Kitchen Play: Salmon with Herbed Butter and Burst Tomato Sauce

Today’s post is for Kitchen PLAY’s Progressive Party Series in conjunction with CUTCO Cutlery and is all about Salmon.  

It’s salmon season here in the Pacific Northwest and people are clambering for a nice big hunk of Copper River salmon.  If you’ve never had it, I suggest you source some, and quick.  The Copper River is located in Alaska, and the wild salmon that are caught on this river are like no other, but the season is super short – only about 3 to 4 weeks long.  The color of the meat is so deeply orange-red hued that it’s almost a work of art.  The flavor is sweet and buttery and needs little more than some salt and pepper to taste out of this world.  

If you buy a lot of fresh whole or sides of fish with the skin on, then you really, and I do mean REALLY, need this Salmon Knife from CUTCO.  Not only is this knife a thing of beauty with the classic brown handle, but it is so razor sharp and flexible that you hardly need to apply any pressure to zip the skin right off the meat.  

This knife would also work great for slicing lox uber thin.  Yes, it’s really that sharp.  Here’s what CUTCO says about their knives:

We’re Really Sharp
Our three step heat treating process ensures our innovative Double-D® and straight-edge blades are durable, flexible and hold a razor-sharp edge.

Here’s the part that I love the most about the CUTCO company:

• The Forever Guarantee: Forever performance, forever sharpness, and 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.

When Kitchen PLAY sent out the word that I was going to partner with CUTCO for this Progressive Party Series, knew I had to participate.  When I was selling real estate I gave my clients either the Spatula Spreader or the Entertainer Pack from CUTCO as a thank you for doing business with me.  Almost every client sent a thank you back to me later about their CUTCO product.  They are really well made, and I am elated to be working with them and helping promote the Salmon Knife.

Salmon with Herbed Butter & Burst Tomato Sauce

This recipe can be used with any type of salmon available and would be equally delicious with halibut or swordfish.
[print]

Ingredients
Herbed Butter
3 sprigs fresh oregano
3 sprigs fresh basil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Burst Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or olive oil)
1/2 cup minced shallot
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups grape tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup Italian parsley, coarsely chopped

Salmon
1 whole salmon, about 3 lbs, skinned and cut width-wise into 3 inch pieces
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
salt & pepper, to taste
cooking spray

Instructions

1. Herbed Butter: in the bowl of a food processor add all of the herbed butter ingredients and process until smooth.  Remove to a bowl and set aside.
2. Preheat the broiler and spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.  Set aside.
3. Burst Tomato Sauce: In a medium skillet set over medium-high heat, add the grapeseed oil and warm.  Add the shallot and garlic and saute until fragrant and starting to become translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and saute until they begin to burst, about 5 minutes.  Add the wine, balsamic vinegar, sugar and parsley and turn down to low.  Simmer for 5-7 minutes.
4. Place the salmon fillets on the prepared baking sheet, sprinkle with grapeseed oil, salt and pepper.  Broil for 6-7 minutes.  Remove from the oven and top each piece with a dollop of the herbed butter and then some of the burst tomato sauce and serve.