AP's Salmon Salad.
Easy to make if you have knife skills.
This is get good ingredients and get the fuck out of the way.
Start with fucking top quality salmon --I actually like it better with Tuna but they were out. This is sushi grade and we ain't going to cook it.
It's best to cut the salmon while it's still partially frozen. The cuts will be cleaner. And you will need some knife skills to do this. Cut the salmon in julien matchsticks. It's smaller than the pictures show. If it thaws too much while handling it, place it in the freezer for a few minutes.
Use top quality tomatoes, I'm using San Marzano imported plum. The come mostly peeled. But you need to peel the parts the factor missed, slice in half and remove the seeds and core, then cut into strips and dice much the same way with the salmon. It makes a fucking mess. PRO TIP: after seeding the tomatoes, dry them on a towel.
These are roasted and marinated red peppers. I bought them roasted and marinated so sue me. Do to them what was done to the tomatoes.
And some onion. I used a Vidallia onion. PRO TIP. After dicing the onion, soak in water for about 10 minutes, then strain well until dry. soaking removes the harshness from the onion. It's really fucking noticeable if you skip this step. Here's all the stuff in a bowl with a little kosher salt added.
Dress it with a little bit of lemon oil. Make your own if you have to. Store bought is fine if it's good.
To make the serving cups is easy. Take some good cheese, shred it into about 2 -2 1/2 inch diagonals on a silicon lined baking half sheet. I'm using a knock off the silpat here, but parchment paper works fine. put in oven for about 10 minutes at 350.
Use good cheese. If you use a kraft shaker can you deserve what you get.
the cheese on the silpat
Let rest for about 30 fucking seconds after coming out of the oven. Any less and they can't be handled. Any longer they start to become stiff and can't be shaped.
Place the cheese circles over a jigger and let harden and crisp. Takes about two minutes.
Meanwhile make a sauce. I'm using strained greek yogurt, shallot, italian parsley
Shallots. dice that bitch into a fine mince and good knife.
Italian flat lead parsley in case you have no fucking clue what that looks like.
Sauce mixture with a little salt and white pepper.
Final assembly
Drink with a French Pinot Noir. This bad ass cost under $20 and kicks the shit out of any Napa/Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon as a pairing.
The bitches love this and all that is required is marginal knife skills. Resist the urge to use a food processor or some Billy Mays type of chopper. It's the clean cuts without any pulverization that make this work. Go slowly if your knifing skills are more adapt for homicide or bear hunting than onion dicing. If the bitch in question has a problem with sushi and raw fish, marinate the fish in a little lime or lemon juice and ceviche it. But the textures and contrasts is what this is all about. And not fucking up good ingredients.
Edit: completely forgot. I added a little bit of fresh green chile to the salmon mixture at the last second. Maybe half a teaspoon. It was a not hot anaheim type of chile. Shape the cheese crisps however you want. Leave them flat like a tostada if you want. Roll it like a cone like the French Laundry does . . . .and from where I ripped this off.