Recipes Gingered Salmon with Grilled Corn and Watercress Salad 4.0 (2,737) 5 Reviews Quinn Hatfield stuffs pickled ginger into slits in the salmon to infuse it with flavor. To keep the sliced fish intact and the ginger in place, he cleverly skewers the fillets before cooking. By Quinn Hatfield Quinn Hatfield F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Restaurants: Hatfield’s, The Sycamore Kitchen Experience: Splendido’s (San Francisco, CA), Postrio (San Francisco, CA), Spago (Los Angeles, CA), Union Pacific (New York, NY), Jean-Georges (New York, NY), Bouley (New York, NY), Cortez (Los Angeles, CA) Chef Quinn Hatfield is the co-owner of Hatfield’s and The Sycamore Kitchen in Los Angeles, along with his wife, pastry chef Karen Hatfield (read Karen’s tips here). What is the recipe you are most famous for? My croque-madame with yellowtail sashimi, prosciutto and a sunny side-up quail egg on top of grilled brioche. If you focus on the sashimi, the saltiness of the ham plays the role of the soy sauce. If you think of it as a traditional croque-madame, the fish has the creaminess of the cheese. As long as you have access to great hamachi and make sure to toast the brioche, it’s not a hard dish to make at home. What is one technique that everyone should know? Everyone should know how to make an emulsified butter sauce. I have two major variations. One is a classic French beurre blanc. Reduce wine and shallots, and when the pan starts to get very dry, start whisking in room-temperature butter. Maintain the temperature to about 120 degrees, keep it creamy and thick, but not oily, and once you’ve worked in a quarter of the butter, you can go a little faster. If you dip your finger in, it will feel hot, but not so hot that it will burn you. If it feels like bath water, you’re too cool. The other is an emulsified pan sauce. Start with butter, brown it in a pan and then add lemon juice or a shot of vinegar. Add a ladle of chicken stock or water, and boil it quickly. It comes together as a sauce that’s almost as creamy as a beurre blanc. It’s great for home cooks because it’s a simple little sauce that’s really satisfying, and you can pull it together really quick. What separates restaurants and home cooks a lot of times is the saucing. What is your secret-weapon ingredient? What’s great about celery root is its versatility: It goes really great with butter in a puree, but it’s also great cubed and roasted. What food will everyone be talking about in five years? In five years, everyone will be talking about Middle Eastern cuisine. It truly has not had its deserved time in the culinary spotlight, and I believe that it finally will in the next five years. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 8, 2019 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © David Malosh Total Time: 40 mins Yield: 4 Ingredients 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola oil 5 small ears of corn, shucked Four 6-ounce skin-on salmon fillets 20 small slices of pickled ginger (about 1 ounce) Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon honey 1 bunch of watercress, thick stems discarded (about 8 ounces) Directions Preheat the oven to 375°. In a small saucepan, boil 1/2 cup of the balsamic vinegar until reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Let the reduction cool, then stir in 1 tablespoon of the canola oil. Heat a grill pan. Grill the corn over high heat, turning, until nicely charred all over, about 5 minutes. Let cool. Using a serrated knife, cut the kernels from the cobs. Arrange the salmon fillets skin side down on a work surface. Using the tip of a sharp knife, make five 1/2-inch-deep slits crosswise in the flesh of each fillet. Stuff 1 slice of ginger into each slit, then thread each fillet lengthwise with a short skewer. In a large, ovenproof, nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and add the fillets to the skillet, skin side down. Cook over moderately high heat until the skin is lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the salmon for about 6 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the skin is very crisp and the fish is just cooked through. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar with the mustard and the honey. Gradually whisk the remaining 1/4 cup of canola oil into the dressing. Add the grilled corn kernels and watercress to the bowl and toss to coat. Transfer the salad to plates and top with the skewered salmon. Drizzle the fish and salad with the balsamic vinegar reduction and serve right away. Notes To make a larger batch of the reduction, start with at least one cup of vinegar and boil until syrupy and reduced by more than half. Refrigerate without the oil for up to 2 weeks. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over grilled vegetables or fresh fruit, or add to sparkling water. Variation Stuff the salmon with small slices of prosciutto instead of ginger. One Serving 544 cal, 30 gm fat, 3.4 gm sat fat, 2.8 gm carb, 3 gm fiber, 43 gm protein. Suggested Pairing Vibrant, herb-scented Grüner Veltliner from Austria. Rate it Print