Best Grilled Salmon With Creme Fraiche And Caviar Recipes

SLOW-BAKED SALMON WITH AVRUGA CAVIAR SAUCE

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 250°F.
• Spread butter over bottom of a 13- by 9-inch baking dish and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel. Put salmon, skin sides down, in dish and bake, uncovered, until just cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes.
• About 10 minutes before salmon is done, put créme fraîche in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until just melted. Transfer to a blender along with water and caviar and purée into a very smooth emulsion. Return to saucepan and keep warm, uncovered, over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Thin sauce slightly with a little additional hot water if too thick.
• Just before salmon is done baking, heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then add greens in 3 batches, stirring and turning with tongs until greens are slightly wilted before adding each new batch, and continue to cook, stirring, until completely wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Push greens to one side of skillet and pour off liquid (discarding it). Divide greens among 4 plates. Top greens with salmon and season lightly with fleur de sel, then squeeze some of lime juice from wedges over salmon. Stir 1/2 teaspoon lime juice into sauce and spoon onto plates.

CAVIAR AND SMOKED SALMON ON TOASTED BRIOCHE CUBES

Steps:

• Cut bread slices into about thirty 1-inch cubes. Cut salmon lengthwise into 1/2-inch-wide strips and crosswise into 4-inch-long pieces. In a large non-stick skillet heat 3 tablespoons butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and brown half of cubes on 2 opposite sides until golden, about 2 minutes, transferring to a platter. Brown remaining cubes in same manner.
• Top each cube decoratively with salmon, caviar, and crème fraîche or sour cream.

SMOKED SALMON PIZZA (A LA WOLFGANG)

Steps:

• For the smoked salmon: Mix the kosher salt, brown sugar, granulated sugar and peppercorns in a medium bowl. Cut a piece of extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the salmon. Place an equally long piece of plastic wrap on top of the foil. Sprinkle one-third of the salt rub onto the plastic. Lay one side of the salmon skin-side down onto the rub. Sprinkle another third of the rub onto the flesh of the salmon. Place the second side of the salmon flesh-side down onto the first side. Use the remaining rub to cover the skin on the top piece. Fold the plastic over the salmon to cover, and then close the edges of the foil together and crimp tightly around the salmon. The salmon should be folded in half and wrapped.
• Place the wrapped salmon on a baking sheet and top with another baking sheet. Weigh the top pan down with a brick or two. Refrigerate the salmon for 12 hours. Flip the salmon over and refrigerate for another 12 hours. Some juice will leak out during the refrigeration process, so make sure there's a place for the runoff to gather.
• Unwrap the salmon and rinse off the salt rub with cold water. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels and place in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until the surface of the salmon is dry and matte-like, 1 to 3 hours depending on humidity. A fan may be used to speed the process.
• Preheat the smoker. Smoke the salmon over the smoldering alder wood chips until the thickest part of the salmon registers 150 degrees, about 30 minutes. Keep the temperature inside the smoker between 190 and 200 degrees F. Serve the salmon immediately, or cool to room temperature, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• Meanwhile, for the pizza dough: Place the warm water and yeast in a large bowl. When the yeast dissolves, let the water stand about 5 minutes. Stir in 3 cups of the flour and the fine salt until smooth. Stir in an additional 2 cups of the flour and continue adding flour (up to 1/2 cup) 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes away from the bowl but is still sticky.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead with lightly floured hands. Slap the dough onto the counter, pulling it toward you with one hand and pushing it away from you with the other. Fold the dough back over itself using a bench scraper or a wide knife to help scrape dough from surface. Repeat the process until the dough is easier to handle, about 10 times. Finish kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic and soft, but a little tacky, about 10 minutes.
• Lightly oil a bowl with olive oil. Shape the dough into 2 balls and transfer to the bowl. Turn to coat the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until the dough doubles in volume, about 3 hours. The dough is done when you press it with your finger and an indent remains.
• Gently remove the dough from the bowl. Roll each dough half into a ball and place on a lightly-floured baking sheet. Brush the dough balls lightly with olive oil. Cover the baking sheet lightly with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Prepare charcoal in a chimney starter (allowing the charcoal to burn until all the charcoal is covered with a thin layer of gray ash). Add to the grill, creating a two-level fire by spreading the coals out over half the grill bottom, piling them up in a mound 3 briquettes high, and leaving the other half with no coals.
• Stretch and shape each piece of dough into a 10-inch-round on a flat surface. Brush the tops of each round with canola oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the rounds on the grilling stones and cook until the bottoms are lightly golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Brush the tops of the rounds with oil, flip and cook until the bottoms are lightly golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
• For the assembly: Whisk the creme fraiche, chopped herbs, zest together and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the creme fraiche mixture on top of each cooked dough round. Flake some of the smoked salmon and place on top of the creme fraiche mixture. Top with the capers and onions. Garnish with whole herbs. Serve immediately.

WOLFGANG PUCK'S PIZZAS WITH SMOKED SALMON AND CAVIAR

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and put a pizza stone inside. Knead 2 teaspoons of the minced chives into the pizza dough. Roll or stretch the dough into four 8-inch circles. Place the pizzas on a lightly floured wooden peel or board. (Work in batches.) Brush the centers of the circles with olive oil to within 1 inch of the edges.
• Slide the pizzas onto the stone and bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to serving plates and spread with the sour cream or creme frache. Arrange the salmon slices over the top. Place a tablespoon of the golden caviar in the center of each pizza and spoon 1/4 of the black caviar into each center. Sprinkle the salmon with the remaining chives and serve.

SALMON CONSOMMé WITH CRéME FRAîCHE AND SALMON CAVIAR

Steps:

• Rinse salmon carcasses under cold water. Remove any blood spots and discard any gills (they look like the underside of a mushroom cap). Transfer salmon to a 10- to 12-quart pot.
• Wash leeks well in a bowl of cold water and lift from water to a colander to drain. Add leeks and remaining consomm ingredients except egg whites and eggshells to pot with salmon. Bring to a boil, covered, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, skimming any foam, 40 minutes.
• Pour stock through a sieve lined with a triple thickness of cheesecloth into a 6-quart saucepan. Boil until reduced to about 9 cups, 15 to 20 minutes, and skim any fat from surface.
• Whisk egg whites in a large bowl until foamy. Crumble reserved shells into whites and slowly whisk in half of hot stock. Gradually whisk egg white mixture into stock in saucepan and bring to a steady boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Boil, undisturbed, until all of whites rise to top and stock is clear, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 3 minutes.
• Pour stock through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a bowl. Then pour stock through a paper towel-lined sieve into a 3-quart saucepan. (You'll have about 8 cups.) Reheat and season with salt.
• Whisk together créme fraîche and water in a small bowl set over a larger bowl of hot water until it reaches room temperature, then continue whisking until smooth and forms soft mounds.
• Serve consommé with dollops of créme fraîche and salmon caviar.

BLINIS WITH CREME FRAICHE AND SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the blinis on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper and heat in the oven for 5 minutes. Allow to cool.
• Top each blini with a piece of smoked salmon. Add a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprig of dill.