Thursday, April 16, 2009

Grilled Salmon Sandwiches with Pineapple-Mustard Glaze and Green Chile-Pickle Relish

I’m cheating a little with this post because I have, sort of, made this before. But, it was before I started this blog, and I changed things up this time. This is a Bobby Flay meal from way back, and I admit to being a long-time fan. Anybody else remember his early shows with Jackie Malouf and the always-present, odd tension between them? I’m not sure if this meal is old enough to be from that show, but it’s pretty old. Say what you will about Flay’s attitude, personality, whathaveyou, but I’ve always liked his food. I’ve made several of his dishes over the years, and they’re always fantastic. In true Flay form, this meal is all about big, bold flavors. And, there are a lot of those bold flavors going on, but they somehow manage to work together really well. The original meal, still posted on the Foodnetwork site, and what I made several years ago, was tuna burgers with great things mixed into the chopped tuna. The burgers were glazed as they were grilled and then topped with the relish. This time, I wanted to make a sandwich of grilled salmon filets, so I made some alterations.

This time, the mixture that was to have seasoned the tuna was used as a marinade for salmon. Dijon, chipotle puree, honey, oil, and green onions were combined with salt and pepper, and I spread that over the salmon and left it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. I made the glaze the same as before by combining pineapple juice, white wine vinegar, grated ginger, and soy sauce in a pan. This was brought to a boil and reduced to half its volume which took about 30 minutes. There was supposed to be some brown sugar in that mixture, but the pineapple juice was sweet enough for me, and I omitted it. For the relish, poblano chiles were roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced. They were combined with diced dill pickle, finely chopped red onion, lime juice, chopped cilantro, and olive oil. Honey should have been added, but there I go again not liking things too sweet. So, the honeyless relish was seasoned with salt and pepper and was ready to go.

The marinated salmon was grilled and glazed twice with the reduced pineapple elixir. The side dish for this meal was seasoned grilled fries, and they couldn’t be simpler. Potatoes were cooked on the stove until almost tender, then chopped into wedges, basted with oil mixed with ancho chile powder and salt, and then grilled. The best part is that they don’t stick to the grill. The potato surface instantly crisps and they finish cooking through quickly while acquiring that irresistible grill flavor. I served the marinated, grilled, pineapple glazed salmon topped with the green chile-pickle relish on toasted sesame-semolina sandwich rolls. Have you ever noticed how long the names of Bobby Flay dishes are? Long names, lots of components, bold flavors, but delicious food. This is a completely opposite food philosophy from that of allowing simple, fresh flavors to shine individually, but it has its place on my table. It’s a fun combination of spicy, sweet, sour, tangy, smoky, fresh, and I recommend it.

17 comments:

  1. I like Bobb's recipes too, and this one sure looks to be a winner.

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  2. This salmon look absolutely gorgeous. Oh how I love that poblano chilies, they are delicious.
    Cheers,
    elra

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  3. wow: i've never seen a salmon hoagie! actually, just as elra says, this looks really gorgeous!

    if you're interested, i actually ended up w/ 2 free tickets to the Sunday Fair, so I have 2 I'm looking to sell for a discounted rate! drop me a line. :)

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  4. I couldn't tell you the name of Flay's old, old show to save my life, but I do remember it, now that you mention it. Wish FN would rerun some of those older shows from time to time.

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  5. It doesnt matter how you cook it or if you cook it - I love salmon. I am going to try this relish it sounds great!

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  6. This looks delicious, such a wonderful combo of flavors. I didn't watch Bobby on the old shows. But I do now, I don't understand why some people think he's conceited? I don't see it. I find him very humble. He's always a gracious loser and winner on his throwdown shows. And his food rocks, he has the best grilling tips!

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  7. This looks good! Pineapple mustard glaze sounds amazing & so does the chile-pickle relish!

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  8. This looks amazing, I can't think of a better way to eat salmon!

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  9. oh i was waiting for this sandwich! that relish sounds amazing!

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  10. The glaze and the chile relish sound awesome for this salmon sandwich! Incredibly delicious!

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  11. What a wonderful salmon recipe. Looks
    delicious

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  12. This is an amazing sandwich. You always raise the bar!

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  13. Wow, that looks so great!

    I totally remember Bobby's show with Jackie Malouf, but I never knew why she was there. It didn't seem like she could cook, was she just like a side kick??

    I love the relish too and your pictures look awesome!

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  14. I, for one, have not seen the earlier version so this is completely new to me! I was looking forward to seeing what you'd do with those fantastic semolina rolls and this does not disappoint. The poblano relish sounds delicious - as does the entire sandwich!

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  15. once again, i'm foiled by my distaste for salmon. drat. however, that relish looks and sounds phenomenal!

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  16. OMG! This looks so delicious I could almost lick my computer screen. I'm definitely trying this!

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  17. I have to come do my blog reading, and every time I walk away craving all your yummy foods you make, your photos are outstanding, and if I am repeating myself :)

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