Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times - Mark Bittman [45]
½ cup sugar
2 cups Pinot Noir
1 fresh rosemary sprig, plus 1 teaspoon chopped
4 salmon steaks (about ½ pound each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Put the sugar in a heavy saucepan, preferably nonstick and with rounded sides, and turn the heat to medium. Cook, without stirring (just shake the pan occasionally to redistribute the sugar) until the sugar liquefies and begins to turn brown, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and carefully add the wine. Turn the heat to high and cook, stirring, until the caramel dissolves again. Then add the rosemary sprig and reduce over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is syrupy and reduced to just over ½ cup, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Heat a nonstick ovenproof skillet over high heat until it begins to smoke. Season the salmon on both sides with salt and pepper, then put it in the pan; immediately put the pan in the oven. Cook for 3 minutes, then turn the salmon and cook for another 3 minutes. Check to see that the salmon is medium-rare or thereabouts (it should be) and remove it and keep it warm, or cook for another minute or two if you like.
3. When the sauce is reduced, stir in the balsamic vinegar and butter and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook until the butter melts, add some salt and pepper, and remove the rosemary sprig. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve over the fish, garnished with the chopped rosemary.
ROAST SALMON WITH SPICY SOY OIL
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
TIME: 20 MINUTES
IT DOESN’T TAKE much to cook salmon or to dress it up, and there’s no way simpler than this: cook fillets by any of a number of methods, then finish them with flavored oil. Here I focus on a spicy soy oil that contains slivered garlic, peanut and sesame oils, and soy sauce, but it’s easy enough to change the spirit from Asian to European. Although oil is the basis for this sauce, the quantity is minimal because heating the oil thins it, enabling even a small amount to coat and flavor the fish.
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1½ to 2 pounds salmon fillets in 4 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon slivered garlic
2 small dried red chiles
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup chopped scallion, or ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Heat a 12-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, then add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil and swirl it around. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and put it, skin side up, in the skillet. A minute later, when the salmon has browned, turn and immediately transfer it to the oven.
2. Combine the remaining peanut oil in a small saucepan with the sesame oil, garlic, and chiles and turn the heat to medium. Cook, gently shaking the pan occasionally, until the garlic and chiles sizzle and the garlic colors lightly, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the chiles. (This step may be done in advance.) When the oil cools a bit, add the soy sauce.
3. The salmon will be medium-rare after about 6 minutes in the oven. Transfer it to a plate. Drizzle it with the oil, garnish if you like, and serve.
VARIATIONS
Salmon with Spicy Sherry Vinegar Oil
Use a total of 3 tablespoons olive oil in place of the peanut and sesame oils. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small saucepan with the garlic, chiles, and some salt. Cook, gently shaking the pan occasionally, until the garlic and chiles sizzle and the garlic colors lightly, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the chiles. (This step may be done in advance.) When the oil cools a bit, add 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar. Garnish with ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon.
Salmon with Soy and Black Beans
Before cooking the fish, soak 1 tablespoon preserved (Chinese)