Salmon Cooked on a Himalayan Sea Salt Plank

When I did a order last week for seafood through SeaBear I saw this really cool cooking tool called a Himalayan Sea Salt Plank.  I was intrigued by how you cooked using this huge chunk of salt.  So I bought one and tried it for the first time tonight.

Here is what I did:
While leaving the skin on, cut salmon fillet into strips approximately ½” wide. Set aside on a cold platter for cooking later.   Brush each side of the salmon with olive oil.
Properly heating your salt plank will take approximately an hour or so.  Place your dry salt slab into a cold oven and turn the heat to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. When the oven has reached 250 degrees, carefully remove the salt slab and let cool for about 30 minutes on a stove top, or other safe area. Then return it to the oven and set the temperature for 400 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit  for 30-35 minutes. The heat will distribute slowly and evenly throughout.  Remove plank from oven, place on a safe surface.  Place salmon strip onto plank.  It will take only a couple of minutes each side for the salmon to cook.  Here is a cool video so that you can see how the salmon is cooked.  


I made a herb aioli to go along with the cooked salmon.  I didn't have any fresh herbs available so I used dried.  You only want to use a little bit of each and make it to taste.
It consisted of homemade mayonnaise, dill weed, parsley, thyme, tarragon, cilantro, fresh ground pepper,  little bit of lemon juice and a splash of Tabasco sauce.


Along with this we served couscous and a small side salad.  This kept the meal nice and light.

Salmon while on the sea salt plank beginning to cook

Salmon and Roasted Vegetables

I on occasion will make a stop at this really great grocery store near where we live.  I don't go there often because I have a tendency to spend a considerable chunk of money.  Today I was only planning on getting really one thing.  We all know how that is when you say that you end up with so much more.  When I am in this store I am usually inspired and buy what I need based on what I am thinking we will want for dinner that night.  Today was no different.

I begin in the vegetable section and work my way through the store.  I first picked up some eggplant but not your typical purple eggplant.  This was a sicilian type which is smaller and has a purple skin streaked with white. I then grab a yellow bell pepper, and some asparagus.  I am at this point putting a dish together in my head.  I am leaning toward roasted vegetables.  I have some small tomatoes at home that I can add to this dish.

I then head over to the seafood counter where I purchase 2 beautiful Copper River Sockeye Salmon fillets.  I have no idea what I am going to do with it at this point but I now have dinner in hand.

So here is what I did with my purchases:

Cut up the eggplant into bite size pieces, slice the yellow bell pepper into small strips, snap off the bottom portion of the asparagus (to do this just grasp the stalk with both hands and bend, the asparagus will naturally break off the section that is tough leaving the tender section).  Cut in half cherry tomatoes (I used one small package).   Add all of the vegetables to a ziploc bag.  Add 4 cloves of garlic that have been peeled, some fresh rosemary sprigs and some extra virgin olive oil.  Shake the bag to move around the vegetables to incorporate the olive oil.  Pour contents of bag onto a cookie sheet and lightly sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and a small amount of salt.  Bake in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 45 minutes.  You want the vegetables to be soft and flavorful.  About every 15 to 20 minutes flip the vegetables over to move them around to help incorporate the flavors.

For the salmon:

This recipe is one from the Food Network.  The recipe actually calls for it to be grilled but it is cold outside not to mention dark so grilling is out of the question.  I made this in the oven instead.  Also, we plan on eating this for lunch tomorrow.

2 large salmon fillets
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
about 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
8 lemon slices
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine (I used a chardonnay)
4 teaspoon capers
2 large pieces of foil

Drizzle the top and bottom of the salmon with olive oil.  Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper and the chopped rosemary.  Place the each fish filet on a piece of foil.  Lay the foil on a baking sheet (it will make it easier to get in and out of the oven and you won't have to worry about any leaks).  Make sure the foil is large enough so that you can fold it to keep the fish and juices inside.  Pour equal amounts of the lemon juice and wine over each.  Add 4 lemon slices to each and 2 teaspoons of capers.  Wrap the salmon tight.  Place in 400 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 18 minutes.  You don't want to over cook the fish so take it out at 15 minutes to see if it is done.  Serve with lemon slices and some of the juice.

Just Peachy

Tonight's Dinner:
Alaskan Coho Salmon with Peach Glaze
Wilted Mixed Greens
Steamed Snow Peas
Tossed Salad with French Dressing

Okay, so when I was trying to figure out what to make tonight for dinner I started looking at what I had that was fresh.  Mike and I went to the farmer's market on Saturday and picked up peaches, mixed greens, lettuce, and snow peas.

I really wanted to do something with the peaches and knew we had salmon in the freezer.  We get our fish market to special order the salmon in the fall (when they are fishing for it in Alaska).  The salmon has a rich flavor, is dense and meaty and extremely flavorful.

So I took the peaches and removed the skins (by putting them in boiling water for just a little while).  I then chopped the peaches.  I added the peaches to a sauce pan and then added a little maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and a little sweet white wine (I happened to have a very sweet dessert style Riesling in the refrigerator).  I cooked it on the stove to reduce the liquid down to make it a glaze to be used on the salmon.  Mike took the salmon and grilled it adding the glaze at the last stages of cooking.

The snow peas were just steamed and a little butter was added.

The mixed greens I put into a skillet with a little extra virgin olive oil and added the greens just to wilt them.

The little bit of the glaze that was left was placed on the side to use with the salmon.

The salad just contained lettuce with tomato and a homemade french dressing.  Simple but tasty.

We of course finished the dinner off with a bottle of 2008 Afton Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay.

I am really hoping that by posting what I made for dinner will inspire and bring out my creativity and inspire you and your creativity.  Hope you enjoy.

If you have any questions or would like more details on how to make something feel free to post the question so that I can answer.