Best Caramels With Salmon Roe Recipes

SMOKED SALMON CANDY

Steps:

• Mix the salt and brown sugar together. Find a lidded container large enough to hold the salmon; a big plastic tub works well. Lay down a layer of the salt/sugar mixture about 1/4 inch deep. Put a layer of salmon down on this, skin side up. Cover the salmon with more salt/sugar mixture. If you need a second layer of salmon, make sure the layer of salt and sugar between them is thick enough so that the pieces of salmon are not touching. Basically you are burying the salmon in salt and sugar. Cover and let cure in the fridge at least 30 minutes, and up to 3 hours. The longer the cure the saltier it will be; I cure for 2 hours.
• Remove the salmon from the cure, which will get wet, and briefly rinse the fish under cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel and set the salmon on a drying rack skin side down. Let this dry in a breezy place for 2 hours, or in the fridge, uncovered, overnight. I put the racks under a ceiling fan near an open window with another fan blowing at the fish from the side. You are doing this to form a pellicle on the salmon, which helps it smoke properly. Don't skip this step!
• Traditionally salmon candy is cold smoked for several days. If you can do this, go for it. Regardless, you want to bring the temperature up gradually over the course of an hour or so and let it sit at around 165°F to 200°F for at least 3 hours, and up to 6 hours if you like your salmon candy harder and smokier.
• Every 90 minutes to 2 hours, paint the salmon with the maple syrup. This also helps to remove any albumen -- the icky white stuff -- that can form between the fish flakes if your smoker gets a little too hot too fast.
• When the salmon looks good and lacquered, typically about 3 to 4 hours, remove it to the drying racks again and paint it one last time with the maple syrup. Allow to cool to room temperature before storing. Salmon candy will last a week in the fridge, longer if vacuum sealed. It freezes well, too.

CARAMEL SALMON

Steps:

• In a large frying pan, heat the oil over high heat. Add the salmon in 2 batches, and cook each batch until the fillets are lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Turn them over and cook their second sides for 1 minute, then remove them from the pan.
• Reduce the heat to medium, and add a little extra oil to the pan, if needed. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce. Return the salmon to the pan and continue cooking until the sauce is rich, dark and syrupy, about 1 minute. Season the dish liberally with black pepper, and stir in the lime juice. Serve the salmon alongside some steamed rice, and drizzle the dish with the sauce, and garnish with lime wedges.

SALMON ROE WITH CORNCAKES

Steps:

• Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk the eggs, milk, and butter together and combine with the dry ingredients into a batter. Allow the batter to rest, refrigerated, for 30 minutes. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium heat until a little a batter dropped in begins to sizzle. Begin to spoon in batter, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time to make pancake-like corncakes. Cook in batches, cleaning the pan if it becomes messy and adding additional; oil if necessary. Keep the cakes warm while you finish cooking the remaining batter. Combine the sour cream with the chopped chives and serve several corncakes with a dollop of sour cream and a dollop of salmon roe. Garnish with a small salad and whole chives.