Salmon Au Vin with Toasted Quinoa
Serves 4-6
For the Red Wine Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
3 cups dry, light bodied red wine
DIRECTIONS
Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium and add onion. Season with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Continue to cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add garlic and tomato paste, and stir to distribute. Add bay leaf and red wine and turn heat to high. Let wine reduce rapidly by half, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat and season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed. Set aside.
For the Quinoa
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water, stock or broth
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil, approximately
Freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Place quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove its bitter natural coating. Shake to drain excess water. Combine rinsed quinoa and water, stock or broth in a saucepan with a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set saucepan aside, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. In a wide skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the cooked quinoa and season to taste with salt and pepper. With a spatula, turn the quinoa as each section crisps after 2-3 minutes, to continue crisping more bits of the quinoa, a total of about 6-7 minutes or when ½ to 2/3 of the quinoa is toasted. Remove from heat and spoon onto warmed plates.
For the Salmon Fillets
1 1/2 pound center-cut salmon fillet, 1-inch thick, skin removed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
DIRECTIONS
Cut the salmon fillet into 4-6 equal portions. Season with salt and pepper on all sides.
In a large skillet, heat 1 olive oil on medium-high. Add the butter to the hot oil and when it foams, carefully place the fillets flesh-side-down in the skillet. Cook the fish fillets without moving until the edges begin to crisp, about 2 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium and cook until the first side is golden brown, about 1 minute more. Turn the fillets and continue cooking until medium rare and the other side is crisped, 5 to 7 minutes depending on their thickness. Carefully remove the fillets with a spatula and place on serving plates with the bed of quinoa, and drizzle generously with the red wine sauce. Serve immediately.
