The personal blog of Steve Alex
Gadsden, Alabama
Everyone knows engineers can’t write! I
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I've not written much in this latest attempt at a blog, but I can't believe I don't have a food category. Guess I was trying to stay with thoughts (politics) or techie stuff, but I love to cook - sometimes. Now my kids, grandkids, and wife like for PopPop to cook. At least there are a few recipes that I usually don't try too much experimenting with and are requested. I'll start off with one of my, and Jan's favorites. Pan seared salmon with asparagus cream sauce. This is a simple dish if you can get fresh (or freshly frozen - not processed salmon) with skin. Prep, about an hour and cooking about 15 minutes. ##### Salmon Cut salmon into serving size filets (2-3 inch pieces). Season with salt, pepper, and whatever (Cavender's and Tony Chachere's are my staple seasoning) and enough olive oil to coat. Set salmon aside and let it marinate until approaching room temperature (the hour prep). ##### Asparagus Cream Sauce Get a cheap can of cut asparagus tips and stems or better. I've tried this with fresh asparagus, but not worth the effort to deal with the fiber. Canned asparagus works better!. Working in a soup kitchen and eating processed food for most of my life, don't be freaked out, but: * Drain canned asparagus liquid into a small frying pan and set aside drained asparagus * Add about a tablespoon of butter to drained liquid and reduce until about a half * Now someone at Libies, Del Montie, Green Giant or whatever brand you used added some seasoning and preservatives to the water for some reason. There is some flavor in the liquid and you are just getting rid of the water and preservatives. * Add about a cup of cream (heavy!) and start reducing until about a half * Add the asparagus and cook down until small bubbles in cream. * Put results into food processor and blend into a heavy cream sauce #### Sear (blacken) Salmon While cream sauce is reducing: * Add a little olive oil to hot pan and heat until almost smoking. I do 75% of searing in a cast iron pan. * Add salmon filets flesh side down! I like the skin crusty and find that skin side down first often leads to the skin sticking. Starting with flesh side seems to work better for me since the pan gets hotter and skin does not stick to pan when turned over. * Flash fry until slightly blackened. Reduce heat to medium and turn salmon over. * Fry until medium rare to medium (touch flesh and and still some bounce - not hard) #### Enjoy Remove from pan and add a little asparagus sauce over seared salmon. Just the seared salmon if fine, but the asparagus cream sauce seems to remove a lot of dislikes for salmon. My Mother say she hates salmon, but I've made this for her a number of times and while she still says she hates salmon, she cleans her plate. Maybe she is just being a mother, but I don't think so! Usually served with steamed rice and salad, rice pilaf if I have time. Don't over cook salmon. I'll eat it medium rare, but there should be some moisture left in the salmon or it is like canned tuna!
Pan seared (blackened) salmon with asparagus cream sauce
September 03, 2013