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Salmon with Morel Mushrooms and Fiddlehead Ferns

June 1st, 2011

Salmon with Morel Mushrooms and Fiddlehead Ferns

We had the most wonderful day at the neighborhood farmers market a few weeks ago. The weather was mild and dry (a miracle in Seattle lately) and I had been out of town for a few days so it was doubly wonderful to spend time with my family.

The girls ran through the streets, stopping to examine all of the farm stands and sample cheeses. They ate cupcakes and Pia even asked her Yia Yia for a baguette:

They sang and danced with the street performers. (that is my niece Sophia with Pia)

It was a lovely day ☺

The weather has been so sad and grey and rainy for the last nine months, it was truly a gift to have the nice weather and to see some of the produce finally peeking its heads up. In fact I was kind of mesmerized by some of the beautiful produce that we are blessed with in the Pacific Northwest. I went stand to stand freaking out over the colors and flavors. It was like saying hi to an old friend that I hadn’t seen since last year!

Two of the gems of the Spring stood out to me: the morel mushrooms and the fiddlehead ferns. (For those of you who do not have access to fiddlehead ferns in your part of the world, asparagus is similar and is a good substitute.)

I decided to a simple and clean preperation of the vegetables and serve them over a gorgeous piece of wild King Salmon. I know. These are the times the perks of living in this climate outweigh the rain.

This is a beautiful way to eat on a weeknight, but elegant enough for a dinner party. Oh, and it is delicious!! Spring (oh wait! Summer?!) on a plate!

Salmon with Morel Mushrooms and Fiddlehead Ferns, serves 2 generously

1lb Salmon

2 Tbs butter
1 large shallot, minced
1 cup morel mushrooms, sliced in half lengthwise
1 cup fiddle head ferns (or trimmed asparagus), blanched (boiled for 1 minute and then plunged into ice water)
1 cup dry white wine
Kosher salt to taste

Preheat a sheet pan to 350 degrees.

Prepare a sheet pan with a sheet of foil. Place the salmon on the sheet pan and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the salmon is barely cooked through and a bit of fat (white goop!) is seeping from the fish.

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the shallots and sauté until soft, about 8 minutes.

Add the morel mushrooms and stir them with the shallots and butter.

Add the white wine and stir to scrape up any brown bits in the pan.

Let the shallots and mushrooms simmer on low.

When the salmon is finished, remove it from the oven and transfer to a platter.

Add the blanched fiddle head ferns to the mushrooms and shallots and stir to combine. Season to taste with kosher salt.

Pour the sauce over the salmon on the platter and serve hot.

Enjoy!