L ifestyle /C ulture
A Resolution, Culinarily Speaking
F OO D
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
I AM NOT A great one for
New Year’s resolutions. I still
recall with a wry smile the
past patterns of early January
days when the gym would be
crowded and, by MLK Day, it
was back to normal.

But turning a new food page
is acceptable and, to that end, I
hope to do the following this
year: break tradition.

By that, I mean that I plan
to mix up typical flavor combi-
nations and ingredients. I’ve
attempted this with the salmon
beurre rouge below.

It was inspired by a recipe
from a chef I met years ago,
who soaked and baked the
salmon in a cup of heavy
cream, and then made the
sauce with a pound of butter.

I felt like I would need an EKG
after eating that, so I knew
I had to make some adjust-
ments. His dish was far too
rich for my blood, but his tradi-
tion-breaking approach using
red wine with fish tempted me.

I changed his recipe, light-
ened it up, and it was delicious.

I hope to devise some other
examples of this approach
— maybe a hummus that
integrates Chinese or Indian
spices, a scalloped “potato”
dish that uses turnips or
butternut squash instead of
spuds, a slaw that uses kale
instead of cabbage ... you get
the picture.

We served this with brown
rice, which was lovely as a bed
for the delicious sauce, and put
a simple green salad on the
table. Bread, quinoa, white rice
or even mashed potatoes would
be a nice addition to sop up the
surplus sauce.

The sauce is pretty rich, so we
skipped dessert. But if you have
a sweet tooth, go for something
light and contrasting — lime
sorbet or lemon souffle, some
spiced cookies, a small nibble
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Salmon beurre rouge
Photos by Keri White
green strands over the fish, Turn off the heat.

When the fish is done,
covering it on the top and
remove it from the oven, and set
sides, then fold the parchment
it aside.

Heat the sauce again,
over the fish loosely, and crimp
and add
the butter, whisking
1 teaspoon canola or
it into a packet. Bake it in the
oven for
25 minutes
until done.

it to
form a silky sauce. Taste
vegetable oil
While the
fish cooks,
make for
seasoning, and add salt and
1 bunch scallions
the sauce.

Heat the
oil in
a pepper,
if needed.

1½ cups dry red wine
skillet, and sauté the white
Open the fish packets, and
½ stick butter
parts of
the scallions
until they
place the fillets in the sauce,
2 salmon fillets, about
are fragrant
and a
bit soft.

Add spooning
it over to coat
5 ounces each
the wine
and bring
it to
a boil.

the fish.

Juice of ½ lemon
Lower the heat, and simmer
Garnish the fish with fresh
Salt and pepper
the wine until it reduces to a parsley, chives or raw scallions,
Heat your oven to 300 thick syrup, about 20 minutes. if desired. Serve and enjoy. l
degrees F.

Line a small pan with a
piece of parchment that is large
enough to fold over the fish
into a lightly sealed packet.

Place the salmon fillets in the
pan, and sprinkle them with
What’s going on in Jewish Philadelphia?
salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Submit an event or browse our online calendar to find out what’s
Chop the white part of the
happening at local synagogues, community organizations and venues!
scallions, and leave the green
Submit: listings@jewishexponent.com
Online: jewishexponent.com/events/
part in long strands. Place the
of dark chocolate. I would steer Just avoid delicate types like
clear of creamy or dairy-laden flounder or sole, which can be
desserts to avoid conflicting overwhelmed by the sauce.

with the sauce.

SALMON BEURRE ROUGE
Serves 2
This recipe uses both the white
and green parts of the scallions.

The white forms the base and
aromatic for the sauce, while
the green serves as an insulator
and flavor infuser for the fish
as it cooks.

Because of the butter, kosher
and kosher-style diners would
only use this sauce with fish.

It is a fairly robust and hearty
sauce, so matches best with
a sturdy fish like the salmon
used here.

If salmon is not your jam,
you can use another meaty
fish like halibut, mackerel,
mahi mahi or arctic char.

JEWISH EXPONENT
JANUARY 6, 2022
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