THE KNOWLEDGE TOOLBOX
How to cook salmon without the fat (and PCBs!)
By Tobi McIntyre
Anticipating that first taste of tender salmon can make your mouth water: the moist pink of
the fish, the deep, herbed flavour, the possibility of PCBs…?
It’s true. These days, preparing salmon for tonight’s dinner can
create as much concern as pleasure for home cooks, provoking such troubling questions
as: Where did
this fish come from? Is it full of toxins? Am I better off eating this salmon
or letting it go? Valid questions all. But as Charles Santerre, an associate
professor of foods and nutrition at Indiana’s Purdue University, says in
John DeMont’s report “Crosscurrents” (CG Sept./Oct.
2004), “From what we know today, there is more danger in not eating
salmon than eating it.”
So, how to create that perfect repas and, at the same time, decrease
your risk of ingesting PCBs? Health Canada advises decreasing the amount of fish
in your diet; when you do choose to eat seafood, remove the skin prior to cooking,
since a significant amount of the contaminants are stored in the salmon’s
fat. Pick a fillet
cut, where trimming the skin and the layer of fat from the flesh is easiest.
Here is a fall grilling recipe
for a salmon fillet that will remind you why you love salmon, and if you trim
off the fat and skin, you can feel good about it too.
Maple-Mustard Cedar-Plank Salmon with Sweet Onion Crust
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
- 60 mL (¼ cup) maple syrup
- 30 mL (2 tbsp) balsamic vinegar
- 5 mL (1 tsp) salt
- 2 mL (½ tsp) pepper
- 2 mL (½ tsp) chipotle-pepper powder [or 1 mL (1/4 tsp) cayenne pepper]
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 175 mL (¾ cup) olive oil
- 45 mL (3 tbsp) mustard seed [or 22 mL (1-1/2 tbsp) whole-grain mustard]
- 1- 1-kg (2-¼-lb.) side of salmon, washed and patted dry
- 2 Vidalia or other sweet onions, sliced into thin rounds
- 1 cedar plank
- Vegetable oil
- Lemon juice and olive oil for fish
- Lemon wedges for garnish
Combine first eight ingredients (maple syrup through mustard seed) in a bowl
and whisk together. Pour into a large zip-top plastic bag with the salmon and
onions; seal, pressing out any excess air and coating the salmon with marinade.
Let salmon marinate in refrigerator at least 30 minutes, or overnight, turning
several times.
Meanwhile, soak cedar plank in water 30 to 45 minutes. Preheat grill to about
200 degrees Celsius (400 degrees Fahrenheit). Brush cedar plank with vegetable
oil; place salmon on plank, brush with olive oil and lemon juice, and arrange
onions in a single layer over the salmon. Place on grill and cook 20 to 30 minutes,
depending on thickness. Serve salmon on plank, surrounded by lemon wedges.
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