Salmon Shrimp Crustada

Creamy salmon and crusty buttery bread. All in one bowl. Define heaven better.

1/4 lb bacon, diced

1 leek, cleaned and diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp dried tarragon weed

season to taste with salt and pepper

1-1/1/4 lb salmon fillet, skinned

1/2 lb shrimp, deveined, about a dozen, cut in half at the waist

8 oz good sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 Tbsp butter, melted

1-2 Tbsp capers for garnish

fresh parsley, minced, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400F. Sauté the leek and bacon in a skillet for about 10 minutes. Add a dash of water if the leek seem to burn - the water will evaporate and cook the leek without burning.

Cook under gentle heat until both leek and bacon are nicely softened.

Add the flour and cook another 3-5 minutes, until the flour is incorporated and smelling nutty. Add the broth and cream and whisk vigorously and the sauce thickens.

Add the tarragon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the sauce thickness to taste with milk, if necessary.

Stir in the salmon and the shrimp.

Place in an oiled oven-going casserole. Tuck in the bread cubes and spray them with oil (I used olive oil).

Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until the bread cubes brown and the fish is cooked through.

Garnish with capers and parsley, if desired. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 4, generously.

Cook's Note: Use the best fresh bread you can find! I used a nice sourdough from a local French Bakery.

Comments

Chicken Piccata over Squid Ink Pasta

Serve this delicious lemony piccata over your favorite pasta. 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thick cutlets 1/4 cup flour 1 lemon sliced and de-seeded 2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp capers 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup dry white wine crushed red pepper flakes, to taste 8 oz squid ink pasta fresh parsley for garnish Melt butter in the oil in a skillet. Fry the lemon slices for a few minutes, just until beginning to brown. Set aside on a plate. Lightly salt and pepper each chicken breast. Dredge the chicken in the flour and brown the first side of each in the butter mixture in the skillet. Flip to brown second side. Cook over low heat for a total of about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook until just al dente. Remove chicken to a plate when cooked through. Add capers and garlic to skillet a...

Umami Beef Short Ribs Samin Nosrat

This is the penultimate prep for beef short ribs. Based on the superb documentary by Samin Nosrat, Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, this is the most umami rib dish you will ever have. Its the combination of red miso and soy sauce that marinates and flavors the beef - give it a long time to work right - that means overnight in the fridge; it's worth the planning ahead. 6 beef short ribs on the bone, about 3-4 lb 1 large sweet yellow onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, minced 4 cloves garlic, halved Marinade: 1/4 cup red miso 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup pale dry sherry or Mirin rice wine 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp honey 2 cloves garlic, minced Salt the ribs generously with coarse salt and let rest overnight in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Whisk together the marinade. Pour into the plastic bag and allow to marinate on the counter for about 2-3 hours, or again overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat...

Tzatziki

Tzatziki is a wonderful Greek yogurt dip and condiment. It's great with pita bread or veggies, or as a topping on all kinds of grilled foods. Make sure you use a full fat, thick Greek yogurt, and that you squeeze as much water out of the grated cucumber as you can - you don't want a watery Tzatziki; it should be thick and rich. 1/2 English cucumber (about 6-inches), sliced lengthwise in half 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1 cup full fat Greek Yogurt (I used Fage 5%) 2 cloves garlic, grated with microplane or minced through a press 1/2 shallot, very finely diced 1 Tbsp fresh dill weed, minced (or 1/4 tsp dried dill) 1/8 tsp Aleppo red pepper (or fine-ground Korean chili pepper), or to taste 1 tsp red wine vinegar Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to gently scrape out the seeds in the center of each half. Coarsely grate cucumber and toss in a colander with the salt. Allow to sit 10-15 minutes. Squeeze water from cucumber and then tip onto the center of a full-sized paper t...

Cuisine Eric

Search This Blog