Pacific Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Beurre Pomme

If culinary geeks had their way, Christmas would come sometime in late may through mid June. That’s when pacific salmon is at its peak. It’s rich and colorful, and loaded with healthy oils, not to mention, one of the most delicious pieces of fish you’ll ever sink your teeth into. Today we’re cooking the prince of wild pacific salmon, copper river sockeye. This particular fish is the richest of all pacific salmon, as it travels the longest to make it to the spawning grounds, so the meat is incredibly rich, yet surprisingly delicate.

If you’ve never had pacific salmon throw everything you have ever tasted about salmon out the window.

Serves 4
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
4 pacific salmon fillets 4 to 8oz each (Get Copper River if you can find it)
1 finely minced shallot
1/2 cup roasted red pepper finely chopped
Juice from one lemon
2 cups apple juice (or 1/2 cup 100% apple juice concentrate)
2 Tbs butter cut into 8 pieces
Salt to Taste

Preheat frying pan over medium high heat and put 1 Tbs olive oil in bottom of pan. Spread oil around pan
Add salmon to pan, and put remaining 1 Tbs olive oil on top of fillets. Turn as it cooks halfway through, then cook through. You can determine if its cooked through by taking the tip of your knife and making sure the center is just starting to turn opaque. It will gently resist flaking, but will just start to show signs of being firm.
Remove salmon from pan and place in a warm place (I put mine in a turned off microwave), let rest for 10 minutes.
Increase heat to high in same pan that salmon was cooked, add shallot and red pepper, cook until shallot is translucent.
Add apple and lemon juice and cook over high heat until the liquid is almost completely gone.
Reduce heat to low and add pats of butter two at a time, whisking until completely melted and incorporated
Plate each salmon fillet individually and top with red pepper beurre pomme.