Seared Salmon with Spinach and Creamy Roasted Peppers
Though salmon isn’t a traditional Mexican fish, there is nothing more wonderful than a creamy roasted poblano sauce with the full-flavored pink flesh of a seared salmon fillet. This creamy roasted pepper sauce comes out much smoother, much more beautifully green when everything is pureed in a blender instead of a food processor. No masa harina? You can use an equivalent amount of all purpose flour.
Ingredients:
2 fresh poblano peppers or a mix of mild peppers
10 ounces baby spinach, cleaned and dried (about 10 cups)
3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 to 2 tablespoons masa harina or all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk, plus a little more if needed
Four 4 to 5 ounce (1 to 1 1/4 pounds total) skinless salmon fillets
Salt and ground black pepper
Directions:
Roast the poblanos over an open flame or 4 inches below a broiler, turning regularly until blistered and blackened all over, about 5 minutes for an open flame, 10 minutes for the broiler. Place in a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let sit until cool enough to handle.
Steam the spinach until completely wilted, usually about 2 minutes. Uncover and set aside.
Turn the oven on to its lowest setting. Heat the oil in a very large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium. Add the garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until soft and lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the garlic into a blender. Set the skillet aside.
Rub the blackened skin off the peppers and pull out the stems and seed pods. Rinse the peppers to remove bits of skin and seeds. Roughly chop and add to the blender, along with masa harina and milk. Blend until smooth.
Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the fish liberally with salt and pepper. Lay the fillets in the hot oil and cook until richly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the fillets, and cook until the fish barely flakes when pressed firmly with a finger or the back or a spoon (you want it slightly underdone). Using a spatula, transfer the fish to an ovenproof plate and set in the oven.
With the skillet still over medium-high, pour in the poblano sauce and whisk until it comes to a boil and thickens, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. If the sauce has thickened past the consistency of a cream soup, whisk in a little more milk. Taste and season with salt, usually a generous 1/2 teaspoon. Add the spinach to the sauce and stir until it is warm and well coated with sauce.
Divide the creamy spinach-poblano sauce among four plates. Top each portion with a piece of seared fish, or lay the fillets down first and spoon the sauce over the fillets. Serve immediately. Serves 4