Smoked Salmon Risotto

Still under the weather, but feeling much, much better. I'll be getting back into my normal cooking grove here very soon.

Last night Mr Humble made me dinner, a smoked salmon risotto, and it was so delicious I felt it was worth noting on the blog.

Of course, like most people from the Pacific Northwest, I am a little biased towards things that involve salmon. We do love our fish around here and we take it very, very seriously. You can go to just about any seafood restaurant in Seattle and find the menu will include a full seafood biography. Detailing the specific type of fish, how it was raised and how it was caught.

Salmon is rarely just 'salmon' in Seattle.

My personal favorite is wild caught Alaskan King salmon, of which I treated myself to a smoked fillet while shopping last Friday. One that I had been nibbling into oblivion over the course of the week. Lucky for the blog, Mr. Humble snatched it away from me and put it to good use.

After all, I probably can't get away with a blog post that consists only "Step 1: Buy Salmon. Step 2: Nibble." although I heartily endorse this practice.



Smoked Salmon Risotto with Lemon & Mascarpone
adapted from Good Food
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
350 grams Arborio rice
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable stock
170 grams smoked salmon, divided
85 grams mascarpone
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
handful arugula (baby greens are best)
lemon juice
ground pepper

Reserving some large pieces of salmon to garnish, roughly chop the remaining smoked salmon and set aside.

In a large pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil and onion. Sauté for five minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the rice and garlic to the pot and cook for two more minutes, stirring continuously. Add the white wine and a cup of the stock to the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring frequently until the most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add another cup of the stock and continue to cook, stirring constantly until it too has absorbed. Repeat, until you've used all the stock and the rice is tender and creamy.

Remove the pot from the heat, add the mascarpone and stir until melted. Add the chopped salmon, parsley and lemon zest and mix. Season with fresh ground pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Plate the risotto with a some fresh arugula and the pieces of reserved salmon.

Fish Steamed in Banana Leaves

Had a nice food find this week. Fresh banana leaves!

These are great for wrapping food and then steaming or grilling. Steamed, the banana leaves impart a sort of fruity, almost floral taste to the food. Grilled, they add a similar but more bitter aroma.

I also picked up some yellow eye rockfish that looked fresh and delicious. However, I just read that it is probably going to be declared a protected species in our area. Gah! Now I feel really bad for eating the poor thing. Of course, this recipe works equally as well with just about any other sustainable white fish. In fact, I'm going to leave that rockfish alone entirely, now that I know that it is up for a possible status change in my area.

The black rockfish would be a better option for those of us wanting to make eco-friendly choices and if you're ever worried about the impact of what you're putting on the table, here is a link to help choose environmentally friendly seafood (link)

Not so Humble's Fish Steamed in Banana Leaves:

1 large banana leaf
boiling water

2 lbs firm white fish fillets
1 tablespoon garlic finely minced
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon oil
1 small onion chopped
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 heaping tablespoon rice flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of half a lime

Boil several cups of water and cut the banana leaves into 4-6 13"x9" sheets. Place the leaves into a roasting pan and pour the boiling water over top and let soak while preparing the other ingredients.

Trim and skin your fillets and cut into large chunks and set aside. Assemble the remaining ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. Coat the fish pieces in the mixture and allow them to marinate for about 10 minutes. Once ready, remove a banana leaf from the dish of water, it should be pliable enough to work with now.



Place 3-4 pieces of fish in the center of the leaf and fold the sides to the center, then bring the top and the bottom up to close the little package and secure with a toothpick or skewer. Arrange these in your steamer's baskets and steam for 15-25 minutes.



Hopefully your steamer is bigger than this one! But hey, it is my most photogenic steamer... so in they go!

Oishii Salmon Ramen

I spent my freshmen year of college knocking out my degree's foreign language requirements, in my case this was Japanese. I spent a lot of time loafing around the school of Asian studies and hanging out in their lovely Japanese style garden. That's where I met Samurai Wannabe. Walking around campus with a karate kid like bandana tied around his anime spiked blond hair. He infused every interaction with utmost gravitas. This guy wasn't messing around. He was living the lifestyle; I'm pretty sure off campus he carried around a sword, if not two.

I miss that guy. He reminded me that maybe you shouldn't take yourself too seriously. Something that clearly I don't try to do here.

Well Seattle Samurai Wannabe, I'm sorry I never remembered your real name. This soup is for you.

Ramen with Pacific Northwest twist.



Not so Humble's Oishii Salmon Ramen:

8 oz fresh ramen noodles (Not the instant stuff. If you can't find these and don't feel like making them, substitute a thin chinese egg noodles or packets of fresh 'stir fry' noodles)

Soup
4 cups vegetable stock
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon peeled and grated ginger
1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 cup bean sprouts
1 green chili, seeded and sliced
2 cups baby spinach leaves (optional)
fresh cilantro

Salmon
1 pound of wild pacific northwest coho, skin removed and sliced into four filets.

3 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons of mirin
1 teaspoons grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated garlic
1/2 teaspoon hot chili sauce - sriracha (optional)

Cook the ramen according to the package directions.

Mix the ingredients for the salmon and glaze each piece. Place the salmon under the broiler for roughly four minutes on one side. The flesh should flake easily but the center should remain moist and pink.

Add the garlic, ginger and soy sauce to the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.

Boil 4 cups of water in a small pan and add the spinach, cooking briefly till it has just wilted. Remove the spinach from the water and squeeze the spinach to remove any excess liquid.

Divide the spinach between four bowls, then add the noodles. Pour the broth over the noodles and add a filet of salmon to each. Sprinkle with the bean sprouts, chilies, and cilantro.