Gabrielle Hamilton's Salmon with Creamy Lemon Rice
Chef Gabrielle Hamilton offers the simplest preparation imaginable that yields a fillet so succulent and sumptuous, there won't be one flake left over.
At Easter I am typically and steadfastly a roasted leg of lamb type, usually with a Greek bent - including baked orzo and the traditional egg-lemon soup, avgolemono, served alongside the asparagus and morel mushrooms that make the meal, above all, a celebration of spring. But due to an aberrant stretch last year in which I had roasted lamb nearly every night for the better part of three months (a story for another day), when Easter rolled around, I had the shudders at the prospect of lamb on the table.
I had seen some fantastic Scottish salmon from my fish guy, firm and silvery and so fresh they had a still-piercing gaze. I ended up buying 35 pounds of the stuff, and when I cut into the flesh, a clean, melon-like smell wafted through the kitchen.
I tied in Greek flavors by making a soupy, lemony rice dish instead of the lemony soup, adding scallions and peas. Frozen peas work beautifully, and the bright tartness of the rice is just right with the rich salmon. In case you don't already do it this way, cut your lemons in thirds instead of halves to get a greater yield of juice out of fewer lemons.
The salmon has to be of superior quality. The preparation is so scarily simple-salt-and-pepper cooking at its most literal!-that there is nothing to hide behind if the fish is mediocre. It's also imperative not to overcook it. Salmon turns from silky and succulent and luscious to chalky, bitter, and lifeless in the span of a minute. The parchment seals in all the juices, and when you open it a cucumber-fresh scent escapes that may well cause you to shudder-but with utter pleasure.
10 Ways To Make Your Home Happier
Ingredients for the Salmon, serves 2-4
1 pound whole salmon fillet, pin bones removed, neatly trimmed, and skin intact
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 generous pinches coarse kosher salt
6 full grinds of a pepper mill
1 sheet parchment paper (brown is not recommended)
Directions for the Salmon
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Lay a sheet of parchment on a baking sheet and place the salmon fillet skin-side down in the center.
3. Thoroughly coat the fillet and an inch or so of the surrounding parchment with the olive oil, creating a slick and glossy surface.
4. Generously and evenly season the fillet with salt and pepper. Hold your hands about eight inches above the fish when seasoning for more even distribution, thus avoiding salty or peppery patches.
5. Gather the parchment by both long sides and bring them together, folding over two or three small folds with a sharp crease, until you have a neat packet. Then fold the open ends two or three times in the same way, tucking them under the fish, thus creating a tightly sealed packet from which no steam can escape during cooking.
6. Place the packet on the baking sheet on the middle rack of the preheated oven and cook for exactly 10 minutes. Remove and, in good light, check the fish's color by peeking inside the parchment without fully opening it. It should be pale pink and opaque at the edges with a broad swath of still-translucent orange flesh down the center.
7. Return to the oven for about five more minutes, or until the rare-looking swath has narrowed to a half-inch stripe. Don't overcook it!
8. Remove the salmon from the oven. Very carefully, open the packet and release the steam to prevent further cooking.
20 Decorating Secrets No One Ever Told You
Ingredients for the Creamy Lemon Rice
2 cups excellent, rich chicken broth
4 large egg yolks
½ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
½ cup frozen peas
1 bunch of scallions, sliced to yield a scant ½ cup of rings
2½ cups cooked rice (day-old is more than fine)
2 generous pinches coarse kosher salt, or to taste
Directions for the Creamy Lemon Rice
1. Bring the chicken broth to a simmer on the stove top in a stainless-steel pot and keep it simmering as you gather the rest of the ingredients. It will slightly reduce and intensify in these few minutes.
2. In a stainless-steel or glass heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then add the lemon juice and whisk until blended.
3. Add a ladleful of hot stock to the egg-lemon mixture and whisk thoroughly.
4. While whisking, slowly add the hot egg-lemon mixture into the pot. Stir or whisk gently over medium-low heat while the liquid ever so slightly thickens and changes color from bright to pale yellow, about two minutes. Add the peas and the scallions, which will turn bright green in the first few seconds as they blanch in the hot liquid. Stir gently until the peas are warmed through, then add the cooked rice. Stir thoroughly, then turn off the heat and let rest, covered for a minute or two. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
5. To serve, spoon the soupy rice onto a platter with a rim. Place the salmon on top and gently pull it apart into large hunks. Leave the skin stuck in the parchment.
6. Taking care not to spill, lift the parchment and pour the accumulated juices over the salmon on the rice.
More from House Beautiful:
