Compliments of David’s Restaurants

Salmon with Mussel Ragout

Ingredients:

2 6 oz. skin-on salmon fillets, scored, skin brushed with olive oil, and seasoned with salt & pepper on all sides
2 T olive oil
1 T butter
2 T garlic, chopped
2 T leek, sliced
2 T shallots, sliced
½ C chopped fresh tomato
1 C mixed exotic mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
16 mussels, cleaned
¼ C white wine + 2 T water
¼ C fennel, sliced
1 C. fingerling potato, thinly sliced
½ t kosher salt
½ t fresh cracked pepper
3 springs of fresh thyme
2 C baby spinach

To finish sauce:
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T butter

Method of Preparation:

1. Preheat 2 sauté pans – 1 large and oven proof (12” or 14” sized) and another large enough to hold the 2 salmon fillets.

2. Place butter and olive oil in the large pan and sauté leeks, shallots, chopped garlic, mushrooms, fennel, and potatoes with the fresh thyme until tender – then add chopped tomatoes, wine, and mussels.

3. Sear the salmon in the other sauté pan skin side down for about 1 minute on a very high heat – until the skin gets nicely browned.

4. Remove the salmon from the searing pan and flip over and place in the larger pan. Skin should now be up.

5. Place the pan in the oven at 450° for about six minutes—convection oven is preferable—until the mussels are all open and the salmon is cooked to the temperature that you prefer it.

6. Remove the salmon and place each piece in the center of broad shallow bowl skin side up. Add the spinach to the pan and toss until wilted. Add the finishing butter and the lemon juice and spoon the “ragout” around the salmon in each bowl. It’s better to leave the broth off of the fish skin so that it says crisp.