Last time I made salmon, I really hated it. It was so awful - it wasn't cooked through completely, which started to freak me out. Yes, I know that doesn't make any sense, as I am fine with eating salmon that is completely raw (aka sushi). Something about the fact that it was supposed to be cooked and it wasn't was quite unsettling. I also cooked it along with bok choy that turned out incredibly slimy. All in all, a terrible meal that I couldn't even finish eating.
This time, I decided if I was going to eat salmon, I would have to ensure it was super delicious so none of the nasty taste from last time got in my head. And that brings us to Salmon with Pea and Mushroom Sauce courtesy of Bon Appetit May 2012. DELICIOUS!
Ingredients
1 cup white wine
1 can sweet peas
1 8oz container sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 salmon fillets
2-4 tablespoons butter
chives
Directions
1) In a large saucepan with high sides, place salmon fillets. Add white wine and fill with cold water to cover salmon by about half an inch. Cover the pan and heat over medium heat until water comes to a simmer. I heated mine for about 20 minutes because I was so paranoid I would undercook it. The beauty of poaching is nothing really burns and turns dry, so cook as long as you want. Then once the water is simmering, remove lid and cook on medium low for about 6 minutes (to be clear, I did the 20 minutes PLUS the six). Reserve some poaching liquid.
2) While the salmon is cooking, you can make the sauce. Heat some butter in a saucepan. The recipe called for 4 tablespoons, I used 2 and you could probably get away with a few squirts of cooking spray if that is what you prefer. After butter melts, add mushrooms and cook for approximately three minutes.
3) Add half a cup of poaching liquid and peas, then simmer for another two or three minutes. Add heavy cream and bring sauce back to a simmer. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken up a bit more when removed from heat.
4) Season to taste with salt and pepper. I used no salt but tons of pepper - pepper, cream and peas go wonderful together.
5) To serve, flip salmon onto a plate, top with sauce, and garnish with chives.
My apologies for being such a negligent little blogger lately! I have been so busy with work, and with the drizzly (which I love!) weather and the fantastic fall television, I come home from work, cuddle up on the couch, and veg out on the best shows ever.
While I work on a super amazing French toast recipe for you, here is what you need to eat when cuddling up while it rains outside: Braised Brussel Sprouts (courtesy of Orangette.blogspot.com with a few changes).
1) Chop up your brussel sprouts into quarter wedges - cut lengthwise in half, then cut those halves in half. Hit up your Costco for delicious big brussels for a good price -- I used 2 pounds.
2) Heat up olive oil in a big pan over medium high heat. When hot, add your brussels and cook for at least five minutes. I thought mine were burning but realized the tastiest parts were the brown spots, so keep that in mind. Also, I eyeballed the olive oil -- added enough to get things cookin'
3) Pour in one cup of heavy cream, turn the heat to medium low, and cover and cook for 35 minutes.
4) Add the juice of one lemon and cook for two more minutes.
5) Realize you never knew vegetables, let alone brussel sprouts, could taste so fantastic. Cuddle up on the couch and watch fall TV!!
PS - I thought this would be a cream sauce, but the brussel sprouts somehow soak it up. I think this is 3482093 times better than the hashed brussels with poppyseed I made and so much easier. It is about par with my roasted brussel sprouts (and I think the roasted way is still my favorite).
In other news:
Go buy your bread and apples so you can be prepared to make french toasts with me. I rarely even buy bread, but french toast I can never say no to. That should be my next post!
