Guest blog #1: Pepper-encrusted salmon with green sauce.

Original recipe is from Caprial's Bistro Style Cuisine. The editorializing in this version is, of course, not by Caprial.

This is shockingly good.

Green sauce--a member of the pesto family:

1 bunch parsley
1 bunch basil
1 tbsp chopped mint
4 cloves garlic
4 anchovies
2 tbsp capers
zest of one lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice (from the zested lemon, natch!)
2/3 cup EV olive oil
salt
Ground pepper.

Salmon--Copper river is recommended, but that's hard to come by. Use
whatever your fishmonger has.

Sauce:

1) Chop the basil, parsley and mint. Not too small, but not huge either. Mix
them up in a bowl.

2) Take your anchovies and a sharp knife--I used a santoku--and freakin'
annihilate them. You don't want chunks of anchovy but rather a diffusion of
anchovy throughout the sauce.

Chop the capers and the garlic, no need to get carried away, esp if your
girlfriend loves capers.

By this point, your kitchen will start smelling oddly delicious. This is
good.

3) Whisk together the anchovies, garlic, capers, zest, juice, and olive oil.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

This sauce will be freakishly delicious.

Salmon:

1) Salt the salmon normally, then crust it in as much cracked or coarsely
(and freshly, that's implied throughout the recipe. There is no call for
pre-ground pepper unless both wrists and at least one ankle are broken and
interfering w/ operation of a pepper/salt grinder.) ground pepper as you can
get to adhere.

2) Preheat your over to 350 degrees F

3) Fire up a frypan w/ a bit of oil in it. Heat the pan over high heat until
the oil smokes. At this point, you may want to clear the dogs out of the
kitchen and turn on the hood. Huck the filet into the pan and sear it for
two minutes per side. This will produce clouds of steam and smoke, as well
as a delicious aroma. It's good fun and should satisfy your need for
elemental fire for a while.

4) after two minutes per side or however long it takes the fish to stop
sticking to your pan, pull the pan from the stove and stick it in the oven
for ~5-7 minutes. Test the doneness w/ a skewer or w/ a thermometer, esp. if
you just bought a cool new one at the restaurant supply store.

5) Set a base of sauce on the plate and flop the fish on top of it. Then
cover the fish with as much sauce as possible. Eat the remaining sauce with
a spoon. Or maybe on bread, either way.

Note: It is likely that the skin of the salmon will stay with the pan. This
is alright. You may give the skin to your dog. It will make him shiny and
happy. Or, you can leave the skin and fond in the pan and make a quick pan
sauce. You'll have nothing to out it on, however.

Also, try and avoid grabbing the oven-hot handle of the frypan. It just
makes one feel silly.

The second time we made this, the amount of olive oil in the green sauce seemed excessive; I think in the future the best plan of action is just to add maybe a third of a cup, stir well, and then keep adding some more slowly until it looks about right.

The sauce is also very yummy on pasta, though it requires a bit more salt.