Salmon - 2 Ways

I’m eating 85% cocoa dark chocolate and instead of music, tonight I have the Lord of the Rings on in the background.  It’s Friday, so of course fish was for dinner.

I love salmon.  I’m generally more into shellfish of all kinds and all preparations than I am into other fish.  But I’ve got a few favorites, and salmon is probably at the top of the list - in fact, I love salmon as much as I enjoy shellfish.  There’s something about the lovely color, the flavors, and the rich almost creamy texture - and for me, there are 2 ideal pairings - Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

Meursault

Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, you ask?  You might wonder why I’d suggest red with fish.  Well, I like some reds with fish, such as Pinot Noir, Cru or Villages Beaujolais, Chianti, Zweigelt (see my blog post on that this past summer/autumn), and even some lighter style Bordeaux.  As long as they’re not too heavy or tannic, and they’ve got some nice acidity, I don’t see why certain reds can’t pair with certain fish dishes (though not all fish dishes - I’d hate to think of raw oysters with Bordeaux - that would be weird).  Also, sometimes a preparation style or sauce just calls for some reds.  My suggestion is to match up textures of food and wine, and also remember, if it grows together, it probably goes together.

And you might wonder what Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have in common at all, aside from both being wine of some kind.  Remember this - Chardonnay (the cleaner, unoaked or lightly oaked examples) is Burgundian, and Pinot Noir is the red grape of Burgundy.

Now, I’m not saying you can only go with Burgundian Chardonnay or Pinot Noir when pairing with salmon - that’s nonsense.  Remember also that both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are grown successfully (albeit differently from Burgundy), and salmon, from what I hear, is awfully good on the west coast of the United States.

So with that in mind, I have a few suggestions, and tonight I’ll touch on 2 recipes that I love.

A few years back, my sister bought me a recipe book that I really wanted for Christmas that year (among many other really amazing recipe books she’s bought me!) - the book was all about salmon and many dishes and concepts and preparations.

One of the recipes in the book I’ve worked with a bit.  Well, actually lots of the recipes I’ve worked with, but my favorites are the salmon on braised leeks with parmigiano reggiano, honey soy broiled salmon, and the one I make most often, the salmon filet topped with fennel and shallots cooked in butter, dry white wine, and lemon, with verdant herbs including chives, fennel frond, and dill.

Salmon with Fennel Dressing

With that dish, the salmon gets broiled but could also be pan seared.  It gets rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with kosher salt and white pepper (I often use white pepper with fish dishes).  In a large Le Creuset pot, I begin with a spot of olive oil and cook a few thinly sliced shallots.  I then add the sliced fennel bulbs and let them sweat in the covered pot.  I then add the fresh juice of a lemon and quite a bit of dry white wine, and let them cook down a while, until they’re softened.  Finally, I stir in some butter (I generally prefer unsalted butter), usually about 2/3 of a stick.  I season it with kosher salt and add some finely chopped chives, dill, and fennel frond.  When the salmon is cooked, plate individual pieces (I like using simple white plates) and top with the fennel dressing.  It’s a very rich dish.  If you want to cut through the richness, I suggest a barely oaked, bright, citrus-lemon-green apple-mineral Chablis or Macon.  If you want to mirror the somewhat buttery and rich nature of the dish, I’d go with a lightly, tastefully oaked Montrachet or Meursault (so far, all my suggestions are Burgundy Chardonnays), or a tastefully oaked California Chardonnay - something not too oaky - it’s expensive but my suggestion is actually Chateau Montelena, and if you’ve seen Bottle Shock, you know why.  It’s almost French in style, but a great example of California Chardonnay.

How about my red suggestion with salmon?  I’d never do a red with that recipe I just told you about.  Or with the other 2 from the recipe book that I told you about (with the parmigiano reggiano and leeks I’d suggest perhaps a Gavi from Piemonte and with the honey soy broiled dish I’d suggest a German Riesling).

Almond & Herb Crusted Salmon with Raspberry
Dressing and Honey Braised Endives

For the red pairing, here’s my recipe that I enjoy with Pinot Noir, and for the Pinot Noir, even though I’m a Burgundy lover, I actually prefer a west coast style Pinot - not too rich but the smoky notes and raspberry characteristics with a little roundness and softness - go with similar flavors and textures.  I love broiled salmon filet that’s rubbed with olive oil, seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper, and crusted in a mixture of finely chopped almonds, rosemary, and thyme.  I cook down some raspberry jam and once the fish is cooked and plated individually, I drizzle it with the raspberry jam.  It’s really that easy.  (My favorite side dish with it is actually honey braised endives - I cut the endives in half lengthwise, lay them face down in the Emile Henry baking pan with some chicken stock, and cook about 30 minutes, turn them cut side up, drizzle with olive oil and wildflower honey - I tend to prefer it over clover when cooking with soft flavors - and season with kosher salt and black pepper - and cook another 30 minutes or so.)  It’s a perfect dinner with Pinot Noir.

So those are some of my favorite salmon preparations and pairings - give them a try!