Jun 29 2006
Maple-ancho salmon on the BBQ
OK, technically it’s on the grill, not on the BBQ, but up here in Canada we don’t get "real BBQ," so we say "BBQ" when we mean "grill."
Enough with the cultural semantics. Last Sunday, after mowing the lawn, I found myself with an appetite and two chunks of salmon in the fridge. But what to do with them?
Here’s what:
Soak a big ancho pepper in 1/2 cup of very hot water for an hour. When it has softened, remove the stems and seeds (and if possible, the skin), chop up the flesh, and drop it into a small sauce pan with a bit of the soaking water (maybe 1/4 cup).
Mince a clove of garlic and drop it in the pan, along with a pinch or two of salt.
Glug about 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup into the pan, and turn the heat on medium.
When it starts to simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about ten minutes.
Transfer the maple/ancho mix to a stainless steel bowl and cool it down by setting it into a slightly larger bowl filled with ice water (be careful not to tip it).
When it has chilled, put it into a small food processor and process it until the ancho and garlic are as fine as you can get them (you can also use an immersion blender).
Smear it over some thick chunks of salmon and let it marinate in a glass dish in the fridge for about an hour.
Now for the magic:
Cook on the BBQ, with the lid closed, over high but indirect heat for about ten minutes (or use a plank, if you’re into that sort of thing). Ideally, you should smoke some wood chips while doing so.
In my case, I served it with a BBQ "stir fry" of green peppers and red onions, and a big salad. Also, we had a nice but inexpensive Sicilian rosé (Lamura Casa Girelli), one of the uppity screw-cap wines that the SAQ has been stocking lately.
Sunday, lovely Sunday.
12 Comments on “Maple-ancho salmon on the BBQ”
Ya know, I’ve been priding myself on the fact that I’m g-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y developing a finer palate. Like as of only this year, I actually care about freshly ground versus ordinary pepper, and taste test olive oil before I buy it.
Then I read a Blork post and I think, “Ok, but wtf is an ancho pepper?”.
I’ll be calling you for tips on cooking meat and cutting basil for a few years yet. :)
An ancho pepper is a dried poblano pepper. It’s a bit like a chipotle pepper (which is a dried and smoked jalapeno pepper) except that it’s a bit less piquante and somewhat meatier.
I would have used a chipotle pepper, but it seems like everything is chipotle-this and chipotle-that these days, so I didn’t want to be such a trend follower.
Not that that will stop me from using chipotle peppers. But the anchos were sitting there pouting “why do you always pick him?” (pointing at the chipotles). Sometimes I use both!
mmmmm… looks yummy. I love savory dishes made with maple syrup.
if only we had a BBQ! oh well, I think I’ll try to do a stovetop version.
Millier; I’d suggest using the oven, and set the heat pretty high (like 450). That way it will cook pretty fast, carmelizing the outside while keeping the inside very moist.
You’ll have to do a rant about Tetra-pac wine some day. I was unhappy about the foam plastic cork in my plonk (Vin de la Maison - I’m one of those with the less-refined palates).
Actually, vintners these days have two choices: either the plastic/foam corks or screwtops. Wine “experts” and winemakers worldwide are unanimous about one thing: bad corks spoil a huge percent of wines and frankly, a cork adds nothing to the taste and is an anachronism. Try selling that to the customer, however, is the big problem . . . I myself instinctively dislike screw tops on wine (although multintudinous studies have proved that screwtopped wine is indistinguishable from corked wine) but I think the fake corks are a good compromise.
It gives all those snooty wine aficionados an excuse to whip out their $75 rabbit-ear cork-pullers, for one thing.
Poblanos get all the glory
While anchos do all the work
Serranos are lonely
And piquins are homely
But guajillos will drive you berserk.
If they can invent a plastic cork that fits well back in the bottle, then I’ll be happy.
Ed–
that is one seriously gorgeous-looking salmon dish–and how Canada Day patriot-ish with the maple syrup~!
:-)
i have a miso-maple marinade/glaze recipe here that you might like to try at:
http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1132.html?PHPSESSID=5333da448d209a2849892d2405e74489
The tetra-pak wines aren’t bad, except the Spanish one I tried was just sort of flat and dull tasting.
I’m also happy to notice someone else using “glug” as a recipe unit.
While Laurie is a big fan of wine, I am not. I can’t help it, I’m from Cape Breton. (If it ain’t cider, I don’t ride’er…) However I do like using wine in recipes. I have found that the red topped corks that arrive free of charge atop a bottle of Grand Marnier serves as an excellent replacement cork till that special meal comes along… I make a point of buying a bottle of the crap ( again, I repeat, I’m a Caper…) at every other spcial event; for the corks alone. Nice enough that the little lady loves the stuff. Better yet, I remember when it means somethingv special!
Thanks for the tip about cooking the salmon in a very hot oven as an alternative! I made it last night and it turned out great - cooked to perfection. and very tasty.