The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (207 page)

SERVES 4

To ensure uniform pieces of fish that cook at the same rate, buy a whole center-cut fillet and cut it into 4 pieces. If a skinless whole fillet is unavailable, remove the skin yourself or follow the recipe as directed with a skin-on fillet, adding 3 to 4 minutes to the cooking time in step 2. This recipe will yield salmon fillets that are cooked to medium-rare.

1.
Line plate with paper towels. Cut top and bottom off lemon, then cut into eight to ten ¹⁄
₄
-inch-thick slices. Arrange lemon slices in single layer across bottom of 12-inch skillet. Whisk maple syrup, bourbon, mustard, vinegar, and shallot together in small bowl. Add syrup mixture and water to skillet.

2.
Use sharp knife to remove any whitish fat from belly of salmon and cut fillet into 4 equal pieces. Place salmon fillets in skillet, skinned side down, on top of lemon slices. Set pan over high heat and bring liquid to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until sides are opaque but center of thickest part of fillet is still translucent when cut into with paring knife, or until fillet registers 125 degrees (for medium-rare), 11 to 16 minutes. Remove pan from heat and, using spatula, carefully transfer salmon and lemon slices to prepared plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

3.
Return pan to high heat and simmer cooking liquid until slightly thickened and reduced to 2 tablespoons, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and whisk in butter and chives. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4.
Season salmon with salt and pepper. Using spatula, carefully tilt salmon fillets to remove lemon slices. Place salmon on serving platter or individual plates, spoon sauce over top, and serve.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Serving a side of salmon is an elegant choice when entertaining, but fish poachers are a costly investment and hardly seem worth it for use only a few times a year. We wanted a method for achieving a side of salmon cooked in a moist environment without the need for a poacher. To do this, we decided to get rid of the water altogether and steam the salmon in its own moisture. We wrapped the seasoned fish in heavy-duty aluminum foil and placed it directly on the oven rack, which offered more even cooking between top and bottom than using a baking sheet. Cooking it low and slow gave us the best results—moist, rich fish.

See “WRAPPING SALMON FOR OVEN-POACHING” illustrations that follow recipe.

SERVES 8 TO 10

If serving a big crowd, you can oven-poach two individually wrapped sides of salmon in the same oven (on the upper-middle and lower-middle racks) without altering the cooking time. White wine vinegar can be substituted for the cider vinegar. The salmon is good on its own with just lemon wedges, or you can serve it with Horseradish Cream Sauce with Chives (recipe follows).

1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Cut 2 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil about 1 foot longer than fish. Fold up 1 long side of each piece of foil by 3 inches. Lay sheets side by side, folded sides together; overlap edges and fold to create 1-inch seam, then press seam flat with your fingers. Lay third sheet of foil over seam and spray with vegetable oil spray.

2.
Pat salmon dry with paper towels, then season with salt. Lay salmon, skin side down, on top of foil. Sprinkle with vinegar and lay herb sprigs on top. Arrange lemon slices on top of herbs. Crimp foil down over fish.

3.
Lay foil-wrapped fish directly on baking rack (without baking sheet) and cook until flesh has turned from pink to orange and thickest part registers 135 to 140 degrees, 45 to 60 minutes.

4.
Remove fish from oven and open foil. Let salmon cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.

5.
Pour off any accumulated liquid. Reseal salmon in foil and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.

6.
To serve, unwrap salmon. Brush away lemon, herbs, and any solidified poaching liquid. Transfer fish to serving platter. Sprinkle salmon with minced tarragon and serve with lemon wedges.

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS

The cream in this sauce is meant to be thickened only, not fully whipped. If you like your sauce less spicy, feel free to use less horseradish.

Beat cream in deep bowl with hand-held mixer at medium speed until thick but not yet able to hold soft peaks, about 1¹⁄
₂
minutes. Whisk in chives, horseradish root, and lemon juice until just combined. (Sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 hours; whisk briefly just before serving).

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

We wanted to give the classic New England fish cake, usually made with cod or haddock, a new spin by using salmon. We were after pure salmon flavor, combined with a few choice complementary ingredients and just enough binder to hold the cakes together. This recipe also needed to be easy enough to make for a midweek supper. Fresh salmon easily beat out canned, and we quickly ditched the typical fish cake’s potato binder in favor of mayonnaise and bread crumbs. For cakes that held together but weren’t pasty, we pulsed 1-inch pieces of fresh salmon in the food processor in batches. Coating the cakes in ultra-crisp panko bread crumbs ensured just the right crisped exterior. A few additions—Dijon mustard, scallion, shallot, lemon juice, and parsley—took our salmon cakes to the next level without adding much more work. After a few minutes in the skillet, our fresh salmon cakes were ready for the table.