Chard-Wrapped Salmon & Duxelles
Submitted by mundybertha
Chard-wrapped salmon with duxelles: salmon fillets wrapped in Swiss chard leaves around savory mushroom duxelles, gently poached in wine and chicken stock. A refined dinner for four.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
25 minREADY
40 minThis is French technique at its most elegant: salmon fillets wrapped in blanched Swiss chard leaves with a layer of finely chopped mushroom duxelles tucked between the fish and the leaf. The whole package poaches gently in chicken stock and white wine, emerging tender, moist, and perfumed with sherry.
Duxelles is the classic French mushroom preparation: finely diced mushrooms cooked with onion, garlic, and savory until the liquid evaporates and the mixture concentrates into something intensely savory. A splash of sherry deglazes the pan and adds depth. It’s the same base that fills beef Wellington, but used here to carry salmon’s clean flavor.
The chard leaf acts as both flavoring and packaging. It steams in place during the gentle simmer, basting the fish in leaf-scented liquid while keeping the duxelles pressed to the flesh. The reduced poaching liquid finishes with a swirl of butter for a silky pan sauce.
Chef Tips
- Blanch chard leaves for 20 seconds in boiling water and shock in ice water. Raw leaves are too stiff to fold without tearing.
- Cook mushrooms until the pan is nearly dry before adding sherry. Wet duxelles makes the package soggy.
- Wrap the chard around the fish tightly. Loose wrapping unfurls in the simmer and the salmon overcooks from direct heat.
- Place packages seam-side down in the pan so the weight of the fish holds them closed.
- Test doneness with a skewer, not an instant-read thermometer. Salmon in chard cooks by feel: when a skewer slides in with no resistance, it’s done.
Variations
- Swap chard for blanched spinach leaves or kale for a different green flavor.
- Use shiitake mushrooms or mixed wild mushrooms in the duxelles for deeper, earthier flavor.
- Finish the pan sauce with a tablespoon of cream and a squeeze of lemon for a richer, Frencher sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
Finely dice the mushrooms.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the mushrooms and onion and cook, shaking or stirring, until the mushrooms begin to wilt.
Add the garlic, savory, pepper, and ⅛ teaspoons salt.
Cook until the liquid given off by the mushrooms is nearly gone, then add the sherry and cook until evaporated.
Remove from heat, taste for seasoning, and set aside to cool.
Remove any pin bones from the salmon fillets and season lightly with remaining salt and pepper.
Lay out 2 chard leaves in opposite directions, slightly overlapping.
Place a salmon fillet across the middle, skin side up.
Arrange ¼ of the mushrooms mixture on each side of the salmon.
Fold the near end of the leaves over the fish, tuck in the sides, then fold the whole thing over the remaining leaf, forming an envelope.
Trim off the remainder of the leaf to form a neat package.
Repeat with the remaining salmon fillet.
Heat the stock and wine to a simmer in the same skillet used for the mushrooms.
Place the salmon packages in the pan, seam side down, cover, and cook at a simmer until a skewer easily enters the center of the fish, 8 to 12 minutes depending on the thickness.
Transfer the fish to plates, turn the heat under the skillet to high, and reduce the stock slightly.
Swirl in the remaining butter, taste for seasoning, and pour over the fish.
Comments
