Shitake Dusted Salmon

Yum! This is my seafood special at the restaurant right now. I have to say it's one of my favorite creations. So many flavor layers and textures going on.

It was kind of a crazy night last night which is great. Things are picking up a little bit and there's been some really great responses to my food. I created this over this last weekend and would usually have changed it by now but it seems to be so popular that i'm letting it stick around for the rest of the week. It's super easy and quick to cook.

I took some dried shitakes and ground them into a powder for the "dust." I'm using Wild Coho Salmon because it's a great deal right now but i'm sure any non-farm-raised salmon would be great. I avoid the farm raised stuff just because it doesn't have much flavor and i just think it's unnatural. I lay the salmon, presentation side down, in the dust with a little salt and pepper. Then for the veggies, i used two kinds of squash which i julienned for a little play on pasta. I thickly sliced some shitakes for garnish. The "sauce" is green chile creme fraiche. Basically green chile paste mixed with creme fraiche. I do it all in one pan so no mess. I sear the salmon till it's nice and golden while dousing it in fresh lemon juice and then set it aside to rest while i saute the mushrooms in a little garlic butter. Then set the mushrooms aside and toss in a hand full of the squash. I like to season mine with a little S&P and a healthy splash of fresh lemon juice. Really simple seasoning, as the flavors speak for themselves. The green chile creme fraiche really brings it all together with it's cool refreshing and yet spicy personality. One of the owners of POCO always describes food as people or experiences. It's definitely giving me a new view on food analogies. He said this dish was like "oh i've never been kissed like that before but it's really nice!" I'm going to take that as a good thing...Ok off to the market and then the restaurant. I think i'll take a pic of my kitchen so you can see how cute and tiny it is. Much smaller than the average home kitchen. It's a project but one that i am completely loving!

I forgot to mention the garnish which is finely sliced scallions that i put in ice water till they're all curled up. It adds a pretty flair and some needed height to almost any dish!