Noni's Salmon with Sour Cream-Dill Slather
Every other week on Food52, we’re unearthing Heirloom Recipes — dishes that have made their way from one generation’s kitchen to the next.
Today: Melina Hammer of Licking the Plate makes a salmon dish that was her well-traveled grandmother’s speciality.
My Noni and her husband Fred saw the world together, guided by great food. He was born in Yugoslavia and she, Berlin. Their families fled the Holocaust and landed in Ecuador, where they eventually met. They lived in several places, including New York and Mexico, and traveled extensively throughout Asia, South America, and, of course Europe.
During all this, my step-grandfather loved to eat. To keep him from tipping the scales, Noni devised all kinds of trimmed-down, but still tasty, creations to keep him sated (and both of them well-fed). Their love of food ran the gamut from the familiar to the daring, and good eating was always a high priority.
I remember eating this dish during many of our visits and loving her thoughtful touches as the meal came together. My Noni - Lilly was her name - put a flourish to everything she did, so no matter what she prepared, it always felt special.
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She passed away several years ago. Re-creating this recipe was in part a detective story: when I asked my folks how exactly Noni prepared the salmon — was it poached? baked? — no one could recall exactly. So, I made a decision, based on my memories of golden salmon flesh, that it must have been roasted briefly in a hot oven.
I may have added a little more of the chopped herb and laid a heavier hand with the cracked pepper, but this version lovingly honors her fine touch, and turned out wonderfully.
Noni’s Salmon with Sour Cream-Dill Slather
Serves 4
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cups fat free Greek yogurt
1 small bunch dill
1/2 side wild salmon, pin bones removed
1 pinch mustard powder
1 pinch dried thyme leaves
Good sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Good olive oil
Remove the fish from its wrapping, rinse, and pat dry. Allow to come to room temp, at least 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).
Combine sour cream and yogurt in a bowl. Chop dill and add it in, along with a good pinch of sea salt and some cracked black pepper. If you use flake salt here, the texture of the large crystals will serve as a lovely counterpart to the creaminess of the sauce. Stir well to combine and return to the fridge to chill.
In a lightly greased sheet pan, scatter sea salt, mustard powder, thyme, and cracked black pepper over the salmon and drizzle with olive oil.
Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes. The fish should still be juicy but have turned from translucent to opaque.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack.
Cut salmon into portions and put onto plates. Spoon a couple - or a few - dollops of sauce on top and serve with crisp veggies. Noni favored steamed broccoli here, but any hearty fresh veg will do.
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This article originally appeared on Food52.com: Noni’s Salmon with Sour Cream-Dill Slather
