Smoked Salmon Escabeche on Toast with Fava Bean Puree
Ingredients:
16oz Alaska Smokehouse Sockeye Salmon, drained and skin removed
1 baguette, cut into 16 diagonal slices 1/2" thick
1 clove garlic
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
2 medium carrots, sliced into 1/8" rounds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 lemon, seeded and sliced into 1/8" rounds
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dry sherry or white wine
8 capers
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fava Bean Puree:
3 pounds fresh fava beans, shucked
4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
5 large mint leaves
3 cloves garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions:
For the marinade and the salmon, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil to a large shallow sauté pan with straight sides while it warms up on medium heat.
Once hot, add in the onions and carrots, then cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
Add in the peppercorns, coriander, paprika, thyme, lemon slices, and bay leaves and stir.
Pour in the sherry or white wine and the cider vinegar and add in the capers.
Bring marinade to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cooking until the alcohol has burned off, about 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and cover again, keeping the marinade hot.
Get out a 9" rectangular baking dish and add a decent sized spoonful or two of marinade to the dish, just enough for it to cover the bottom of the dish.
Cut the salmon fillet into 8 equal portions, then in a 10" nonstick skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.
Quickly sear the salmon on top and bottom for 30 seconds per side, then transfer the cooked fish to the baking dish.
Top the salmon with more ladles of marinade, then let it cool completely before covering and refrigerating. The salmon can be made up to a day in advance.
For the fava bean puree, bring a medium sized pot of salted water to boil, then add in the shucked fava beans.
Cook for 2 minutes, then drain and place into an ice bath to stop cooking.
Using your fingers, snip the outer membrane of the beans, then squeeze them to pop the inner bean out of the membrane.
Put the cooked beans, parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, mint leaves, garlic, and salt and pepper into a food processor and blend until smooth. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula to make sure all ingredients are blended.
Taste the puree and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Spoon into a bowl and cover and refrigerate. The puree should be served within a couple hours of preparation.
When you're ready to serve, preheat the broiler in your oven and get out a large sheet pan.
Line the sheet pan with the slices of baguette, then drizzle both sides with a little bit of olive oil.
Broil until golden brown, about 15 to 30 seconds per side.
Rub the baguette slices with raw garlic cloves, then spread a generous amount of fava bean puree on each slice.
Transfer slice to a large patter, then top each slice with a half piece of marinated smoked salmon.
Spoon a little bit of marinade on top of each piece, then garnish with capers and thyme leaves.
Substitutions:
This recipe originally calls for caperberries, which are hard to find, so capers can be substituted.
Feel free to garnish with sliced onions and carrots as well.
