by Melissa Pasanen, Free Press Correspondent
October 19, 2006
When we asked for restaurant recipes you dream of making at home, Denyse Aloi of
Richmond requested the salmon carpaccio appetizer served at Cafe Shelburne.
As with many restaurant recipes, this is less a specific recipe than a
technique, which chef-owner Patrick Grangien shared with us.
The secret to the success of this simple preparation, Grangien offered, "is
absolutely fresh salmon and very good olive oil." His newest venture,
Amandine on the Village Green in Shelburne, has a good range of olive oil that
would work for this recipe, he suggests.
Slice the salmon:
Start, he says, with a piece of raw salmon. He uses farmed Atlantic salmon which
is "nice and oily." After removing any bones with a tweezer, cut it
very thin on the diagonal into sheets, "paper-thin so you can see through
them." (See testing note below.) Grangien also suggests that if the slices
come out a little too thick, you can cover them with saran wrap and pound them
thinner -- just be careful because it's easy to pound them into pieces. Cure the
salmon:
Grangien describes this as an "instant cure," so you can do it quite
close to serving time, but you can also do it in advance and keep refrigerated
until ready to serve. Place enough salmon slices on a dinner plate for an
appetizer portion and give them a "good chef's sprinkle of fine sea salt
and then a couple turns of freshly ground white pepper." Wash a lemon very
well and zest it. Combine the finely grated zest with the juice of the whole
lemon and whisk in enough fruity, extra-virgin olive oil to balance the lemon
but not obscure it. "It needs to be lemony," he emphasizes, estimating
that he uses about one-third cup olive oil to the juice and zest of 1 lemon.
Season the lemon and oil mixture with more sea salt and freshly ground white
pepper to taste. Take a spoon and apply a generous coat of the "cure"
to your salmon slices. "Your lemon juice is going to 'cook' your
salmon," he explains. Garnish and serve:
Chef Grangien garnishes based on what is in season, or on-hand. Finely minced
chives work well or a coarse puree of avocadoes with a little mustard and lemon
juice. He has also used a fresh tomato chutney of yellow pear and sungold cherry
tomatoes or even a spoonful of Middle Eastern tabbouleh. Free Press testing
note: You will need a very sharp knife to cut the salmon without ripping it
apart. You might also try putting the piece of salmon in the freezer for half an
hour or so just to firm it up, which makes for easier and cleaner cutting. For
those who prefer not to eat raw salmon, Chef Grangien will flash the cured
salmon under a broiler for a few seconds, which you could do at home also. --
Melissa Pasanen, Free Press Correspondent Is there a local restaurant dish
you're craving to try out at home? We will try to track it down. Send all
requests to Melissa Pasanen at mpasanen@aol.com.
Be sure to include the name of the dish and/or a short description, the
restaurant and its location. Also give us your name, town, and daytime contact
phone number.###