From A Past Edition Of The New Orleans Menu Daily By Tom Fitzmorris Spice-Rubbed Roasted Salmon This was served with the picnic supper after the 20th Napa Valley Wine Auction, out on the lawn of the Meadowood Resort--an extraordinarily pretty place. It's a great casual supper, at which everybody buzzes about the prices just paid for the wines. This year, the talk centered on the single bottle of Screaming Eagle Cabernet that went for a half-million dollars. In breaks from the action, I walked around the grounds and saw how this great salmon was prepared. A wood fire was started on the ground, and the whole sides of salmon were tied to wooden poles. Smaller twigs were used railroad-track style to hold the fish flat against the poles. The poles were then leaned against one another, with the sides of salmon exposed to the heat of the fire. Anyway, it came out great, and here is the recipe I got from Meadowood's chef. 2 Tbs. light brown sugar 2 Tbs. sea salt (or plain, if you like) 2 Tbs. dry mustard 2 whole sides fresh salmon, about 1 1/2 lbs each. 4 Tbs. vegetable oil 1. Combine the sugar, salt, and mustard. Rub the salmon with the vegetable oil and coat with the seasoning blend. 2. You can grill the salmon, or tie it to racks or even sticks and expose it to an open fire. The grilling over a medium fire takes eight to ten minutes per side, or until the fish loses its translucence inside. If doing it over an open fire, it will probably take longer to reach that state. 3. Serve as is, accompanied by potato salad. Serves eight. Click here for an index of recipes from past editions. © 2009 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com