Orange Walnut Crusted Salmon With Orange Glaze

A go-to recipe if you’re a salmon lover.

INGREDIENTS:

1 – 1 ¼ lb Atlantic or Scottish salmon cut into 4 filets

4 T good olive oil

¾ C toasted walnuts

¼ C finely chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

Zest from one orange

1 T fresh squeezed orange juice

1 t kosher salt + ¼ t black pepper

To make glaze bring ½ C white wine like a Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc, along with ¼ C stock and 2 T fresh squeezed orange juice to a boil. Let reduce with a rolling boil (set the heat so it stays bubbling but doesn’t bubble over) until reduced by half. Remove from heat. Add a roux of 2 T water and 2 T corn starch. Drizzle into the sauce in a fine stream whisking the whole time. As you see it even start to thicken, stop pouring. Finish with some salt and pepper and about a T of butter.

METHOD:

• Make sure salmon is room temperature and patted dry of moisture. Leave the skin on as it will hold in moisture while cooking. Good salmon is bright and the fat in the sinews is visible. The outside is smooth and intensely colorful, and when you press on it the fish bounces back a bit.
• Heat a small saucepan to high and add the whole walnuts. Watch like a hawk the whole time, gently moving the walnuts around. You will begin to smell the toasting aroma, wait another 10-12 seconds and then remove. Let cool. When cool, chop them finely.
• Line a square glass baking dish with parchment paper using a dish big enough to hold all 4 filets with about an inch space between them.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a medium bowl combine the chopped walnuts, orange zest, orange juice, salt and pepper, and 2 T oil. Combine into a paste. If you need more oil to bind, do so. Now rub the remaining oil on the filets and place in the baking dish. Coat the top of each filet with the walnut orange paste, pushing down to cover the whole top. Don’t worry if a bit falls to the side.
• Bake in the oven for about 7-12 minutes depending upon the thickness of the salmon. You’re looking for the salmon to become opaque, but not for the white ooze of the fat to congeal. That means it is overdone. Check by pushing on salmon. If it feels like it is somewhat firm but definitely not hard, it’s done. Remove and cover with foil as you get ready to plate the meal. Fish continues to cook a bit after you remove from oven.
• Serve with yellow squash quickly fried in butter and salt and pepper and jasmine rice cooked in chicken stock.