Salmon with Grapefruit and basil relish

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Salmon and grapefruit and basil are all in season, have some fun with it! (adapted from Cook's Illustrated)

Ingredients

  • 2 salmon fillets

  • 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 red grapefruit

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

  • 1 small shallot, minced

  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice, plus 2 wedges of lemon for serving

  • Salt and pepper, as you like it

  • a drink for the chef

Method

  • Peel your grapefruit and take the fruit out of the skin, break into 1/2 inch pieces.

  • In a small bowl stir together chopped basil, shallot, lemon juice, and oil. Add grapefruit pieces and salt & pepper.

  • Get your frying pan nice and hot, then add a slurp of olive oil, swirl in pan. Salt and pepper your salmon, then cook it about 3-4 minutes per side, until done.

  • Plate, and top with relish.

Cheers!

Wine pairings: Our friends at Farmstead Cheeses & Wines say: Salmon is a flavorful fish that adapts well to many cooking treatments, so providing a one size fits all wine pairing just won't do.

However, if you're grilling or searing the fish, there's no better pairing for Salmon than Pinot Noir that's been chilled in the fridge for awhile (30-45 minutes).  Beaujolais, Loire Valley reds and and one of the newly discovered and re-discovered  California reds (Carignane, Trousseau, Gamay) also sing alongside Salmon, also with a bit of chill to them.  A French Cabernet, like a Bordeaux will work as well, but try to avoid big bodied reds, as they will smother the delicate flavors of this wild caught beauty.

Rosé wine also hits it out of the park, as will medium bodied, unoaked whites, like Chardonnay, many Italian whites (Soave, Falanghina, Greco, Pecorino, Vermentino, etc)

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