So, Hurricane Flossie downgraded to Tropical Storm Flossie downgraded to Tropical Depression Flossie, ultimately called just plain old Flossie, and true to her name, blew in to Maui tonight, with all of the brouhaha of what we'd consider a thunderstorm in New York. But the forecasts leading up to the storm scared us, so we over-prepared. We stocked up on food at Costco, filled the gas tank, got plenty of cash, bought way too many candles and bottles of water. When you live a block from the beach, on a little island in the center of the Pacific Ocean, it is indeed better to be safe than sorry.
Of course, we thought through dinner thoroughly and in advance. What could be cooked quickly and without much prep, in case we lost power or the windows blew out or we were flooded by rain or sea? Pan-seared wild salmon with a white wine sauce, served with brown rice and simply sautéed bok choy was the consensus.
If you want to make the heart of this simple supper, the salmon, here's what you do:
Clean and dry your salmon fillets. Add salt and pepper, to taste, as well as a small rub of olive oil to marinate the fish. We also rubbed a small amount of minced parsley on to the fish.
Then, heat 3 tbsps of olive oil in a spacious skillet on a medium-high flame. Get the oil nice and hot, but not smoking. Drop in your fillets and sear each side for three minutes. That simple. You are going for a pleasant, crisp result here. If your skillet is not warm enough, the results will be less than satisfying. Too hot, and your fish will burn on the outside and remain uncooked inside. Three minutes each side, medium high heat should do you just fine.
Meanwhile, pull out another skillet and sautée 4 tbsps of olive oil, 2 minced garlic cloves and 1 minced shallot for two minutes on a medium flame. Then, add 1 medium, diced fresh tomato. Let this cook down for an additional two minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup of white wine. Make it a good one, whatever you will be drinking with dinner. As this reduces, season the sauce with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and finish the sauce with 2 tbsps of butter, a handful of chopped parsley and a squeeze from 1/2 a lemon. The result should look something like this:
Pour this bright, beautiful sauce over your crisp fish and enjoy.
