Food Pairing Advice Needed

[jfrater]

Hi all,

I am doing salmon fillets for tea tonight and I wanted to pair it with asparagus and baby carrots. My reasoning:

pan fried salmon = earthy + soft

roasted baby carrots = sweet + chewey

boiled asparagus = bitter + crunch

butter sauce = sour + smooth

A little fleur de sel on the top for added crunch. I was planning to put a squeeze of lemon on top of the lemon fillets just before I take them out of the pan (i will fry them in butter) as well as putting a little lemon juice in to the butter sauce.

Does this sound okay or do I have my textures wrong? Am I right to classify asparagus as bitter?

[hummingbirdkiss]

well where I live asparagus and salmon are a natural paring because they come into season at the same time ...

I think it sounds wonderful

I dont know about the carrots but if you like them go for it ..I do a rice dish a lot with salmon it just goes to me

[K8memphis]

Just rambling along here...

Hmm, I find salmon sweet and carrots sweeter still and both the same color. There's nothing at all wrong with that as far as I'm concerned. But just for sake of ideas to toss out there, what about a pretty squash like yellow squash or zucchini where you have another pretty play of color? Or some fluffy garlic potatoes?

Now they are the same color but I dearly love sweet potatoes with salmon. It's magic.

And maybe a tangy remolade. Or I remember Chef-boy once did an avocado mousse for some salmon for me it was awesome. And he also served me salmon once with the asparagus inserted into the salmon where it cleverly stuck out on both ends--very very cool.

Ok I got it, add another something with the carrots like a bit of roasted yellow peppers or parsnips! Can you cut a few parsnips to mimic the size of the baby carrots??? Oooh, that would be cool!!!

I mean I am not a savory cooker. I just know what I like. So take my salmon musings with a grain of fleur de sel. I think your meal sounds well thought out and lovely.

Edited February 15, 2008 by K8memphis (log)

[Peter the eater]

Does this sound okay or do I have my textures wrong?  Am I right to classify asparagus as bitter?

I think it sounds like a wonderful combo and that all those adjectives can be achieved with the ingredients listed. I don' think of asparagus as bitter, at least not when I cook it. Unless I've got just the tips or some extremely slender spears I would take a peeler to the stalks.

[jfrater]

Thanks for the replies so far everyone! I didn't really think about the fact that salmon and carrot are similar colors. I will have a wee look in the cupboard and see what alternatives I have

[abooja]

I made grilled salmon and roasted carrots for dinner the other day and, while there was way too much orange on the plate, it did make for a tasty meal. Perhaps you can prepare whole bunch carrots instead of the baby carrots and alternate them on the plate with spears of asparagus, to break up the color.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I made grilled salmon and roasted carrots for dinner the other day and, while there was way too much orange on the plate, it did make for a tasty meal.  Perhaps you can prepare whole bunch carrots instead of the baby carrots and alternate them on the plate with spears of asparagus, to break up the color.

←

then smother the whole thing with Hollandaise ..even the salmon ...add a glass of pinot grigio and it sounds perfect to me

(whoops you said tea)

Edited February 15, 2008 by hummingbirdkiss (log)

[s_sevilla]

another classic pairing is a beet puree.

You might also consider a Sunchoke Puree, or a "cream of vegetables" with a Sunchoke or other vegetable puree as the binder. That way, you can have the fatty/rich fish with something that has the essence of richness, but doesn't fill you with a gut-bomb.

If you do want a bit of color contrast, I recommend getting the best carrots possible (Nantes, perhaps), and leaving a bit of the green stem when you trim away the leaves. Steam them lightly, then immediately shock them in salted ice-water, or boil in heavily salted water, then shock in ice-water (although I've heard a soaking in vitamin C is an even better way of preserving color). Once serving time comes up, either warm in a skillet with a generous lump of butter, or warm again by steaming.

[Carlovski]

You have forgotten the best foil for salmon - it's sweet, meaty and crunchy - of course it's Bacon! Actually something like fried chunks of chorizo work as well.