Salmon With Figs, Saba And Watercress
serves 4
The sweet, seasonal ingredients in this dish play off the slight bitterness of watercress. Soft black mission figs from California, olive oil from Sicily, saba from Italy and spicy watercress are perfect with fresh salmon.
Read more about this recipe at the Washington Post.
2 tablespoons saba (or top-quality balsamic vinegar)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for coating the fish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch pepper
2 bunches watercress, rinsed and dried
4 (6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets (24 ounces total), pin bones removed
8 ripe figs, halved
prep: 20 minutes
total: 20 minutes
small bowl
whisk
mixing bowl
large grill pan
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the saba and olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
2. Place the watercress in a mixing bowl, add the saba and oil dressing and toss to lightly coat. Divide the salad among individual plates, creating a flattened stack; set aside.
3. Preheat grill pan over medium-high heat.
4. Rub the salmon fillets on both sides with a little olive oil; season only the flesh (not the skin) with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the fillets, skin side down, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the edges of the fish begin to turn opaque. Carefully turn the fish over and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. (If the fillets are very thick, turn to cook them for 1 to 2 minutes more on each side as well.)
5. While the salmon is cooking, place the figs, cut sides up, in the same pan and cook for about 2 minutes, moving them around and turning them over until they just begin to wilt.
6. Arrange 4 fig halves on each plate, alternating cut sides up and down, around the watercress. Place a fillet, skin side up, on top of each stack of watercress. Drizzle each plate with some of the saba dressing left in the mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste; serve warm.
Adapted from The Young Man & the Sea, by David Pasternak and Ed Levine
