Saturday, October 12, 2013 – This week’s cooking class was about saute’ing and for some reason risotto. So I decided to make a pan-roasted salmon on a bed of shiitake mushroom risotto. Because shiitake mushrooms are awesome.
So pan-roasting basically involves pan-searing the salmon to get it nice and brown on the outside, and then tossing it into the oven to finish. While I have the rough idea, I’m still working out the details, like what power level to set the stove to and how long roast in the oven. (I’m sure a meat thermometer would help.) Oh, and I used butter this time, but I think olive oil is easier to work with.
Oh, and brining it in saltwater (because that’s how brining works), allspice, and a bay leaf.
At the same time, I started working on the risotto. Unlike Asian rices, I can’t just toss the rice in the rice cooker and expect it to cook properly. (Or can I?) Basically, I had to simmer the risotto at the right amount of heat with the right amount of liquid, constantly stirring and adding liquid.
I think I made a mistake and started on too low of a heat, because the stock wasn’t going anywhere. After raising the temperature, the risotto finally started going. Eventually, I ended up with something sloppy, between the texture of rice gruel and plain rice. But the shiitake mushrooms made it awesome. Because shiitake mushrooms are awesome.
And yes, I seared the salmon and started the risotto at the same time (while keeping the stock warm).
Also, I didn’t cook the onions enough initially, because they were still way too crunchy. Clearly, I need to cook the onions on higher heat and longer time. (Like caramelizing, except without the sugar.)
Before we go, one last photo.
