SALMON WITH CHOUCROUTE AND GEWüRZTRAMINER SAUCE

Salmon with Choucroute and Gewürztraminer Sauce image

Categories Bread Sauce Side Salmon Simmer Boil

Yield makes 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 24

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Ingredients

Choucroute
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1 (16-ounce) jar sauerkraut, rinsed
1 cup Chicken Stock (p. 206)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon coarsely chopped whole juniper berries
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Snipped fresh chives, for garnish
Gewüztraminer Sauce
1 cup Gewürztraminer (you can substitute Riesling or another Alsatian white wine)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
Pinch of salt
Salmon
4 salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each)
Salt and pepper
1 cup dry bread crumbs, mixed with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter

Steps:

Choucroute
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring, until just wilted. Stir in the sauerkraut, stock, wine, and seasonings. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, about 15 minutes, then set aside, still covered, to keep warm.
Gewürztraminer Sauce
Combine the wine, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently until the liquid is reduced to 2-3 tablespoons. Gradually add butter, in small pieces, whisking constantly, until all the butter is incorporated. The sauce should be a shiny, creamy yellow. Add salt. Taste, and adjust seasonings.
Salmon
Season the salmon with salt and pepper and coat with the bread crumb mixture. Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. When it is very hot but not smoking, add the salmon, presentation side down. Lower the heat to medium, add the butter, and use a spatula to lift the salmon, to allow butter to run under each fillet. Cook until it is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook about 3 more minutes, until salmon is just medium-rare. Cook a little longer if you like it more done, but not long enough to dry it out.
To Serve
Divide the choucroute among four plates, top with a piece of salmon, and drizzle the sauce around the fish. Garnish with chives.
Notes
At Bayona, we use plain bread crumbs for this dish. But for a little more texture, try panko, Japanese bread crumbs (available at specialty markets and many grocery stores).
Beurre blancs, or butter sauces, are known for breaking. Luckily it's a cinch to repair them. To fix a broken beurre blanc, skim the butter off the top and reserve the separated part of the sauce. In a small clean saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of water to a simmer and whisk in the reserved sauce. Over a very gentle heat, whisk in the butter, a bit at a time, and the reserved sauce base should pull together.