RCP: Alaskan King Salmon with lime ginger risotto (img)

I was going to make this with some of the halibut we have from Alaska but my wife pulled some Alaskan king salmon out of the freezer (same trip) instead. Served with a relatively inexpensive French "pinot noir" (Frederic Magnien 2005), interestingly enough as opposed to a "burgundy". I thought it needed more sesame oil and more lime flavor but my crew snarfed it up anyway.

2 filets alaskan king salmon cut into six strip like servings
12 coins thin sliced ginger
about 1/2 cup white wine
about 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 -2 tbl butter
S&P to taste

1 cup risotto rice (I used arborio since that's what I had.)
2 tblspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrots
4-5 fat garlic cloves -smashed and diced
2 tbl minced ginger
grated zest from 1 lime
juice from 1 lime
4-5 cups chicken broth/water heated to simmer
1 sweet red pepper diced
1 cup grated parmesan reggiano
S&P to taste

Preheat the oven to 325. Salt and pepper the fish, then poach the fish in the wine/broth/butter dotted with the ginger coins and covered for about 20 minutes while you make the risotto. The fluid should come up about 1/2 way or less on the fish.

Heat the oils. Add the onions and cook until they give off their juices (about 3 minutes - not too hot, you don't want to brown them) Add the carrots, celery and garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Add the rice and keep stirring until coated and heated through. Add the wine and cook until almost evaporated. Add the lime juice to the broth. Add the broth, about a cup or so at a time to the rice and cook until almost completely absorbed. Add another cup of broth etc, until the rice is the way you like it and there's a nice creamy sauce. When almost done add the red pepper. When done, add the parmesan and mix well. Check and adjust seasoning.

Plate a filet on a small pile of risotto. It's a very pretty, colorful plate. I should have reduced the poaching liquid and thickened with a little butter but everybody was too hungry to wait. The fish was just wonderful as is, beautiful texture and classic Alaskan King flavor and didn't need the sauce.

[Robin Garr]

Lime ginger risotto sounds like a <i>great</i> concept, Howard, and likely exceptionally wine-friendly, too ... can't wait to try it!

[Jenise]

Not to argue with your choice, but I look at that dish and think reisling, in large part because I own a lot of reisling but rarely cook the foods I think suit it best, so the wine more or less just sits there. I'll put your recipe on my To Do list--thanks!

Oh, p.s.--where were you fishing there? On the Kenai?

Yeah, I know the pinot/salmon match is trite but, I wanted a red wine and I wanted to try that one. It came from North Berkeley imports. Is everyone else as impressed with them as I am?

Riesling would have worked very well too.

Fishing was off the Prince of Wales island, not too far from Ketchikan. My geography's not so hot, is that near the Kenai?

I want to go back. Badly.

[Jenise]

Trite? Heck no. Didn't say that, wasn't thinking it. It's a go-to match for a good reason. It's just that I keep reaching reflexively for red wine when I should instead play with my whites more often.

No, Kenai's not near Ketchikan. It's across the Cook Inlet from Anchorage. 20 minute puddle jumper flight or 80 mile drive.

I see. We spent only enough time in Anchorage to visit the glacier and the sled dogs. And to eat at the restaurant at Aleyska. Mmmmmm.

Thanks Robin. It was very nice with the pinot. Jenise's idea of riesling sounds good. I'd bet a good citrusy sauvignon blanc'd be fun too. More ginger and I'd try a gewurtz.


Now I'm hungry.