We felt ambitious one day, and wanted to challenge ourselves with a complicated dish. After some perusing through our recipe books, we decided to try a recipe from the Princess Alaska cruises collection — the Ketchikan Silver Salmon definitely fit the bill! After slaving in the kitchen for three hours — voila, a magical dish! Truly the best culinary creation we’ve made to date.
Here’s a verbal reincarnation of our Iron Chef experience:
First of all — amazing. The palette is excited by a huge diversity of flavours. Salmon, the main highlight of the dish, is juicy and tender; the mashed potatoes, with a hint of dill are fluffed to perfection; the cucumber salad adds a zesty kick to the dish; finally, the corn sauce, which brings everything together, is infused with a sweetness and tartness that creates a delicate balance. The texture and crunch of the fresh corn adds an interesting dimension. In short, the complexity of flavours, and blend of ingredients makes the dish truly come alive.
Ingredients
- 6 salmon fillet portions (about 7-ounces), skin-on
- salt and pepper
- whole batch of asparagus
CUCUMBER SALAD
- 2 large cucumbers, peeled
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp vermouth
- juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tsp fresh dill, chopped
- salt and pepper
MASHED POTATOES
- 2 lbs potatoes, peeled
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- salt and pepper
CORN SAUCE
- 2 tbsp chopped onion
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 1/2 cups vermouth
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1 1/4 cups fresh corn
- 1 1/2 cups fish stock
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- salt and white pepper
Instructions
- Marinate both sides of each salmon fillet with pinch of salt and pepper. Add vegetable or sunflower oil into sauté pan and turn heat to maximum level. When pan is hot, gently place salmon fillet into pan. Keep pan moving to prevent salmon from sticking. After about 30 seconds (salmon will be half cooked), carefully flip, and continuing shaking the pan to keep it moving. After another 30 seconds, reduce heat to medium and flip again. Let cook for 30 more seconds and flip one more time. Continue cooking until desired doneness (about 30 seconds to 1 minute should be enough). Repeat for remaining fillets.
- Slice the cucumbers as thin as possible lengthwise. Toss all the ingredients together and marinate the cucumber in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Adjust the seasoning before serving.
- Put the potatoes in a large pot well covered with cold salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until just tender. Heat the milk and butter in a pan large enough to hold the potatoes. Drain the cooked potatoes and add them to the milk mixture. Use a potato ricer or a hand mixer to mash the potatoes to a fairly smooth texture incorporating air to make them light and fluffy. Season well.
- For the sauce, combine the onion, garlic, and vermouth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has almost formed a syrup. Add the lemon juice and fresh corn and sauté for 4 minutes. Add the fish stock and reduce by half. Add the cream and reduce by half again or until the sauce has reached the desired consistency. Add the fresh dill and adjust the seasoning.
Yields 6 servings.
