I love to make salmon everytime my husband goes away. He hates the smell of it, and literally gags as soon as he see it. There is nothing like the sight of someone dry-heaving to get your apatite going.
It has become a ritual....whenever he is out of town I run to the grocery store to get my salmon for one. It has become a routine that I swear by. I saw this recipe on epicurious.com and thought it sounded interesting...and brings together my love of all things cured in salt and my love of anything that swims.
Caper Anchovy Butter
1/2 stick of butter, softened
1 tbs capers
3 anchovy fillets
dash of lemon juice
1 tbs of sherry (or whatever you have on hand, original recipe used cognac)
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbs of parsley
Put all ingredients in food processor. At this point you can roll in saran wrap like a log, or what I did which was put in a ramekin, and refrigerate for an hour or so or freeze for 15 minutes.
Now on to the salmon...
Drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with your favorite seasoning. Salt and pepper work fine. You can also do a salt blend. I used Garlic Garlic which is a gift from my sister and a divine product. When ever I have some I use it with everything and run out rather quickly. Then I have to wait a year until she sends me more. I should really find out how to get it locally.
Anyway.....
I bake my salmon on 350 for about 5 minutes then broil for another 5-10. I have a fear of my salmon being overcooked so I usually under cook it on purpose.
When it's done to your liking (whether it's almost sushi, a flaky piece of cardboard, or just perfect medium rare) put a couple of pats of your chilled anchovy butter on top and let it melt so it becomes a rich butter sauce.
I ate it with cous cous and creamed spinach.
Another ritual I have is leaving just enough leftover so the next day I can spread it over a toasted buttered bagel. If you have ever been to real jewish deli, you know what I'm talking about
