When I was a child, my impatient mother stuck to a small repertoire of easy weeknight dinners. Although she worked full time, she came home before my father. It was all her job to feed us every night. My mom loved to eat, but you’d never guess from school night dinners (hot dogs and frozen veggies, pasta with bottled sauce, bland grilled chicken breasts, tough pork chops). Sho.
Then, one night when I was nearing the end of elementary school, my mother cooked a new dish. It was grilled salmon sprinkled with mustard and mayonnaise. The colors were bright. Flavor, big. The fish itself was something of a pocket-money luxury, suggesting luxury rather than practicality.
My mother passed away when I was 21 years old. There are many things I miss about my mother, but her cooking is not one of them. But this summer, I wanted to eat that salmon. During that time, I never tried to make it myself. Maybe he thought that doing so would make her disappear. Maybe I was just being pretentious about the idea of ​​hot mayonnaise. I decided to give it a try.
I made a few tweaks, used Dijon mustard instead of my mom’s yellow mustard, and used wild Alaskan salmon instead of the farmed one my mom used to buy (the former has less fat). , has a fishy taste and can tolerate strong seasonings). To add color and complexity, I added lots of fresh herbs and roasted the salmon in the oven rather than cooking it on the grill.
I had a tentative taste of the finished product, but was skeptical that my playing could evoke the joy I remembered from childhood. There was no need for that. The fish remained extra moist under the creamy cap. Master drain zipper. Herbs, texture, freshness. Salmon was delicious. I shouldn’t have been so surprised. It was always like that. Since then, it has been on heavy rotation at our table.
Serve salmon with mustard, mayonnaise, and (almost) any herbs.
Feel free to use any combination of herbs (dill, parsley, basil, coriander, thyme, green onion, chives, green garlic) to your liking, but we recommend using at least two. Dill, basil, and green garlic are my favorite combination. date. If you have leftovers, chilled salmon makes great leftovers.
Serves 3-4 people
1 pound side salmon (preferably wild)*
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Twist the pepper grinder a little
1/3 cup fresh green herbs, chopped and more for serving
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F.
Line a rimmed sheet pan or large baking dish with parchment paper and arrange the salmon on top. (If the plate is too short to accommodate the length of the fish, cut the fish horizontally to separate it into two pieces.)
Combine mustard and mayonnaise in a small bowl, using a flexible spatula, mix together and season with salt and pepper. Then gently mix in the herbs and use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly across the top of the fish. Slide into the oven and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, or until just heated through. (Check for doneness by making a slit in the thickest part of the fish. You’ll know the salmon is done when it’s steamy all the way through and the raw fish’s hot pink hue turns to a muted pastel color.) Masu). Sprinkle with herbs and serve hot.
*The sides of wild Alaskan salmon tend to be less than an inch thick at their thickest point. The general rule for cooking wild-caught salmon at this temperature is 12 to 15 minutes of cooking time per inch of thickness. If you’re using farmed rather than wild-caught salmon, it’s likely to be fatty and thicker, so you may need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Sarah B. Franklin He is a writer and a professor at New York University. Her work has appeared in the following publications: new york times, washington post, literary huband nation. Her latest book is Editor: How publishing legend Judith Jones shaped American culture.. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her twins.
PS Dad’s Meatloaf and 9 Family Meals We Loved to Death.
Source: Cup of Jo – cupofjo.com
