It's Wild Salmon Season: A Recipe from a Motorcycle-Riding French Poissonier

August 20, 2013

It's Wild Salmon Season: A Recipe from a Motorcycle-Riding French Poissonier

Didier is a professionally trained chef from Nice, France turned motorcycle-riding poisonnier in my hometown of Jacksonville. He's known to have the best catch in town, though you wouldn't know it by looking at his shop's humble exterior - isn't that always the way? Lately, when I've visited home, my dad's cooked up Didier's best tuna steaks using this recipe.

Now that it's wild salmon season (you may have seen Mark Bittman's delicious recipe roundup), I wanted to celebrate it with a tasty preparation. I got Didier's recipe from my dad and made a few modifications, opting to use all organic ingredients, substitute Bragg's Liquid Aminos for soy sauce and olive oil for canola oil. I visited the Union Square Greenmarket and picked up fresh organic filet beans & orange cherry tomatoes to pair with it. The verdict? Yum.

This produce was unbelievably good, especially the tomatoes. They have such a nice balance of sweetness and acidity.

Pan-Seared Ginger Soy Salmon
Ingredients:
6 oz. wild-caught salmon filet
ginger (fresh or powdered)
ground black pepper
organic soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos (what I use)
organic olive oil

Dredge salmon in soy sauce. Season with ground black pepper and ginger. Marinate for 10 minutes if you're using soy sauce; I marinated for half an hour because Bragg's isn't quite as intense as soy sauce. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in pan until cracking hot. Cook salmon to taste - I like mine medium rare.

Filet Beans & Cherry Tomatoes with Lemon & Olive Oil
organic filet beans (more fancily known as haricots verts)
organic cherry tomatoes
fresh lemon
organic olive oil
salt to taste

Wash beans & tomatoes. Snap ends from beans and halve tomatoes. Boil beans in heavily salted water for 3-4 minutes, until just tender. While this is happening, make a bowl of ice water. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beans to ice bath. Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in pan on medium low. Cook tomatoes for 2 - 3 minutes. Remove & dry beans, then cook for another minute or so with the tomatoes. Serve with salmon filet, adding salt and lemon juice to taste.

FYI, I cooked the veggies first and then added more olive oil to the pan and cooked the salmon - I didn't want the veggies to have the same ginger-soy flavor.

All in all, an incredibly simple but really tasty & healthy meal.

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