Bacon Nation: 125 Irresistible Recipes (25 page)

4
Place the large skillet over medium heat, add the 2 tablespoons of chicken stock or water, and deglaze the pan, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir the pan liquid into the lentil salad.

5
Season the tuna steaks with salt and pepper to taste. Add the vegetable oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat until the oil starts to shimmer, about 1 minute. Place the tuna steaks in the skillet and cook them until nicely browned on the bottom, 2 to 4 minutes. Turn the tuna steaks, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until browned on the second side but still dark pink in the center, 3 to 5 minutes. To test for doneness, make a small incision with a paring knife in the center of a tuna steak and check the color. Transfer the tuna to a cutting board and cut each steak in half.

6
To serve, divide the lentil salad and the tuna among 4 dinner plates. Sprinkle the bacon-scallion garnish over each serving and garnish each plate with a lemon or lime wedge.

Serves 4

For this dish we owe a debt to the great chef Daniel Boulud, who is both a friend and a cooking mentor. His simple recipe for pancetta-wrapped tuna loin is supremely flavorful and combines a cracklingly crisp texture on the outside with smooth tuna, cooked rare, on the inside. We once assisted Boulud when he made it for President Clinton at a dinner in East Hampton, New York. We prepared a few extra portions for his Secret Service detail and their looks of delight meant as much as the rave reviews from the commander in chief.

For our version we have gone with a similarly fatty fish—salmon. The result is so good our hope is that we, too, can make it for a president some day. Use thin or medium-thick sliced bacon, as thicker-cut bacons will overwhelm the salmon. Make sure to cook the bacon-wrapped salmon on the stove until the bacon is browned and crisp before putting it in the oven. The salmon does not bake long enough to brown the bacon much more once it leaves the stovetop.

Since salmon is a fish many people like to eat rare, and even raw, how long you cook the fish depends on how done you like it. Rare salmon has a deep orange color and looks slightly translucent; medium salmon leans more to pink in color with opaque flesh. An instant-read meat thermometer will help you gauge doneness, but with salmon it is best to make a small incision into the thickest part of the fish and take a look.

For the salmon

7 to 8 slices thin-cut or regular-cut bacon

1 to 1¼ pounds skinless salmon fillet, center cut like a roast (9 to 10 inches long, 1½ inches thick at thickest point, and 3 inches wide), pin bones removed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the salad

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lime (about 1 tablespoon)

¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 packed cups baby spinach, rinsed and patted dry

2 loosely packed cups arugula, rinsed and patted dry

1 ripe avocado

Half a small red onion, very thinly sliced

1
Prepare the salmon: Place a 10- to 12- inch-long piece of plastic wrap on a work surface. Arrange the bacon slices side by side on the plastic wrap so that one end of each slice is positioned at the edge of the plastic wrap nearest you and the slices overlap just a little. Season the salmon very lightly with salt (remember the bacon will add salt) and pepper to taste, and the ginger. Place the salmon across the overlapped slices of bacon, positioning it at one end of the slices. Tuck the thinner end of the salmon under toward the center, so the salmon fillet is roughly even in thickness and 7 to 8 inches long from end to end. Holding 2 corners of the plastic wrap at one end, roll the bacon around the outside of the salmon fillet, keeping the rows of slices as even as possible. Secure the bacon to the salmon by tying it with butcher’s string or unwaxed dental floss at 1-inch intervals, as you would tie a meat roast (see
page 116
). Wrap the salmon in the plastic wrap and set it aside.

2
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350˚F.

3
Heat the 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large ovenproof pan over medium heat (a cast-iron skillet works well for this) for about 30 seconds. When the oil is hot, remove and discard the plastic wrap from the bacon-wrapped salmon and add the salmon to the pan. Sear the salmon until the bacon is browned and the fat is rendered, about 2 minutes on each of the 4 sides.

4
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake the salmon for 4 to 5 minutes, then use an instant-read meat thermometer to test for doneness, inserting it into the thickest part of the salmon. When the salmon is done to rare, it will register 120˚ to 125˚F. For medium salmon, cook the fish a few minutes longer until the instant-read meat thermometer registers 130˚ to 135˚F. Once you remove the salmon from the oven, tent it lightly with aluminum foil. The internal temperature will rise another 5 degrees as it sits.

5
Prepare the salad: Place the 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the lime juice and mustard in a small mixing bowl and whisk to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Or put all of the ingredients for the lime and mustard dressing in a small jar, cover it, and shake vigorously just before serving.

6
Place the spinach and arugula on a serving platter. Slice the avocado and scatter it and the red onion on top of the greens.

7
To serve, transfer the salmon to a cutting board. Remove and discard the string. Cut the salmon into slices about 1 inch thick and arrange them on top of the salad. Whisk or shake the lime and mustard dressing to fully recombine it and drizzle it over the salmon and salad. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Poaching is one of the most surefire ways to cook fish without compromising its delicate texture. The magical thing about this particular recipe is that the depth of flavor in the bacon broth ties the main ingredients together and adds power yet doesn’t overwhelm. This works best with a firm-fleshed fish such as halibut. You can also use salmon or striped bass or a combination of these fish.

If you want to get a little more creative, throw in some scallops, clams, and mussels and you have a wonderful seafood stew that can hold its own against any bouillabaisse or cioppino. Cooking times will of course vary, depending on the thickness and type of fish or shellfish you use.

2½ cups low-sodium fish or chicken stock

8 ounces slab bacon, rind removed (see
page 57
), cut into 8 pieces, or 8 ounces thick-cut bacon

1 medium-size onion, peeled and cut into quarters

1 large carrot, trimmed, peeled, and cut in half crosswise

2 large cloves garlic, peeled

2 sprigs fresh dill or thyme

5 black peppercorns

8 Yukon Gold (creamer) or red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed

Pinch of salt

4 halibut fillets (each about 1 inch thick and 6 ounces)

1 package (9 ounces) baby spinach, rinsed

1
Combine the stock, bacon, onion, carrot, garlic, dill or thyme, and peppercorns in a medium-size saucepan. Cover the pan and let come to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce the heat as necessary and let simmer gently, partially covered, until the flavors blend, about 40 minutes. Strain the bacon broth and discard the solids (or save the bacon to panfry with your morning eggs). Refrigerate the broth until chilled, about 1 hour. Using a slotted spoon, skim off and discard the solidified fat from the top of the bacon broth. You should have about 1½ cups of broth.

2
About 30 minutes before you plan to serve, place the potatoes in a medium-size saucepan and add water to barely cover. Add the salt, cover the pan, and let come to a boil over high heat. Then, reduce the heat as necessary and let the potatoes simmer until just tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes, return them to the pan, and cover to keep warm.

3
Bring the skimmed bacon broth to a boil in a large saucepan or skillet over high heat. Add the halibut fillets, cover the pan, and reduce the heat as necessary to let the halibut fillets simmer until partially cooked, about 3 minutes. Using tongs or a metal spatula, turn the fillets and let them simmer for 3 minutes longer. After 6 minutes, check for doneness by inserting the tip of a thin-bladed knife into the center of a halibut fillet. When it’s cooked, the flesh should be opaque, not translucent, and the knife should enter the fish easily, without resistance. To avoid overcooking, continue checking for doneness after every minute. Transfer the cooked halibut to a platter and cover it with aluminum foil to keep warm.

4
Add the spinach to the saucepan with the bacon broth, increase the heat to high, cover the pan, and cook the spinach until just wilted, about 1 minute.

5
Place 1 halibut fillet in each of 4 soup bowls. Divide the spinach and potatoes evenly among the bowls, spoon some of the bacon broth over each fillet, and serve.

Serves 2 to 3

As long as you have good risotto-making rice (it should be short grain, such as Arborio) and a few ingredients on the shelves and in the fridge, you can always whip up a pleasing meal. Short-grain rice adds creaminess and highlights the flavor of the dish. Because the bacon is not fully crisped before being added to the rice, the bacon fat continues to slowly release into the rice, imparting moisture and flavor. The final dish is plenty creamy without classic additions of butter or cheese. As a rule, Italians don’t like to combine fish and cheese in one dish, so there’s no Parmesan in this risotto, and it’s not missed. What a lovely use of bacon!

Lemon zest, unlike lemon juice (which is acidic), contributes a fragrant floral oil without adding acidity. It adds another flavor dimension that we think complements the bacon, spinach, rice, and shrimp.

To make this or any other risotto successfully, be sure to have all your ingredients ready before cooking. You don’t want to be waiting for the broth to heat up at the moment the sautéing rice requires you to add the hot cooking liquid.