February is the official heart month for many reasons and our favorites involve feeding your ticker some heart healthy cuisine like Chef Max Hansen’s Smoked Salmon. Did you know Smoked Salmon is a low-fat, high quality protein packed with vitamins and nutrients? Well it is and Chef Hansen is the king of preparing this fish dish. His expertise stems from his childhood when he fly-fished with his Uncle in Montana and New England while happily eating lobsters, clams, mussels, fish or whatever he could catch. It’s no wonder Chef Hansen has been getting it right all these years. He can still remember the taste of his Aunt Tia’s pan-fried trout!
How can you get your own memorable recipes at home? Follow Chef Max Hansen’s instructions below!
RECIPES
Traditional Smoked Salmon
The curing mixture for smoked salmon is 4 parts kosher salt to 1 part granulated sugar, mixed well. Adjust the quantity according to the amount of salmon to be smoked. This quantity is enough for 10 to 14 pounds of salmon.
- 4 whole salmon fillets (whole sides), each 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds, scaled with skin intact
- 4 pounds kosher salt
- 1 pound granulated sugar
Run your fingers along the edge of each salmon fillet and, using needle-nose pliers, remove any pin bones you find. Place the fillets skin-side up on a cutting board. Using a very sharp knife and working from head to tail, make very shallow, 2-inch-long incisions every 3 inches, just barely cutting through the skin.
In a large bowl, thoroughly mix together the salt and sugar.
To cure the salmon, moisten the skin side of each fillet using a spray bottle of cold water. Sprinkle a light coating of the salt-sugar mixture on the skin. Spray again with water. This helps the cure mixture adhere to the skin. Very carefully, slide your hands underneath the fillet and flip it over, being careful not to loosen the salt.
Repeat the process on the flesh side of the salmon: first spray with water and then sprinkle with the salt-sugar mixture, but leave a 1-inch border uncovered around the edges of the fillet. The salt-sugar mixture on the flesh side should also be a little thicker—about 1/8 inch thick—than on the skin side. Make sure to use less of the mixture as you approach the tail, which is much thinner.
Very carefully place the fillets on a stainless-steel rack over a drip pan (to catch the moisture that is drawn off from fish by the salt). Place in the refrigerator to cure, anywhere from 18 hours for a 1 1/2 to 2-pound fillet and up to 30 hours for a 3 1/2 to 4-pound side. It is ready when the flesh feels firm but not solid when pressed with your finger (like medium to well-done meat). The salmon should have absorbed most of the salt. Keeping records will let you cure salmon to your taste: time the fillet cure each time and adjust. The longer the cure, the dryer the fish and the higher its salt content.
Once the fillets are cured, rinse them thoroughly with cold water. Clean the rack(s) and replace the fish, skin-side down. Do not pat the fish dry! Using a fan, air-dry the fish for 2 to 3 hours, depending on the humidity. This will produce what is known as the pellicle (skin), the result of blending the salt-sugar mixture with the moisture from rinsing the salmon. The fish must be very dry to the touch before going into your smoker.
To smoke the salmon, follow the directions for your smoker for smoking salmon fillets. Chef Max prefers a mixture of fruitwoods and hardwoods to produce a nice, smooth smoke. All hickory or all oak will overpower the subtle flavor of the salmon. It will take 2 to 6 hours to smoke the fillets, depending on the size of your smoker.
Once the salmon has developed a nice flavor, remove it from the smoker and let cool under refrigeration for at least 10 hours before eating. This allows the salmon and smoke flavors to meld.
Vichyssoise with Smoked Salmon, Salmon Caviar, and Chervil
Serves 6
The quality of vichyssoise rests on the quality of its simple ingredients: the best potatoes, the freshest leeks, and, in this case, the subtlety of chervil. Yukon Gold potatoes have a medium starch content, which gives the soup plenty of body, and a rich flavor, which is why I prefer them in this recipe. In their absence, white boiling potatoes are a good substitute.
1 large or 2 small bunches leeks- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 cups homemade chicken stock or canned light, low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 bunch fresh chervil
- 1/4 pound sliced smoked salmon, julienned
- 2 ounces salmon caviar
To clean the leeks: Cut off and discard the green tops of the leeks (or save for stock). Cut the white sections in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Immerse the slices in a large bowl of warm water to soak for 10 minutes. Gently lift the leeks out of the bowl with a slotted spoon, so as not to disturb the dirt and sand that will have settled in the bottom, and immerse the leeks in a second bowl of warm water, soak for 10 minutes more. Repeat until the soaking water is clear, then lift the leeks out of the water and drain in a colander.
To make the soup: In a soup pot, melt the butter over low heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Raise the heat to medium, add the sliced potatoes, and continue to cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are completely soft, about 20 minutes longer.
In a blender, purée three-fourths of the soup. Add the cream and blend until smooth. Pour the puréed soup into a large bowl to cool. Add the reserved chunky soup. Mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Take into consideration that the soup is served cold, so season well.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (If you’re in a hurry, chilling the soup in a wider vessel exposes more surface and will hasten the process.)
To serve: Reserve 6 nice sprigs of chervil for garnish. Step and chop the remainder, and add to the soup, stirring to incorporate. Spoon the soup into wide, shallow bowls. Arrange an equal amount of the julienned salmon in the middle of each bowl.Garnish each serving with a dollop of salmon caviar and a chervil sprig.
More more information on Max Hansen’s Smoked Salmon and Catering, visit maxhansencaterer.com. Photographs courtesy of Max Hansen Catering.
