Over the last couple of weeks I've become a huge fan of the New York Time's "Dining&Food" section. Their articles are really interesting and the recipes are always very inspiring.
Last week they had a recipe up for King Salmon With Agrodolce Blueberries.
That's a weird combination, I thought. But for some reason it made total sense to me, and so I decided to give it a try. The preparations are quick and easy. Therefore it is perfect when you are in a hurry or don't really feel like cooking anymore. And it's a nice and ideal starter or appetizer you can surprise your guests with.
What I liked so much about this was that the acidity of the blueberries and white wine vinegar in combination with the cinnamon, honey and thyme really balances out the particular fish oil flavor of the salmon.
INGREDIENTS (for 6 Persons):
- 6 (240g/8-ounce) fillets wild king salmon
- Sea salt, as needed
- Vegetable oil for baking sheet
- 2 shallots, peeled and very thinly sliced
- 375ml/1.5 cups white wine
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 4 springs fresh thyme
- 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
- approx. 160g/1.3 cups blueberries
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Black pepper
PREPARATION:
Run your fingers over the salmon flesh and pull out any pinbones. Season fish generously with salt and let rest at room temperature while you prepare the sauce.
Heat the oven to 200°C/400°Fahrenheit . Oil a large baking sheet.
In a medium saucepan over low heat, simmer together shallots, wine, vinegar, thyme, cinnamon and a pinch of salt until most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Toss in blueberries, butter and honey; cook until berries soften and turn the sauce pink, 2 to 4 minutes.
Place salmon on baking sheet. Spoon berry mixture over salmon and season with pepper. Bake until salmon is cooked to desired doneness, 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare.
NOTES:
Next time I think I will try to sear the salmon on one side at really high heat for a minute or two because I think some roasting flavor may go really well with it.
When I prepared this recipe it I only had fish for two people. I thought it could have used more sauce/blueberries and a tiny bit more sweetness from the honey. But i also messed up the conversions. So I wouldn't worry about that. Just try the sauce in between, and if it's not enough blueberries, liquid or honey, just add more...
I also left it in the oven for too long. My salmon wasn't medium rare unfortunately.
Fish cooks so quickly!
But still it was all juicy and soft! Delicious.
