Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Tarragon Salmon on Caesar Salad


My husband and I love to go to Fall City Roadhouse and Inn for dinner.  Perhaps a lot of you may know this restaurant, as it was once used as the set of an 90s American hit TV drama - Twin Peaks.

The food is generally very good - but among the many excellent dishes, our favourite dish is Blackened Salmon on Caesar Salad.  This dish is amazing!  Good quality salmon just perfectly cooked!  It is one of the best dishes that I have had since I moved to America in 2010.  I really mean it!!!

Whenever I prepared a Caesar salad, I used to top it with grilled chicken, but after we tasted the beautiful salmon Caesar salad at Roadhouse, I always top it with a cooked salmon fillet trying to mimic their No1 delicious dish!

This time, the way I cooked is differently from Roadhouse, but it was as delicious as the Roadhouse one.  I marinated salmon fillets in some lemon juice with salt and plenty of black pepper for 30 minutes or so, then blackened them.  At the end of the cooking,  I added the marinated lemon juice to the pan and added some chopped tarragon.

I promise that my recipe of salmon salad will  refresh you at dinner after a long hot summer day!

 
Ingredients for 2 people
(Salmon)
2 pieces salmon - each about half pound
salt and black pepper
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-1.5 tablespoons chopped tarragon leaves

(Dressing)
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 anchovy fillets, patted dry with paper and chopped finely
2 garlic clove, chopped finely
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste

(Salad)
Romain lettuce, croutons, shredded Parmesan cheese, and your choices of vegetables... tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers (paprika) etc., etc.

Instructions
Starting from the thick side of the salmon fillet, remove the skin with you hand using the back of chopping knife to press down the fillets.

Season the both sides of the salmon fillets with some salt and vigorously with black pepper.  Add the lemon juice and marinate it for 30 minutes or so.

To make the dressing, whisk the egg with the chopped anchovy fillets, garlic and lemon juice until it combines and becomes smooth.

Combine the 2 oils and then start whisking the egg mixture, adding the oil in a thin stream until the dressing becomes thicker and creamy.

Dish up the lettuce, croutons, shredded Parmesan cheese and your choices of vegetables on a serving plate and drizzle over some of the dressing.

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and fry the skinned side of the fillet until it is blackened. 
Flip over the salmon and fry the other side.

When the salmon is cooked, add the seasoned lemon juice that you marinated the salmon in and sprinkle the chopped tarragon to the salmon.  Cook until the liquid has almost entirely evaporated.

Place the cooked salmon on top of the salad.  Serve with the rest of the dressing.


If you would like to read this recipe in Japanese, please click HERE.

Bon appetit!