South of the Border Salmon Mousse

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This is a Superbowl snack.  

I thought I was taking wings to the family gathering, but my Sister-in-law had EVEN THESE covered in her menu (love you, Sam!) so I had to rack my brains to come up with something else.  Welcome to plan B.  Since she has a semi-Mexican menu on the table, I decided to give this some Latin American flavor.  This SIMPLE and QUICK recipe does not dissapoint!

THE RECIPE

1 - 15oz. can fancy pink salmon, or 1# fresh poached salmon fillet, flaked

8oz. cream cheese, room temperature

2 roasted Jalapeno peppers, minced

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Sliced baguette or other artisan bread, toasted

Roast the peppers; Heat a non-stick skillet over high flame and turn the peppers until the skin on all sides has blistered and charred.

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Remove from heat, place in plastic bag and quickly chill in freezer for 15 minutes.  Peel skins from peppers and remove stem, seeds and connecting tissue.  Slice lengthwise, then mince these strips.

Drain canned salmon; pick through to remove any bones.  Place in bowl of food processor.

Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth.  Transfer into small bowl, loaf pan or mold (hopefully something more interesting than my soup bowl), which has been thoroughly coated with oil or pan release.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Place a plate over the mold and invert, releasing the mousse.  Transfer to serving platter.

Toast bread slices on oven rack; Arrange around salmon mousse on platter.

Wild Alaskan King Salmon with phenomenal root vegetable relish

Okay, we'll start with the cover photo...This is a case of the cart before the horse. I built this dinner around the side dish. I ADORE beets, and found some great organic beets at Bristol Farms. Jackpot -- there were some beautiful red and gold ones loose in one of the bins. When all was said and done, the checker could not verify the pricing (as they were not in bunches, with their little official sticker) for them. SO, she sent over the bagger to investigate. The line lengthens...I grow impatient. No luck. She called the produce manager (I grow more impatient, my temper approaching a Krakatoa-like level) who could not verify the pricing either. RESULT: my beets were FREE, because for whatever ungodly reason they had been snipped from their stalks??? Which is just as well because of the BF pricing structure...but I digress.

Once I saw my red and gold beauties, I scooped up some herbs, fennel and parsnips, checked over the meat / seafood cases, and landed upon a beautiful fillet of wild Alaskan King salmon. Here's the plan: grilled salmon (I prefer charcoal; fruit wood chips or a cedar plank can enhance the flavor as well) with a root vegetable relish.

FLIGHT - it was all wonderful. FLUB - I should have gone with all golden beets (and gone back after that Cashier ended her shift to buy up the rest of the loose beets)! The red beets dyed the rest of the ingredients and I lost presentation points.

THE RECIPE

Grilled salmon:

2 - 8oz. wild salmon fillets
As needed EV olive oil
To taste grey Fleur de Sel (or sea salt)
To taste fresh cracked black pepper (as in mortar and pestle)

Root vegetable relish

2-3 red beets
2-3 golden beets (use 4-6 golden to avoid my blunder, or cook the red ones separately)
3 parsnips, 1/4 in. dice
1/2 small onion, 1/4 in. dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bulb fennel, 1/4 in. dice
3 sprigs basil, leaves cut into chiffonade
1 sprig tarragon, chopped
As needed, EV olive oil
2T seasoned rice vinegar
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

Trim beets, being careful not to nick the root end. Boil beets and parsnips in lightly salted water until soft when pierced with a fork. Allow to cool, then peel beets and dice into 1/4 in. pieces. In another pan, sautee onion and garlic 5 minutes, until softened. Transfer vegetables to a bowl, cool, then toss with herbs, enough oil to coat ingredients, vinegar and KSP. Taste, adjust seasoning and refrigerate.

Greens for garnish:

1 cup baby greens (I had a bag of baby ruby reds)
Dash lemon juice
Drizzle of truffle oil
Toss and place in one quadrant of dinner plate

Preparation:

Season salmon and allow to come up to room temperature. Grill, cavity side first. After approximately 2 minutes, turn 90 degrees for a nice cross-hatched pattern. Flip after another 2 minutes, repeat for the other side. Cook to a medium - medium rare temp for best flavor (whichever works for you, just don't cremate this beautiful creature!). Serve over greens alongside the root vegetable relish.

You can serve the salmon right off the grill, or at ambient temperature. Enjoy!