Food for Thought Vol. 1

Feeling inspired to make dinner is not always a reality but not to worry, Gary Faessler, the newest member of the Niche Wine Co. team, has got just what we need to get the flavour party started. This salmon dish and a little Pinot noir blanc is nothing short of a little summertime magic. Bon appetite! 

Poached Sockeye Salmon with Mixed Summer Greens and New Potatoes

What you'll need:

• Fish (3 lb fresh sockeye salmon steaks)
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 1 lemon sliced
• 1 bunch of fresh herbs dill, thyme and oregano
• 2 Tbs. Olive oil
• Sea salt and ground pepper
• Salad — Mix of spring greens (arugula, watercress, butter lettuce, red lettuce)
• 14 oz. small potatoes
• ½ seedless cucumber cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler       
• Fresh dill chopped
• 4 lemon wedges 

Dressing

• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of a lemon
• 1/2 tsp. finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. sugar

What to do: 

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, and allspice to a boil, then stir in salt. Turn off heat, add the salmon and cover pot with lid and let stand undisturbed until fish just separates from bones, about 10 minutes. Transfer salmon to a shallow dish with a slotted spoon and let stand until cool enough to handle. In the meantime, boil the potatoes in a pot of water for about 10 minutes, drain then plunge into cold water, strain and set aside. In a large salad bowl add the summer greens, new potatoes, and cucumber. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and set aside. Carefully remove flesh from each salmon steak in pieces as large as possible, discarding skin and bones. Gently toss the salad with the dressing, divide between four plates and serve with the salmon on top. Garnish with fresh dill and lemon wedge.

Serve with a glass of chilled Niche Pinot Noir Blanc and enjoy!