Crisp-Skinned Salmon with Lemon-Dill Cream, Roasted Cauliflower, Capers and Radicchio
(Wine pairing tip: serve with a Pinot Noir from Sonoma)

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the lemon-dill cream:
1 c           crème fraîche
1 T          chopped fresh dill
1 T          snipped chives
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

For the salmon:
Vegetable oil
2              (6-oz) salmon fillets, about 1 1/2 inches thick, with skin on

Lemon-dill cream
Using a whisk, whip the crème fraîche to medium-stiff peaks, then fold in the dill, chives, and lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and white pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Salmon
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a plate with paper towels.

Film the bottom of a nonstick sauté pan with oil and heat over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and place them skin-side down in the pan. Shake the pan to let oil flow under the skin. Cook over high heat until the edges of the skin begin to brown, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 3 minutes longer, giving the pan a gentle shake now and then.

Transfer the pan to the oven and cook the fillets for another 5 minutes (don’t turn them).

Take the fillets out of the oven, turn them with a fish spatula, and transfer them to the prepared plate to drain.

Roasted Cauliflower, Capers, and Radicchio
1 ½  T     unsalted butter
3 c           cauliflower florets
1 T          capers, drained
½             head radicchio, cut crosswise into thick strips

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and sauté lightly, coating the florets in the but­ter. Continue to cook, tossing frequently, until the cauliflower is lightly browned and tender, about 7 minutes. Add the capers, then season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Toss in the radicchio and sauté, shaking the pan, just until the radicchio wilts.