I'll sprinkle some dried oregeno and dill on top.

Fish gets placed in a Weber kettle, direct heat for about eight minutes. I'll use apple or alder for smoke.

When the fish is done, the skin sticks to the foil when you serve up chunks with spatula. We often serve with grilled asparagus.

Now I'm hungry for salmon...but tonight is going to be home made fish and chips, so I'm not going to suffer long!

[The Nid Hog]

Fish and chips sounds great. I have a great and enduring love for pub food. What kind of batter do you use?

[Topgumby]

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash Old Bay Seasoning
1 bottle dark beer, cold

That's the basic recipe, but I up the cayenne to 1/2 teaspon and hit the Old Bay pretty hard, maybe a 1/4 teaspoon. It's from Alton Brown.

[ouch]

I've probably eaten more salmon than all other fishes combined. Raw, cured, smoked, broiled, steamed, or grilled, it's a very flexible fish. My favorite preparations include steamed with shredded ginger, scallion, and black bean, pan seared with tomatillo, or simply grilled.

[The Nid Hog]

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash Old Bay Seasoning
1 bottle dark beer, cold

That's the basic recipe, but I up the cayenne to 1/2 teaspon and hit the Old Bay pretty hard, maybe a 1/4 teaspoon. It's from Alton Brown.

That sounds really good. I'll have to give it a try. My wife makes batter with Sprite or club soda in it, but a beer batter sounds much better to me.

[Abdiel]

Sounds good.

I like mine seared simply with some salt and pepper in some EVOO. I then sauce it with a Greek yogurt dill sauce. Very nice combo the rich salmon with the cool dill sauce.