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Cumin-Crusted Salmon with Citrus Butter

(recipe, David Waltuck & Andrew Friedman)


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Introduction

Serve with Chive Mashed Potatoes.

Ingredients

    Sauce
    1. ½ cup dry white wine
    2. ⅓ cup freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice (from about 1 grapefruit)
    3. 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 3 oranges) or not-from-concentrate store-bought
    4. 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
    5. 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
    6. ¼ cup heavy cream
    7. ½ lb. (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
    8. Kosher salt
    9. Pinch of sugar, if necessary
    Salmon
    1. 4 salmon fillets (6 ounces each, preferably wild-caught), at least 1 inch thick, skin and any pin bones removed
    2. Black pepper from a mill
    3. 3 Tbsp. canola or other neutral oil
    4. ¼ cup cumin seeds

    Steps

    1. Make the citrus butter: Combine the wine and all the citrus juices in a medium nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced to ¼ cup of syrupy liquid, about 10 minutes. (Take extra care to not burn the reduction, as the high sugar content can scorch easily.) Stir in the cream and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cold butter, a few pieces at a time, thoroughly incorporating each piece before adding more. Season to taste with salt and, if it lacks sweetness, add sugar. Keep the sauce covered at room temperature for up to 1 hour. Reheat gently, if necessary, just before serving.
    2. Make the salmon: Lay the fillets out on a clean, dry surface and season both sides with salt and pepper. Coat the salmon on one side only with the cumin seeds, pressing them so they adhere. Heat a large, wide, heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil and turn the pan to coat the bottom with the oil, letting it heat for a minute or two. Add the fillets, cumin side down, and allow the fish to cook and the cumin to toast for 2 to 3 minutes (if the seeds appear to be toasting too quickly, lower the heat). Turn the fillets over and cook the other side, 3 to 4 minutes more depending on the thickness of the cut and the desired level of doneness.
    3. Serve: Spoon a mound of mashed potatoes into the center of each of 4 dinner plates. Spoon some warm citrus butter around the potatoes on each plate and top the potatoes with a salmon fillet, cumin side up. Serve immediately.