Salmon with Wilted Greens, New Potatoes, Olives & Lemon

        From the blog For Love of the Table

To make the greens:  Wash the greens well and strip away the stems.  Blanch the greens in boiling salted water.  When the leaves are tender, transfer them to a colander to drain before spreading them on a baking sheet to cool.  A handful at a time, squeeze out the extra moisture.  Coarsely chop the greens if the leaves were very large.  Set aside. 

Warm some olive oil (about 1 1/2 to 2 T.) in a wide sauté pan. Trim a couple of spring onions so that the length of the green portion is about equal to the length of the white and pale green portion. Trim away the root and any wilted bits of green. Halve the onions lengthwise and slice thinly cross-wise (you should have about 1/2 cup of sliced onion). Add the onion to the oil along with a pinch of salt and a few hot pepper flakes. Gently stew until the onions are soft and tender—about 10 minutes. Set aside until you are ready to heat the blanched greens.

To serve, add the cooled, blanched greens to the pan and cook over moderate heat until hot through. If the greens seem dry, add a bit more olive oil. Taste and correct the seasoning with salt & pepper.

If you like, you can finish the greens with a squeeze of lemon. But since I was serving the greens with salmon—which is also nice with lemon—I chose instead to serve each plate with a wedge of lemon so we could each dress our greens and fish to our liking at the table.

To cook the salmon:  Heat a heavy sauté pan (I prefer carbon steel or cast-iron) over medium high heat—the pan should be just large enough to hold the fish. Dry the filets (I used skinless filets) with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper. Add enough olive or canola oil to the pan to barely coat the bottom. When the pan is hot enough, the oil will slide easily across the pan. One or two wisps of smoke curling off of the pan is just about right—if the oil smokes profusely, the pan is too hot. Add the fillets to the pan (skinned side up) and cook without disturbing until golden brown—about 3 minutes. Carefully slide a slotted spatula under each filet, gently flip them over (tilting the pan helps to prevent a big splash of hot oil) and continue to cook until the fish is cooked to your liking. The "fisherman's rule of thumb is to cook the fish for 10 minutes per inch of thickness...I like mine a little less done than that. However you like your fish done, remember that it will continue to cook after it has been removed from the pan, so cook it so it is just a bit under done. If you have very thick fillets, You may need to lower the heat a bit while it finishes. Or, you may transfer the pan to a 375° to 400º oven to finish the cooking. Remove the fish from the pan and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

To prepare the potatoes, preheat the oven to 375°. For each person, you will need 4 to 6 oz. of potatoes. Scrub the potatoes well. If you have true new potatoes, most—if not all—of the skin will simply rub off as you scrub them. Halve the potatoes if they are large. Place the potatoes with some whole (unpeeled) cloves of garlic (1 or 2 per person) and some sprigs of fresh thyme (or rosemary). Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat generously and season with salt and pepper. Spread the potatoes in a baking dish (stoneware, ceramic or enameled cast iron are all good choices) that is just large enough to hold the potatoes in a snug single layer. Add a splash of water (just a tablespoon or so) and cover tightly with foil. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, add some Kalamata olives (pitted or not...about 5 or 6 per person) and give the pan a gentle shake to coat the olives in the oil and redistribute the potatoes. Continue to roast until the potatoes are tender to the tip of a knife—another 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs. The garlic may be removed and reserved for another use or served with the potatoes.

To bring it all together, blanch the greens.  Roast the potatoes and cook the onions.  When the potatoes have another 10 to 15 minutes to roast, cook the salmon and finish the greens in the cooked onions.

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