Composition: Exquisite Wood-Fire Salmon

We savor the essence of Chinook salmon, one of the best-tasting fish in the world. The king salmon connects us in spirit to the Indigenous people and wildlife of the US Pacific Northwest for whom this highly nutritious fish has been an important food source for ages. With light exotic seasoning, we gently cook the salmon over wood fire to keep it glassy and moist, and marry it with a soft sweet-potato purée and crisp greens to create a balanced and colorful tableau.

Composition elements

Wood-Fire Salmon with Dijon Mustard and Garam Masala Rub
Fresh Chinook salmon filet lightly rubbed with Dijon mustard and garam masala, cooked rare over wood fire

Sweet Potato Purée
Whole sweet potatoes mashed with olive oil, garnished with spring onions and shichimi

Wood-Fire Kale
Wood-fire kale tossed in spicy olive oil

Lemon wedge
Sprinkled over salmon and kale

Staging, plating, substitution, leftovers notes

Pairing

This composition calls for a well-rounded red wine that can stand up to the wood-fire flavors, but does not overpower the delicate salmon. We are looking for wines with some tannins, an overall balanced body, and some fruitiness. Excellent pairings include Grenache and Malbec. Avoid Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet-Sauvignon blends.

What makes it special

This is a meal for special occasions. Sustainable wild Pacific salmon is only available for a few weeks every year. Be careful to buy only sustainable wild or farmed Chinook salmon (also called king salmon) to preserve wild salmon populations, as well as the natural ecosystems and traditional cultures that depend on them, for the future.

This composition exemplifies the marriage of ingredients from different cultures in one balanced composition. The Dijon mustard and garam masala rub combine harmoniously Eastern and Western spices to elevate the flavor of the salmon without overpowering it. The softness of the sweet-potato purée complements the tender salmon meat while its sweetness balances the exotic spices, spicy kale, and lemon drizzle.

This composition is ideal to showcase excellent fresh Chinook salmon that was never frozen. The salmon here is not fully cooked, so freshness is essential for food safety. In addition, it is difficult to achieve a glassy meat texture with previously frozen salmon.

Moreover, we celebrate the wonderful colors of natural ingredients from salmon pink to bright orange or purple of sweet potatoes and deep green of kale.

This composition is great to make with guests because the wood-fire cooking steps are straightforward and scale easily to more pieces. Furthermore, since the salmon is cool in the center, there is no great rush to serve and eat.