Buttermilk panna cotta with roasted rhubarb. Duck eggs with crispy brown rice. Lamb skewers with labneh, ramp salt, and buttery potatoes. The hardest part about reading Melina Hammer’s new book, A Year at Catbird Cottage, is picking what to make first. Driven by the seasons and inspired by her cozy home in New York’s Hudson Valley, the recipes jump off the page, grab my hand, and ask me to follow them to the farmers market, the backyard, the bustling kitchen. And I’m very happy to let them lead the way. Today, Melina is sharing one of her favorite recipes, aka your new favorite way to serve salmon. —Emma Laperruque
The garlic shoots in my garden have grown tall. And with their long leaves, curly scapes emerge. Meanwhile, wild salmon fishing season has just begun in the bracing waters of the Pacific Northwest. Nelly and Michael Hand, who run Drifters Fish in Cordova, Alaska, sustainably harvest wild salmon throughout the season, and each year I have been a lucky recipient of their sockeye and coho varieties.
Add all that up and you get this recipe from my book, A Year at Catbird Cottage. As with all of the dishes in the book, it’s a celebration of peak ripeness.
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To top the buttery fish—sautéed until the skin gets crispy—I developed a riff on gremolata, a simple Italian condiment made of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. Mine incorporates those garlic scapes (if you can’t find them, garlic chives or minced garlic work just as nicely) and sage leaves, fried until crisp in walnut oil.
Walnut oil imparts a subtle but rich quality to whatever it touches. Here, it enhances sage’s natural earthiness, a nice foil to the zippy gremolata. When I fry the sage, I do so in batches, so I can retain control of how quickly they cook. The tender leaves only need a minute or two, as it’s easy for them to burn. To check if your pan is ready, add one sacrificial sage leaf, and if it sizzles upon contact, you’re ready.
What to do with the rest of that bottle of walnut oil? Lots of things. Use it for both savory and sweet recipes, wherever you can imagine its nuttiness adding verve. Swap it in for olive oil in this loaded mushroom galette or this wheat berry and avocado salad.
However you use it, I hope it’s in the spirit of Catbird Cottage—lovingly guided by the seasons, so every meal feels like a celebration.
Ingredients
For the Gremolata
| Finely grated zest from 3 lemons | |
| Zest strips from 1 Meyer lemon, any bitter white pith removed, sliced very thinly | |
| 1 | tablespoon finely sliced garlic scapes or garlic chives, or 1 teaspoon minced garlic |
| 1 | teaspoon finely sliced garlic chives |
| Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper |
| Finely grated zest from 3 lemons | |
| Zest strips from 1 Meyer lemon, any bitter white pith removed, sliced very thinly | |
| 1 | tablespoon finely sliced garlic scapes or garlic chives, or 1 teaspoon minced garlic |
| 1 | teaspoon finely sliced garlic chives |
| Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper |
For the Salmon and Fried Sage
| 1 | pound wild sockeye salmon, portioned into 2 fillets |
| Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| Walnut oil | |
| 1 | handful fresh sage leaves |
| 1 | tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 | tablespoon salted butter |
| 1 | Meyer lemon, cut in half horizontally |
| 1 | pound wild sockeye salmon, portioned into 2 fillets |
| Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| Walnut oil | |
| 1 | handful fresh sage leaves |
| 1 | tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil |
| 1 | tablespoon salted butter |
| 1 | Meyer lemon, cut in half horizontally |
When she’s not writing, cooking, styling, and shooting her forthcoming cookbook – out Spring 2022 with Ten Speed Press – Melina makes food look its best for the New York Times, Eating Well, Edible, and other folks who are passionate about real food. She grows heirloom+native plants and forages wild foods at her Hudson Valley getaway, Catbird Cottage. There, Melina prepares curated menus to guests seeking community, amidst the robust flavors of the seasons.
