CHILLED SALMON À L’OSEILLE
IN THE 1970S, Chefs Jean and Pierre Troisgros created one of the most famous recipes of the nouvelle cuisine era: escalope de saumon à l’oseille. Everything about it was revolutionary: the searing technique with no fat and no color as it warmed up in the nonstick pan, the fish cooked medium-rare only, and the extraordinary balance of richness and acidity of the sauce. When the spring brings back the wild salmon and the harvest of the sorrel, inspired by this classic marriage, we prepare our favorite salmon three ways: raw, cured, and poached. Luscious tartare from the belly is topped with lightly smoked trout caviar and encased in a ring of phyllo; the tail end gets cured Scandinavian style, and a log of poached salmon from the thickest part of the loin is held between two discs of hearts of palm. Fresh, vibrant sorrel finds its way onto each preparation, lending its unique tart and grassy flavor.
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Crispy Phyllo Ring
King Salmon
  • 1 bonelessskinless king salmon fillet, preferably from the thickest end, 14-ounce
Poached Salmon
Cured Salmon
Salmon Tartar
Baby Turnips and Snap Peas
Lemon Crème Fraîche
Sorrel Coulis
Quail Eggs
To Finish
Instructions
For the Crispy Phyllo Ring
  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Lay 1 sheet of dough on a cutting board and brush evenly with clarified butter. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the top. Press a second sheet of phyllo on top and repeat the process. Add a third layer, brush with clarified butter, and sprinkle with lemon omani powder. Cut into 1-inch-wide strips. Wrap the strips with the lemon omani side out around four 1¼-inch-diameter ring molds. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool to room temperature, gently slide from the molds, and store in an airtight container.
For the King Salmon
  1. Cut a 4 × 2½-inch rectangle from the center of the fillet for curing. Cut the remaining fillet into four 3 × 1-inch batons for poaching. Cut the trim into small dice for the tartar.
For the Poached Salmon
  1. Using an immersion circulator, heat a water bath to 133°F and set a bowl of ice water on the side. Alternately, heat a large saucepan filled halfway with water to 133°F, and maintain the temperature as best as possible using a stem thermometer. Sprinkle the 4 salmon batons lightly with salt and pepper, and place a sorrel leaf on top of each one. Wrap each baton by laying a sheet of plastic wrap on a flat surface, setting the baton in the center, and rolling it up in the plastic into a tight cylinder. Tie off the ends to secure. Submerge in the water bath and cook until their internal temperatures reach 124°F, about 10 minutes. Chill in the ice water and reserve, chilled.
For the Cured Salmon
  1. In a shallow nonreactive container, combine the salt, sugar, and zests. Add the rectangular piece of salmon fillet and pack the mixture around it to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 40 minutes. Rinse the salt mixture from the salmon and pat dry. Cut the salmon against the grain into 12 slices, transfer to a tray, cover, and reserve, chilled. Arrange the sorrel leaf rectangles on another tray, brush with olive oil, cover, and chill for 30 minutes.
For the Salmon Tartar
  1. Up to 1 hour before serving, mix the diced salmon with the lemon zest and olive oil, and season with wasabi, salt, and pepper. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, then adjust the seasoning as necessary with more salt and pepper.
For the Baby Turnips and Snap Peas
  1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and place a bowl of ice water on the side. Pick at least 4 small leaves from the turnips and reserve, wrapped in wet paper towels, for garnishing. Trim the stems and boil the turnips for 45 seconds, or until tender. Halve 2 turnips stem to tip and quarter the third. Boil the snap peas for 1 minute, chill in the ice water, and split them. Reserve the vegetables, chilled.
For the Lemon Crème Fraîche
  1. In a small bowl, combine the crème fraîche with the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Keep chilled.
For the Sorrel Coulis
  1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil and place a bowl of ice water on the side. Add the egg and simmer in the water for 3 minutes, then remove and chill in the ice water (you can reserve the boiling water for the quail eggs). Pour the chicken stock into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Crack the egg and scoop it into a blender with the hot stock and the remaining ingredients along with ½ teaspoon salt. Puree until smooth. Pass through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl set over ice and stir until chilled.
For the Quail Eggs
  1. Boil the eggs for 2½ minutes, then submerge them in ice water to chill. Peel the eggs and slice them in half lengthwise; sprinkle with fleur de sel and pepper.
To Finish
  1. In a small bowl, lightly season the turnips and peas with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  2. For each serving, place a crispy phyllo ring in the center of a chilled plate and fill two-thirds to the top with salmon tartar. Top with a layer of lemon crème fraîche, then spoon an even layer of caviar on top; finish with a leaf of micro wood sorrel. On one side of the plate, arrange 3 slices of cured salmon in a square shape and top with a rectangle of sorrel, 1 half and 1 quarter of turnip, 1 snap pea half, 1 quail egg half, and 1 baby turnip leaf. Place a poached salmon cylinder on the other side of the plate and press 2 discs of hearts of palm at the ends. Spoon sorrel sauce on top to completely cover, then top with a heart of palm matchstick and 2 leaves of micro red ribbon sorrel.