Salmon Meunière – The Legend of Zelda

Today is a true honest post on here because I’m going to have my gentleband share a recipe. Why is it a true honest post? Well, because he is more of the cook in our household. I work in the food industry, and sometimes, actually often times, I come home and just need to lay down because my brain does not receive energy from social settings. He usually makes everything I consume. If I make something, it is for a special occasion, to hone a baking skill, or to purposely put it on the food journal. We were in the grocery store, and I saw a giant sign for wild fresh caught salmon for sale. If there’s one thing my gentleband says every time someone mentions salmon, it’s how it should be wild caught if you’re going to eat it. So we saw the sign, and I said I wanted salmon. I had every intention of cooking that night, but he was telling me all these things he wanted to do. I kept quiet because he was going to cook. When we got half way through the store I asked him where he learned about Salmon Meunière. He quickly smiled and sheepishly said, “Zelda.” We just got him the new Nintendo Switch, and he’s been playing a lot of Zelda. I ask questions about the games sometimes, but more often then not, I’m asking so he can put me to sleep with his story, bahaha. He made the salmon, and oh my goodness was it delicious! I couldn’t get over it. It was so fresh, beautiful, and oh so buttery. I asked him the process, and it was so simple. I told him we needed to make it again with intentions of sharing on the journal. It’s so easy, this could easily be a quick weeknight meal without being too bland. I wanted him to share a little bit more about the story of this dish and the actual recipe. Let me tell ya, a real treat to hear from the gentleband!

Before he takes over, can we just take a moment and appreciate the beauty that comes in food. The flakey layers of fish as well as that beautiful salmon color. That color is absolutely gorgeous. geesh.

Gentleband:

Hey guys! Video games have been a big part of my life since I was a kid. I have fond memories of playing the Super Nintendo with my dad, especially The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. When I say play, though, I really mean he played and handed me a controller that wasn’t plugged in so I could feel like I was playing, too. So, when the Nintendo Switch came out, and one of the coolest looking Legend of Zelda games was coming out, I was swooning. Since being married, I’ve mostly set video games to the side, so this was a big deal for me to be so taken by it. Coincidentally, seeing my dad cook when I was a kid was also an inspiration for my love of cooking. So when the opportunity presented itself to bring a dish I saw from a game into the real world, I was pretty excited!

Meunière is a French word that means “miller’s wife.” A long time ago, this method of preparation was common among the wives of the men who milled grains for a living. The word sounds so fancy, but really, it’s just a matter-of-fact designation. In the game, without spoiling too much of the story, you have to cook this dish for a character to unlock a secret. It was taking me a while to figure out the correct recipe in the game, so I Googled what real salmon meunière was made out of. This is how I stumbled upon what has become one of Amanda’s new favorite (and quick) dishes. The inspiration was from a few different recipes I saw. Most include parsley and lemon. The garlic powder was something I saw one or two do, and the shallots were my choice to add. When you cook it, be sure to eat it as soon as possible! This method of cooking the salmon makes it nice and crispy, but it will only stay that way for so long!

Oh, and here’s few things about wild caught salmon. First- the price; yes, it’s a lot more expensive than farm raised. Try looking at wild caught next to farm raised and tell me you’d rather have the farm raised. Yea, I want the wild caught, too. Not only is it just nicer looking salmon, but it is actually packed with a lot more nutrients, too! Salmon that’s farm raised is usually fed a diet made to merely keep it alive and make it fat. Wild caught salmon, on the other hand, eats whatever it wants and actually has to work at staying alive. That orangey color you see in farm raised salmon is a dye added because the malnourished fish’s meat was pale. Yuck. Now let’s get to what you really came for: how to do it. In the recipe, I call for 8 tbs of butter. The real measurement is “enough,” but 8tbs should be enough to get you there.

1.5 lbs Salmon, cut into 3oz steaks
2 TBS kosher salt
1 TBS freshly ground black pepper
2 TBS garlic powder
1-2 shallots, diced
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped.
8 TBS of butter
Flour to coat

What you need to do!

∙If not already portioned, portion out salmon
∙Mix together the salt, pepper, and garlic powder
∙Season both sides of the salmon liberally with the mix
∙Heat 6 TBS butter in the pan over medium/medium-high heat
∙Right before the butter starts to brown, dredge the salmon in the flour.
∙When the butter starts browning, begin adding salmon – don’t crowd the pan, work in batches if you don’t have a lot of room
∙Sear roughly 3 minutes on both sides. This will vary depending on thickness of the filet you purchased, but for us this was perfect for a medium-rare finish. 5 minutes would have taken it to well done.
∙After the salmon is done remove from pan
∙In the same pan add in parsley and shallots as well as remaining butter
∙Sauté until shallots are translucent or slightly brown, then add lemon juice and simmer.
∙Pair with whatever side you choose, we chose sautéed asparagus tips with shallots and garlic
∙Spoon sauce from pan onto salmon