Content today by an old friend of the family Chef Louis Zathmary of
the Bakery Restaurant. I have taken a few liberties with the story.
Perhaps one of the finest gourmet delicacies ever created is smoked
salmon. However it can turn into a disaster if not properly prepared and
consumed. The first issue is the way you
cut the salmon.
There was a story about a Parisian Captain who could slice the salmon
to perfection. It would be a thickness so thin that it would allow you to read
the morning newspaper through it. To prove his point the owner of this small
Paris restaurant had special plates made with newspaper print embodied in them.
However once the captain was gone , nobody could master the art as he did and
the plates went into storage. How do I know this to be true, I saw one of the
plates hanging in Chef Louis's office in his famous Bakery Restaurant in
Chicago. A few glassed of Brandy later he had told me the story.
So intrigued by the proper service of smoked salmon that he argued the
point of knowing how to eat the salmon was just as critical. This is his story.
In the event you purchase salmon already machine cut and packed in
oil, place each slice in a sheet of plastic after wiping the oil off the fish
with a paper towel. Now gently pound the salmon until it is about three times
the original size being careful not to destroy the texture of the salmon.
Remove the slices from the plastic with a metal spatula being ever so gentle.
Always serve the salmon at room temperature. Serve the salmon with
fresh chopped sweet onions that have been soaked in cold water for 5 minutes
with a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon and then gently pressed out in a towel.
Serve with rinsed capers, juicy ripe lemons cut and wrapped in cheesecloth to
keep the seeds from joining the salmon and an excellent rye bread and sweet
butter.
Have plenty of good chilled beer or a dry white on hand. Just say in!
Eating the salmon is a heavenly experience, especially if you follow
the rules for eating salmon as closely as those for preparing it. To eat Nova
Scotia salmon you must train your palate as you do your ears for chamber music.
The first bite you take should be nothing but salmon about the size of two
postage stamps. Place in the middle of your tongue...without touching your lips
or tongue with the fork. Close your mouth and let your tongue and upper palate
engulf the salmon and warm it to your body temperature. The volatile oils that
preserve the frail scent of the smoked fish will start to evaporate, filling
your mouth with a very pleasant warm, sweet sensation. The milt saltiness will
awaken all of your taste buds.
Now start to chew the salmon slowly turning it from molar to molar in
the back of your mouth. Without opening your mouth, swallow. Now have a deep
breath and have four or five short but powerful sips of beer or two sips of wine.
This will rinse the fish taste from your mouth and you will enjoy the fragrance
and cooling effect of the beer or wine.
Next, take a small piece of the bread with a touch of butter. Chew and
swallow it. Take a second piece of bread, placing on it a slice of salmon. On
top of the salmon put two or three small bits of sweet onion, one or two capers
and few drops of lemon juice. Don't use a fork! Lift to your mouth and bite
into the middle. Placing both bites into
your mouth. Close your mouth and chew slowly, playing sensuously with the food,
turning it back and forth with your tongue. Enjoy the crunchy sensation of the
onion, the mellow fragrance of the caper, the unique texture of the salmon, the
bland coarseness of the bread and the sweetness of the butter.
Close your eyes if you wish as if you were listening to music. Keep
repeating the procedure and you will decide I'm sure, the salmon was well worth
the price you paid for it.
Good Eating
Mrs. Tom
Brought to you by the kind folks at Proctor Gas " the propane people"
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