I decided I wanted to make salmon, but I wasn't really sure of what else I wanted to pair or trio it with. Insert heroic music here, because The Flavor Bible came once again to my rescue. This book includes just about every single edible thing and lists what pairs with it well, really well and OMG-this-is-awesome well. I refer to it often, especially when I'm cooking something I'm not too familiar with or when I want to change things up a bit.
In the mind-blowingly-awesome pairs category, I found that potatoes, onions, shallots and a few herbs go fantastically well with salmon. Previously I had only used a spice rub on salmon, maybe marinading it a few times. Since I couldn't possibly make a spice rub or marinade with potatoes, or with asparagus which pairs well as an accompaniment, I decided to go another route.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
Salmon
1/4 lb asparagus
1/3 lb red potatoes
One can of white beans (I used white kidney beans)
One medium sized shallot
Half of a yellow onion
3/4 cup mustard, separated (I used Grey Poupon, poupon means "little baby" in French, but let's not go there)
2 tbsp ground fennel
1 tbsp tarragon
1 tbsp thyme
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Vegenaise
Tools:
Small sauté pan
Two medium sized pots
Large sauté pan
Ziploc or comparable plastic bag for marinade
I purchased a 1.25 lbs slab of salmon with the intention of saving half of it for a later date. For this recipe, I ended up using half of the salmon. The produce came from our closest Kroger, so this meal isn't as local and organic as I would have preferred. However, it was still quite good. Also, it should be known that I didn't measure any of these items, and what I've listed here is an approximation. You should feel free to use more or less of any of the ingredients, or add in whatever might strike your fancy.
Mince shallots and onion, place in a bowl. In the plastic bag, combine olive oil, thyme, tarragon, 1/3 of the mustard and ground fennel. Add one clove of minced garlic and some minced shallots to the mix, and after sealing the bag, mash everything together. Once you've reached a uniform consistency (the oil and mustard might fight for a bit, but just show 'em who's boss), place your salmon in the bag and give it another good squeeze. I let the fish marinade for two hours in the fridge.
For the salad, I chopped the potatoes into eight to ten smaller pieces. Boil the potatoes for about ten minutes, or until they are soft. I chopped the asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces, and also boiled them for about six minutes. The onions and shallots that were left in the bowl were joined by the other clove of minced garlic and were sautéed for around five minutes, until they started to brown a bit. In a large plastic bowl, I mixed the beans, potatoes, asparagus, onions and shallots and gave them a good stir. Once they were evenly mixed, I added in the rest of the mustard and the Vegenaise along with a good helping of ground fennel. With a large spoon I stirred until the salad was well mixed, and then promptly licked the spoon clean. This stuff is good. And it's vegan!
For your consideration, the finished product. The salmon is pretty black, but its texture was not compromised. I think next time I'll probably spear it with a fork a few times to get the marinade to really soak in. Using fennel in both the marinade and the salad made a good pairing for both elements, but I think I could eat this salad every day for the rest of my life and never be bored.
Here's to being a contributing member of the workforce! Prost!
findlay market is almost as close as kroger. and you can buy only the amount of stuff you will be using. most of it is pretty local too. enjoy! like the blog!
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