Côtelettes Froides de Saumon

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Eight 3-ounce (90 ml) oval cutlet molds or handmade heavy-foil equivalents
• •Long flexible slicing knife
• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Wire rack and tray for glazing
• •Pastry brush or small spoon
• •Mixing bowl and whisk
• •Shallow serving dish and sauceboat

Instructions

1. 1

   Chill the work

   Butter eight 3-ounce (90 ml) oval cutlet molds liberally, reaching into every edge, then refrigerate them for 10 minutes so the butter firms. Place the sockeye in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes, just until firm enough to slice without bending; it must not freeze solid. Keep the diced filling salmon in the cold while you work. Cold fish cuts cleanly, packs neatly, and stays out of danger.

   If the molds are silicone, set them on the baking sheet before filling. Once full, they are difficult to move without disturbing the salmon lining.
2. 2

   Slice and line

   Using a long, very sharp knife held nearly parallel to the board, cut the sockeye into eight broad slices about 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick. Each must cover the base and sides of a mold with about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) projecting beyond the rim. Press a slice gently into each buttered mold without stretching it. If a slice tears, overlap a thin scrap of sockeye over the gap from the inside; once poached and glazed, the seam disappears.

3. 3

   Season the centers

   Chop the filling salmon very finely by hand, or pulse it briefly in a food processor until minced but not puréed. Mix in 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the white pepper, stirring firmly for about 30 seconds until the salmon feels slightly tacky. Cook a teaspoonful in barely simmering water and taste it cold enough not to burn you; adjust with a little of the remaining salt if necessary. Divide the mixture among the molds, pressing it into the edges without leaving air pockets, then draw the projecting salmon across the top to enclose each cutlet completely.

4. 4

   Poach them dry

   Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Arrange the filled molds on a baking sheet and pocher à sec, meaning poach them in the moderate oven without a water bath, for 12 to 18 minutes. They are ready when the salmon is just opaque and the center reaches 140°F (60°C); let the molds stand for 3 minutes and confirm that carryover heat brings the centers to 145°F (63°C). If it does not, return them to the oven briefly. The surfaces should remain pale and moist, without browning.

5. 5

   Unmold and chill

   Turn the cutlets out immediately onto a clean chilled tray, as the original method requires. If one clings, hold a hot damp towel against the outside of its mold for 5 seconds and invert again; do not pry at the delicate lining. Blot away any white albumin with the corner of a damp cloth. Let the cutlets stop giving off heat for no more than 20 minutes, cover without touching their surfaces, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until thoroughly cold at 40°F (4°C) or below.

6. 6

   Prepare the aspic

   Pour 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the cold fish stock into a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin evenly over it. Leave it for 5 minutes to bloom. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) of stock until just below a simmer, then remove it from the heat and whisk in the bloomed gelatin until perfectly clear. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon white pepper, then strain through a fine sieve. Set the bowl over ice and stir until the aspic is cold and half-set, with the consistency of light cream. If it becomes lumpy or sets solid, warm it gently over hot water until clear and begin cooling it again. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Whisk the cold sauce

   Whisk the egg yolk with the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon white pepper. Add the oil drop by drop at first, whisking constantly; once the emulsion has taken and looks glossy, pour the rest in a thin, steady thread. Thin the mayonnaise with 1 to 2 tablespoons of cold water until it falls softly from a spoon, then fold in the chervil. If the mayonnaise splits, put 1 teaspoon of cold water in a clean bowl and whisk the broken sauce into it one spoonful at a time. Cover and refrigerate.

8. 8

   Glaze and decorate

   Blanch the peas in boiling water for 30 seconds, cool them immediately in ice water, and dry them thoroughly. Set the cold cutlets on a rack over a tray and spoon or brush each with a thin coat of half-set aspic. Wait about 5 minutes, until the coating feels tacky, then arrange three very green peas neatly on each cutlet and cover them with a second thin coat. If the glaze slides off, the cutlets or aspic are too warm; chill the fish again, thicken the aspic over ice, and try once more. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.

9. 9

   Arrange the supper dish

   Arrange the cutlets in a circle on a flat, shallow serving dish. Spoon enough remaining half-set aspic around them to make a delicate clear layer without burying their shape, then chill for another 15 minutes. Keep the dish cold until serving and offer two cutlets per person with the chervil mayonnaise in a sauceboat. The cutlets should reach the table polished, cool, and unmistakably generous. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Sockeye earns its place in the outer lining because its deep coral color survives poaching and shows clearly beneath the aspic. If it is unavailable, choose the darkest fresh salmon your fishmonger has; careful slicing matters more than pedigree.
• •Ask the fishmonger for eight broad slices about 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick if slicing worries you. Otherwise, partial chilling is your best knife: fully soft salmon buckles, while frozen salmon cracks.
• •No cutlet molds? Shape eight double layers of heavy foil around the outside of a small 3-ounce (90 ml) oval ramekin, slide them off, pinch one end into the cutlet point, and butter the interiors. The form is necessary; antique tinware is not.
• •The source allows either very green peas or a chervil leaf centered with lobster coral. Frozen petite peas are the honest year-round choice here, picked sweet and kept bright by a brief blanch.
• •Choose the clearest, mildest fish stock you can find. Cloudy stock still sets, but it hides the red salmon, and this is one occasion when appearance is part of the technique.
• •Serve with brut Champagne or a mineral Chablis. Both have enough freshness for the salmon, aspic, and mayonnaise without turning the sauce metallic or heavy.

Advance Preparation

• •The salmon cutlets can be poached, unmolded, covered, and refrigerated up to 24 hours before glazing.
• •The aspic can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Warm it gently over hot water until fluid, then cool it to the half-set stage before glazing.
• •Glaze and decorate the cutlets up to 8 hours before serving. Keep them covered without letting the wrapping touch the aspic.
• •The chervil mayonnaise can be made 1 day ahead with a pasteurized yolk and held covered in the cold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 345g)