French-Asian Salmon Rillettes | Everyday Dorie

Which rillette variation should I make? 1) The classic honey-mustard salmon, 2) the miso-salmon or 3) the French-Asian salmon rillettes. The common ingredient is the salmon duo of fresh and smoked salmon; that’s the given. Notably, the flavor elements are where the rubber meets the road.

I have all the ingredients to embark on each of these paths. Which one should I take? Dijon mustard, honey and capers are the flavor base for the first variation. The less familiar choices are: miso, lemon, Sriracha for the second variation and rice vinegar, togarashi and gochujang for the French-Asian salmon rillettes. Well, I’m excited to get on the road less travelled and go for the most intriguing choice: the French-Asian salmon rillettes.

Togarashi, also known as chili pepper flakes, is a spicy condiment made from a blend of red peppers, orange peel, sesame seeds, seaweed, ginger and garlic. The spice is usually sprinkled on foods like soups and ramen, but you can use it in a variety of dishes to add some heat.

To start, poach the fresh or frozen salmon. I always have frozen salmon on hand. It’s hardly cooking at all. Simply bring white wine, rice vinegar, water and a pinch of togarashi (or cayenne) with minced scallions and a slice of lemon to a boil. Drop in the salmon and let it simmer for a few minutes. Then remove from the heat and let the salmon sit in the poaching liquid for another 10 minutes. Drain the salmon and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

For the smoked salmon, whip butter, zest from one lemon and juice from half of it, shallot and minced scallions and stir in the smoked salmon. In a separate bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, juice form the remaining half of the lemon, 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar with 1 to 2 teaspoons of gochujang. Blend and combine the mayo mixture and the smoked salmon butter spread.

Finally, stir the poached salmon pieces into the smoked salmon mixture. Fold in cilantro for the finished mix. Then taste for salt, togarashi and gochujang. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours for the flavor to meld. I serve the rillettes on slices of French baguette and topped with dill and nori.

My husband really enjoys the French-Asian salmon rillettes. He loves heat. This rillettes packs a remarkable and refreshing punch of heat, acidity and taste of the sea. It has everything he craves, hard to imagine him not loving it. Going on a less traveled path leads to an exciting discovery of ingredients and taste!

Print Recipe

French-Asian Salmon Rillettes | Everyday Dorie

By Dorie Greenspan – Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• POACHING LIQUID:
• 2 scallions
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup white wine or dry white vermouth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
• Togarashi (a Japanese spice blend; may substitute ground cayenne pepper)
• Fine sea salt
• 6 ounces to 8 ounces salmon fillets, skin and pin bones removed
• FOR THE LEMON BUTTER SPREAD:
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• Zest and juice from 1/2 of lemon (from above)
• 1 small shallot, rinsed in cold water and patted dry, then minced (1 tablespoon)
• Minced scallions from the white parts of the scallion (from above)
• 4 ounces smoked salmon, cut into small squares or slivers
• 1/4 cup regular or low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• Fine sea salt
• Pinch of togarashi
• 1 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons gochujang (Korean chili paste; may substitute sriracha)
• About 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

Instructions

1

POACH THE SALMON: Trim the scallions, then mince the white and light-green parts. Toss the dark-green scallion stalks into a medium saucepan along with a thin slice of the lemon.

2

Add the wine or vermouth, the water, 1 tablespoon of the rice vinegar, a small pinch of togarashi and a pinch of salt to the saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Drop the salmon into the liquid, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat; let the fish rest (covered, in the pot) for 10 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer the salmon to a plate. Discard the cooking liquid. At this point, the fish will be cooked and will gently flake apart. Refrigerate for 20 minutes (or up to 1 day; cover if refrigerating overnight).

3

MAKE THE LEMON-BUTTER SPREAD: Put the butter in a mixing bowl; beat it with a flexible spatula until it is spreadable. Grate the zest from half the lemon over the butter, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from half of the lemon into the bowl and add the minced scallions, the shallot and a pinch each of salt and togarashi. Blend thoroughly.

4

PREPARE THE SMOKED SALMON: Stir in the smoked salmon in the lemon-butter spread. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, the juice from the remaining lemon half, 1 teaspoon of seasoned rice vinegar and a small pinch of togarashi. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the gochujang; taste, and add more if you’d like (Dorie Greenspan likes to add a total of 2 teaspoons); the dressing will be thin. Pour this over the smoked salmon mixture and blend well.

5

MAKE THE RILLETTES: Remove the poached salmon from the refrigerator, cut it into bite-size pieces and gently stir it into the smoked salmon. It’s impossible not to crush the poached salmon, but try to keep the mixture as chunky as you can. Taste for togarashi, salt and gochujang, adjusting the seasonings if you’d like, then fold in the chopped cilantro.

6

You can serve the rillettes now, but the flavor will improve if you pack them into a container, seal and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (or up to 2 days).

Notes

adapted from https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/franco-asian-salmon-rillettes/