Salmon x Two: Take a basic and transform it
I loved both of these salmon dishes — from two different worlds of flavor — and I hope you'll try them
Bonjour! Bonjour!
I promised myself that I wouldn’t bore you with the weather again, but the next heat wave is upon us in Paris — not as disastrous as the last one but somehow equally demoralizing — and I’m doing everything I can to keep myself from slipping into sloth-mode. I’m determined not to be housebound in what I’ve come to think of as our bat cave — windows closed, blinds down, fans on — but it isn’t like it was pre-canicule (canicule is the French word for heat wave). PC, walking around all day and finishing up at a café for a glass of wine was normal. Now, I declare getting to and from the dentist a triumph. I’ve got a few hot shots for you. I snapped this image of the woman in her underwear standing at the window while I was waiting for the elevator to chug its way up to our floor. There was something sultry about the image (so much nicer than sweaty, right?). It reminded me of a Sophia Loren scene that’s sitting just beyond reach at the edge of my memory. When I took the picture, I wondered how many other people were slouched against their windows at that moment trying to catch a ruffle of a breeze.
So that I can better keep my resolve to get out despite the elements (a word I’ve always associated with snow and storms), I’ve taken to carrying an umbrella-cum-parasol. It’s child-size — easy to carry around and just right for navigating narrow streets and skinny sidewalks.
I took it to the Luxembourg Garden to have a cold drink with a friend. As I headed out of the park at about 6:45, I caught a glimpse of my shadow and took this picture. Even though it was evening, it was 95 degrees F! I was slow to come to a parasol, but I’m liking it.
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Ice cream from the greats
When Gemma and VV were in town, every day was a two-ice-cream day! Depending on which side of the river we were on, we got our treats from Pierre Hermé or Folderol. Two different styles, two spectacular ice creams. And in between there was a stop at Café Pontochoux to have Akira Takahashi’s dessert cocktails. I loved that Gemma’s choices at Pierre Hermé included Ispahan (rose, litchi and raspberry) and Aura (strawberry, lemongrass and coconut) and that both girls loved Akira’s apricot and tonka dessert that had white peach, rhubarb and passionfruit too. At the end of a long, very hot day, we all chose the same flavor at Folderol: Mint! It was so fresh and bright that we could almost imagine the swirl of a cool breeze. If you live in LA, be on the lookout for Folderol’s pop-up at Bar Etoile on July 17 and 18.
For years, I’ve been interested in how pastry chefs can take a basic recipe and make it a springboard for wildly imaginative creations. I’m thinking of what Pierre Hermé did with macarons. What François Perret did with madeleines. What Christophe Adam did with éclairs. Or what Lafayette in New York City did with the Suprême, a pastry that sparked copies around the globe. I see it now in ice cream — the combinations are inspired!
Filet à deux, two ways
I know it’s a bit wonky to compare salmon to ice cream or éclairs (although I have had smoked salmon versions of both), but I think of salmon as a runway for flights to the familiar or the foreign. It’s such a basic ingredient that’s so easy to play around with. Recently, I made two salmon recipes from two different sources with flavors from two different worlds. Do you remember when I found a terrific cookie recipe on the back of a recipe card at the Irasshai shop in Paris? Well, I grabbed a bunch of cards when I was there last week and made the Salmon Teriyaki from one of them.
It was perfect for a hot night — it was cooked stovetop and was as good hot as it was warm and at room temperature (Scroll down for the recipe.) Because of the heat (outside and in), I just put the salmon on a bed of salad, but it would have been lovely with some pickled vegetables, wilted greens and some rice. Maybe on a cooler day …
The other salmon dish was from an author I’m crazy about, Adeena Sussman. If Adeena cooked cardboard, I’d eat it — she can make anything delicious! Her newest book is Zariz [Bookshop // B&N // Amazon] and no sooner did I get it than I put markers on Gorgeous Green Salad with Labneh-Lime Dressing, Preserved Lemon, Asparagus and Cherry Tomato Orzotto and the Spice-Drawer Schnitzel, then I headed straight to the kitchen to make B’stila-Inspired Salmon.
Like all of the recipes in Zariz, it was easy and truly quick to put together. And it was fabulous! I served a watermelon and mozzarella salad as a starter and ice cream and brownies (recipe here) for dessert, and it was a perfect summer meal.
And the leftover salmon was the kind of good that makes you sad when you’re at the last forkful. (Scroll down for the recipe.)
SALMON TO START FROM THE ARCHIVE
SUMMER SIDES
Gems, hidden and on view
I have some restaurant dishes I want to tell you about and some museum shows too — soon, soon — but there’s one extraordinary exhibition that Michael and I saw that we might have missed had a friend not told us about it. The exhibit, The Art of Line and Art at L’Ecole, School of Jewelry Arts, shows the work of Daniel Brush. Brush was a jeweler, metalworker, painter, poet and thinker. His work startles as it makes you dream and ponder. The show is on until October 4 and while there is no admission fee, you must reserve a ticket. Go and you’ll be touched by magic.
I hope you’ll make both of the salmon dishes — I loved them both! And if it’s too hot to cook where you are, tuck the recipes away for cooler times and head to the nearest scoop shop. Don’t forget your parasol!
📚 📚 📚 You can find more recipes in my latest books, Dorie’s Anytime Cakes, Baking with Dorie, and Everyday Dorie.
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B’STILA-INSPIRED SALMON
Adapted from Zariz: 100 Easy, Breezy, Tel Aviv-y Recipes by Adeena Sussman
Serves 5 to 6
GOOD TO KNOW BEFORE YOU START
Active time: 10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Here’s what Adeena says:
SHOWSTOPPER ALERT! This is my very loose, gorgeous, and irresistible interpretation of a Moroccan classic. Traditionally, chicken (or pigeon) is mixed with aromatics, herbs, dates, almonds, and warm spices, all wrapped in a flaky phyllo pastry. For my version, I borrowed the top-note flavor profile of the original and cloaked salmon in a similarly inspired mixture, transforming a whole fillet into a dish worthy of a dinner party (or weeknight) with minimal work. I’m always learning new things about dishes I’ve been making for years; here, I discovered that coating Medjool dates in a bit of oil before chopping helps them slide off the knife with ease. Serve with salad and couscous to make this a complete meal.
INGREDIENTS
4 large or 6 small pitted Medjool dates (4 ounces), halved
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the dates and oiling your hands
2/3 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup chopped mint, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoons finely minced jalapeño (preferably red) or 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning the fish
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
One 2 1/2-pound skin-on salmon fillet (about 1 kilo), patted dry
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons silan (date syrup) or honey
1 lemon
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or large rectangular baking dish with parchment paper (this is optional; it will just make cleanup easier). Arrange the dates on a cutting board and rub them all over with a bit of olive oil (this makes them easier to cut). Thinly slice the date halves (you should have a scant 1/2 cup). Transfer to a small bowl and toss with the olive oil, almonds, mint, jalapeño, cumin, salt, and cinnamon. Arrange the salmon on the prepared baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Brush the silan on the salmon and use lightly oiled hands to spread the almond-date mixture over the top. Roast until the almonds are lightly golden, the dates are caramelized, and the salmon is medium-rare in the center (120 degrees F if you are using a thermometer), 13 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven, zest the lemon right on top, halve the lemon, squeeze onto the salmon before serving, and garnish with more mint. Serve with salad and couscous, if desired.
SALMON TERIYAKI
Adapted from a recipe by Chihio Masui for Irasshai
