Salmon With Sweet Corn Sauce

This recipe comes from Jamie Lauren, Season 5 Top Chef alum.  She uses trout but I substituted in healthier, tastier salmon which I do with most fish fillet recipes.  If you like corn and tarragon, you are going to love this dish.

Salmon With Sweet Corn Sauce

2 ears of corn 

1 T butter

1/2 c vegetable broth

1 T heavy cream

1/2 t kosher salt

1/4 t fresh ground black pepper

2 salmon fillets, skin on, about 5 oz each

2 T olive oil

1 T coarsely chopped tarragon leaves + 2 T whole tarragon leaves

Remove corn husks and silk.  Stand each ear on a cutting board and remove the kernels with a sharp knife.

In a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, cook corn and 1 T of chopped tarragon leaves in butter, stirring often, until corn begins to turn brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon 2/3 c into a small saucepan and set the frying pan with remaining corn aside.

Add broth to the saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and simmer on low until corn is tender, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and process.  Place a fine strainer over a microwaveable bowl.  Spoon pureed corn into strainer and mash it with the back of a spoon to extract the liquid. Reserve liquid and discard contents in the strainer. Stir the cream into the liquid and season with 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper.  Set aside.

Season both sides of the salmon with 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and place salmon in, skin side down. Cook for about 2 minutes, until skin begins to turn crispy. Cover the skillet and let salmon rest until just cooked through.  Time will depend on the thickness of you fillets.

Rewarm the reserved corn kernels.  Microwave sauce to rewarm.

Spoon sauce onto 2 plates and arrange salmon on top.  Scatter corn on top and finish with 2 T whole tarragon leaves.  I finished mine with tarragon after I took the photo!

Serves 2.

Source:  Adapted from Sunset Magazine and Jamie Lauren