Grilled salmon with lavender butter sauce

4 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
4 Salmon fillets about 6 oz. each
1 cup Unsalted butter (2 sticks) cut into small pieces
⅓ cup Minced shallots
¼ cup Dry white wine
¼ cup Champagne vinegar
¼ cup Fish stock or
2 pounds Bones and heads from non-oily fish gills removed
6 cups ;Water
½ cup Chopped leeks
½ cup Chopped onion
Olive oil
2 tablespoons Each clam juice and water
2 To 4 lavender flower heads chopped
Salt and white pepper to taste
½ cup Chopped celery
3 Or 4 sprigs fresh parsley
3 Or 4 sprigs fresh chervil
3 Or 4 sprigs fennel leaves
1 cup Dry white wine

Directions

SAUCE

FISH STOCK

To make the sauce, melt 1 tb. of the butter over low heat in a saucepan. Add the shallots and sweat until soft. Add the wine, vinegar, stock and half the lavender. Raise heat to high; cook until liquid is reduced to 2 or 3 tb. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining butter bit by bit. (Depending on your taste, you may not want to add all the butter.) Strain the sauce through a fine sieve; add remaining lavender. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

To make the fish stock, place fish bones and water in a stock pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer, skimming off any foam. Add remaining stock ingredients and simmer gently, covered, for 20 minutes. Strain through dampened cheesecloth; discard solids. This will yield about 6 cups.

Prepare a fire in the grill. When the coals are covered with a fine white ash, the fire is ready. Rub salmon fillets with a little olive oil and place on the grill. Cook, basting occasionally with olive oil, approximately 3 to 5 minutes per side. The fish should be firm but not dry. Serve with the sauce on the side.

The authors write: "This sauce is equally good with broiled or poached salmon. It can be prepared slightly ahead and kept warm in a bain-marie. Don't add the lavender until just before serving or the flavor will be too strong, although the fresher the lavender, the milder its flavor and the more you can use. If you prefer a lighter sauce, use less butter, as indicated." From "Cooking with Herbs" by Emelie Tolley and Chris Mead. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, Inc., 1989. Pg. 23. Posted by Cathy Harned.

Submitted By CATHY HARNED On 10-04-94

Related recipes