Alaska: Baked Salmon with Lemon and Dill

Bishop's Beach, Homer

We spent the last ten days of March roaming around Alaska.  We flew into Anchorage 8 hours late after missing our flight out of Denver the night before, and headed south towards the Resurrection Pass Trail.  After a hut-trip-gone-awry with too much snow and moonlight skiing, we crashed in the town of Kenai.  We spent the next few days cross country skiing and exploring the beautiful Kenai Peninsula, especially Homer where our friends Katie and Grant live.  Homer has amazing food.  We gorged on Seafood at the Mermaid Cafe, ate delicious baked goods at Two Sisters Bakery, and sampled local beer and wine (we would recommend the beer... Alaska should maybe leave the wine to warmer climes).


We also spent a couple nights in where we cooked wild crab and baked local salmon.  I grew up with salmon a weekly staple.  My mom barbecued it, baked it, broiled it, poached it, and served it smoked.  The most valuable lesson I learned from her cooking was that you should never over season a good piece of fish, or you will ruin it.  The below recipe is tried and true.  I have made it at least twice a month for many years, and my mom made it many years before me.

Baked Salmon with Lemon and Dill

• 1 salmon fillet (I usually buy 3/4 pound for 2 people)
• 2-3 sprigs fresh dill
• 1 lemon
• 3-4 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Place the fillet in a large baking dish taking care to avoid the flesh touching the edges of the pan.
3. Cut the butter into small pieces and divide evenly over the fish.
4. Coarsely chop the dill and spread over the fish.
5. Thinly slice the lemon and place on top.
6. Grind some pepper on top and season with a very small amount of salt.
7. Cover with foil or a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
8. Uncover and bake for another 5-10 minutes (depending on thickness) until you can see white fat emerging from the flesh, and when the flesh is divided with a fork the very middle is still slightly dark.

We spent the rest of our time in Girdwood, Anchorage, and Talkeetna skiing and dog sledding.  We ate wonderful pub-style seafood at F Street Station in Anchorage and enjoyed excellent beer at the Denali Brewing Company in Talkeetna.

Homer Marina

View of Iliamna Volcano, Kenai Peninsula

Lake Ski, Soldotna

  

Diamond Beach

Moose in Homer

Homer Overlook

Night Drive: between Homer and Girdwood

Turnagen Arm

Talkeetna, AK

Girdwood, AK

Friday Links: Meyer Lemons

photo credit

Happy President's Weekend!  We have the honor of Michelle Obama and Joe Biden skiing our slopes this weekend, so naturally Steven and I will be avoiding paparazzi filled hill in favor of bowl hiking and other pursuits this weekend.  We are also excited to celebrate Valentine's Day (belated) tonight at Element 47, Aspen's newest fine dining.

Today's links honor one of America's last truly seasonal fruits.  While many of us know better, we still buy apples in March and Kale in August.  We keep encouraging the excessive use of resources for food transportation.  Meyer lemons are not in season in Aspen, nothing is, but they do represent a dying trend of produce you can only find once a year.  Also, they are delicious.  So buy seasonal and enjoy these lovely, sweet-tart, gems.

Meyer Lemon Loaf from Sprouted Kitchen

Note: I made the Meyer Lemon Loaf with AP flour and it was so good I am making another this weekend.

Cocktail Hour: Meyer Lemon Whisky Sour
First Course: Leafy Salad with Meyer Lemon Dressing
Main Course: Sauteed Chicken with Meyer Lemon and Rosemary
With Afternoon Tea: Meyer Lemon Loaf (gluten-free or not)
After Dinner: Meyer Lemon Curd Tart

Lemon Risotto and a Merry Christmas

Monty, our tree in Aspen

Happy New Year, and I apologize for the month-long break!  Hopefully you are all relishing in the quiet that comes with the turning of the calendar and having a much needed time to recuperate. We celebrated the turn of the year at my sister's home/work, Emerald City Trapeze Arts and their Gala Luna Blanca, then proceeded to regret certain decisions as we began 2013 with an evening of flying and driving that landed us in bed at 3:00 Wednesday morning.  The beginning of the trip home was spent first with friends and then at our separate families, where I baked and made candy until my feet hurt.  We reunited on Christmas Eve for an afternoon celebration with Steven's family.  After hopping a late-night ferry we awoke Christmas morning and spent lazy hours transitioning from coffee to mimosas and from gifts to a noonish brunch.  Then the real cooking began.  We celebrated Christmas dinner with my parents, sister, sister's boyfriend, 3 uncles, 2 aunts, grandma, and aunt's brother, as well as 3 dogs and many cats.  We cooked an adapted "feast of the seven fishes," a traditional Christmas Eve event in Southern Italy.


The Menu

7 Fishes
Fresh Oyster Shooters
Smoked Salmon
Mixed Seafood Risotto (squid, scallops, shrimp)
Calamari stuffed with Geoduck Clams
Poached Halibut

Vegetable Sides
Eggplant and Tomato Ragu
Sauteed Asparagus
Green Salad

Desert
Tiramisu

Lemon Risotto

I am positive this is not the "traditional" menu, but it was a very fun adaptation compared to the typical American Christmas dinner.  I slightly adapted my lemon risotto recipe by stirring in seafood in place of lemon and using fish stock, but I am giving you the original because I like it better than the adapted.  

Lemon Risotto

• 2 quarts chicken stock, low sodium
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 shallots, small dice
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary, minced
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese to garnish

1. Heat stock to a simmer in a large saucepan, and continue to simmer over medium-low heat
2. Heat a dutch oven or other large, heavy pot over medium heat.  Add olive oil and 1 tbs butter and allow to heat for about 30 seconds.
3. Add shallots and saute until soft, 5-6 minutes. 
4. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 1 minute.
5. Stir in rice and cook until translucent, 2 minutes.
6. Pour wine over mixture and stir until evaporated.
7. Add 1 1/2 cups of stock and stir.  Simmer until absorbed.
8. Continue to add stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently and adding more liquid when the previous is absorbed.  
9. While the rice is cooking whisk together egg yolk, cream, and lemon zest.
10. Continue until rice is al dente (soft with a little bit of a bite), you may not need all of the stock. 
11. Stir in egg/zest mixture, rosemary, remaining butter and lemon juice.  Cover and allow to sit 10 minutes.
12. Serve topped with freshly ground black pepper and Parmesan cheese.