The slight tartness of sorrel and the richness of salmon are two flavors that Jews have always loved in their cooking. Eastern European Jews eat cold sorrel soup, which they call tchav; Greek Jews eat a tart rhubarb-and-spinach sauce over fish, and French Jews are drawn to Pierre Troisgros’s now classic salmon with sorrel sauce. Pierre told me that this seminal, simple, and delicious recipe came about because he had grown an abundance of sorrel and had to do something with it. With its subtle interplay of tartness and creaminess, this dish is sometimes made with kosher white wine and vermouth for Jewish weddings held at the restaurant.
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Pour the wine and the vermouth into a small saucepan over medium heat. Scatter the shallots over them and cook. When reduced by half, add the cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently, and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, and strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan.
Step 2
Reserving a small handful for garnish, stir the sorrel into the sauce a handful at a time. Add the lemon juice, and salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and cook briefly, stirring. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
Step 3
Cut the salmon fillet in half crosswise. Then cut each piece into two rectangles; you should have four portions. Gently pound each piece with the flat end of a cleaver to make the salmon pieces thinner.
Step 4
Season the skin side of the salmon with salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat a nonstick pan over medium heat, and cook the fillets, skin side first, for 30 seconds. Flip, and cook for another 30 seconds.
Step 5
Distribute the sorrel sauce evenly among the centers of four warm serving plates. Place a salmon fillet over each, arranging some sorrel pieces around them. Serve immediately.
