Potato and Dill Crusted Salmon

Timing is everything.  This may take a few attempts to master, but once you do, you will be crusting everything you can get your hands on!  Use a good non-stick pan, a sturdy spatula, and a sharp potato peeler or mandoline.

Recipe:  Potato and Dill Crusted Salmon

1 large Russet potato
1.5 lb wild, fresh Sockeye
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely diced
1/2 cup grated cheese (any medium to hard - asiago, parmesan, or bellavitano, as below)
2 Tablespoons non-fat Greek yogurt
Salt & Pepper

Peel the potato and discard skin.  Continue peeling the meat of the potato in paper thin strips.  Rinse well in a colander, then soak in cold water.  While soaking, dice shallot, chop dill, and grate the cheese.  Rinse the potatoes again several times, dry with paper towels, then place in a bowl with dill, shallot, cheese, yogurt, salt and pepper.  Mix thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Skin salmon (or better yet, have the butcher do it!), and slice into 4 fillets.

Place pan over high heat and let it get hot before adding the oil.  Add olive oil and coat bottom of pan.  Place 1/8 of he potato mixture in a thin layer, the size of one fillet.  (Careful, they will splatter).  Repeat until you have four beds of potatoes on which to lay each piece of salmon.

Place each piece of salmon onto the potatoes.  Once browned on the bottom, and you can see that the salmon has just begun to cook on the bottom, carefully removed each piece of salmon with the crusted potato on the bottom and place on a plate. 

Next, put the remaining 1/2 of the potato mixture in the same configuration, or four thin beds.  Flip each piece of salmon, naked side down, onto the potatoes.  Cook a few minutes until the bottom layer is brown, and then remove from heat.

Finish cooking in the oven.  Center of the should be cool to slightly warm.