Salmon With Choucroute

Total Time: 45 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium onion, diced fine
• 1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
• 22 ounces sauerkraut, rinsed in cold water and drained
• 1 1/2 cups dry wine, divided (e.g., pinot grigio, chablis, etc.)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or 1/2 cup fish stock
• 1/4 teaspoon juniper berries, crushed or 1/2 teaspoon crushed pine nuts
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leave
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 4 (6 ounce) salmon fillets
• 1 teaspoon salted butter
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350-degrees f.
• 2 in a non-stick skillet, saute the julienned carrot and onion in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until the onion just begins to get tender.
• 3 stir in the sauerkraut, 1/2 cup of the wine, the chicken stock (or fish stock, if using that), the 1 teaspoon of salted butter, juniper berries, thyme, bay leaf and black pepper. bring to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes and remove from the heat. pour this blend into a 9" x 13" casserole dish.
• 4 using the same skillet, add the 2 remaining tablespoons of olive oil and sear the salmon fillets over medium-high heat until they are lightly browned -- sear the second side for 30 seconds and then transfer them to the sauerkraut blend in the casserole dish. bake this in the oven for five minutes.
• 5 while the dish is baking, using the same skillet, (drained of any oil), add the remaining wine and vinegar and reduce over medium-high heat to 1/4 of its original volume, then add the unsalted butter, piece by piece, whisking until the sauce is creamy, then remove from the heat.
• 6 plate up the salmon choucroute from the casserole dish on to 4 individual plates and then drizzle the sauce over each one.