If your household is ambivalent about Thanksgiving, you might try out this menu with a main-course twist. It features salmon instead of turkey, but has lots of side dishes that work well with both. My mother would be ecstatic.
In this recipe, I treat the salmon as though it were a cut of meat. Buy salmon on the skin as it roasts better. You can also serve this cold.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
1 3-to-4-pound (1.5- to 2-kilogram) salmon fillet
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons cracked fennel seed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup red wine
2 teaspoons sugar
½ cup whipping cream
¼ cup butter
Method
Preheat oven to 450 F. Place salmon on foil-lined baking sheet. Combine olive oil, mustard, fennel seed, tarragon, soy sauce, garlic and orange rind. Brush marinade on to salmon and season with salt and pepper.
Place salmon in oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until fish is just pink in the middle, then place under the broiler to give the salmon a glazed look. The thinner tail end will be more cooked for those who like it that way.
Combine orange juice, red wine and sugar in a pot over high heat. Bring to boil and boil for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add cream and boil 2 minutes longer. Reduce heat to low and beat in butter. Season with salt and pepper.
Place salmon on a platter and drizzle sauce on each portion.
Lucy Waverman