Saumon À L'oseille Recipe

Prepare

Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Season both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while you start the sauce.

Cook

Heat a large nonstick or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon unsalted butter and let the butter melt and foam. When the fat is shimmering, place the salmon fillets skin-side down in the pan, spacing them so they don't touch. Press gently with a spatula for 10 seconds to keep the skin flat.

Sear the salmon skin-side down for 4 to 5 minutes without moving, until the skin is crisp and the fish is cooked about two-thirds of the way up the sides. Reduce heat to medium-low, flip the fillets, and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes (for medium) depending on thickness, basting with pan juices. Remove salmon to a warm plate and tent loosely with foil to rest for 3 minutes. (Internal temperature about 50–52°C / 122–125°F for medium-rare to medium.)

If you prefer, you can finish the salmon in a preheated 200°C (400°F) oven for 3–5 minutes after searing skin-side down to reach desired doneness.

Sweat shallot and deglaze

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter. Add the finely minced shallot and cook, stirring, until softened and translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes (do not brown). Pour in the white wine and increase heat slightly to bring to a simmer; let reduce by about half, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping any fond from the pan.

Add stock and sorrel

Add the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the washed sorrel leaves, cover for 30–45 seconds to wilt, then uncover and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Purée and strain

Carefully transfer the sorrel-stock mixture to a blender and purée until smooth (or use an immersion blender). Strain the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan or bowl, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract liquid and discard any coarse bits. You should have a bright green sorrel liquid and pulp.

Finish the sauce

Return the strained sorrel liquid to low heat. Stir in the heavy cream, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Warm gently—do not boil—and reduce the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly thickened and velvety. Stir in the lemon juice.

Mount with butter

Off the heat, whisk in the cold butter cubes a little at a time to emulsify the sauce and give it a glossy finish. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or lemon if needed. Keep warm but do not let it simmer once butter is mounted.

Place a salmon fillet on each plate skin-side down (or transfer skin-side up if you prefer). Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of warm sorrel sauce over each fillet, letting some pool on the plate. Garnish with microgreens or chopped chives and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

Leftover sauce can be cooled, refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat gently over low heat and whisk before serving.