Artichoke-crusted salmon with mint vinaigrette

I have a love-hate relationship with salmon. I have some friends who regularly go fishing for wild salmon in British Columbia. When they return, we marinate and grill it. Served with a Pouilly Fumé, it makes me swoon. On the other hand, I've gone to restaurants and eaten salmon so old and so overcooked I couldn't even think about eating the ecstatically good wild salmon for months.

At first glance, this combination of flavors might seem bizarre, but they create an elegant, delicious, and complex dish that is incredibly easy to make. In addition, it's very low in fat.

Once caught only seasonally, salmon is now farm-raised in the Pacific Northwest, Canada, Norway, and Chile and available all year round. It lacks the flavor of the wild salmon, but at Olives we use the flavorful, fat-marbled Atlantic Coast variety, which arrives within twenty-four hours of being harvested. Use it immediately, because it spoils very quickly.

Serves 4

Artichoke crust:
6 fresh, frozen, or canned artichoke bottoms
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk or yogurt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/3 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mint vinaigrette:
1 beefsteak tomato, minced
2 shallots, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 6-ounce salmon fillets
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 baby artichokes, cooked, thinly sliced through the heart (optional), or 2 additional tablespoons bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the artichoke crust, place the artichoke bottoms, garlic, buttermilk, mustard, bread crumbs, thyme, salt, and pepper in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth.

To make the mint vinaigrette: combine the tomato, shallots, mint, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Sprinkle the salmon with the salt and pepper. Divide the artichoke crust into 4 portions and place it on the top of the salmon fillets, patting it down to form a crust. Cover the artichoke crust with the artichoke slices or sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Place a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and when it is hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down. Cook until the skin is crispy, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the oven and bake until the salmon is just rare, about 10 minutes.

Drizzle with the mint vinaigrette and serve immediately.

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R E C I P E S :

Lobster cocktail with yellow tomato and horseradish vinaigrette
Garlic scampi and panfried cornmeal-crusted beefsteak tomatoes
Gorgonzola-stuffed figs with balsamic glaze
Roquefort Caesar Salad
Everyday Polenta
Lobster Bolognese
Roast Chicken with Herb and Lemon Paste
Pan-roasted rib eye with gorgonzola vidalia onions
Artichoke-crusted salmon with mint vinaigrette
Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

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