Tags
arrowroot, butter, dillweed, dry white wine, Garlic, green peas, Leeks, Meyer lemon, pasta, pecans, Salmon
Salmon, leeks and lemon are a lovely combination. I was going to make a cream-based sauce, but that just seemed too rich. I thought it would “muddy” the clean flavor of the salmon. This was light, very flavorful and rich enough. What more could a Goddess want? So much more, but that’s another story. You can have too much of a good thing sometimes. This is a perfect mid-week dinner, resurrecting the memories of a nice weekend dinner, perhaps. 
It was my way of using the leftover Slow-Roasted Salmon with an Orange-Maple Glaze. We repurposed the salmon and you would never know. You would have thought it was fresh, made just for this sauce. This goes together quickly, so chill the wine when you get home, then make the “sauce” and put the pasta water on to boil. Dinner will be on the table in about 20-25 minutes.
Since you’re using the peel and pulp, i.e. the whole Meyer lemon, you’re going to have a touch of bitterness. I rather enjoy it, but if you aren’t as “bitter” as The Goddess, remove the peel from the lemon with a potato peeler. Very finely slice the peel into julienned strips; squeeze the juice from the lemon into the mixture, when you add the salmon. Then, you may not want to add the maple syrup, but we thought it was nice. Please use the toasted pecans. I toasted them in the microwave for about 3 minutes, stirring once every minute. But watch them, as they can burn easily. The pecans add nice contrast of texture and let’s face it, they taste great, too.
This is totally straight-forward and simple to make. I’m giving you more or less the amounts I used, but feel free to alter the amounts to use what you have.
Salmon-Leek-Meyer Lemon Sauce
- 1/2 cup sliced leeks (I used frozen from Trader Joe’s™)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 Meyer lemon, quartered and sliced about 1/8-inch thick
- 1 large garlic clove, sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cups water (or broth)
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1/2 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw them)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (or more to taste)
- 1-2 tablespoons snipped fresh dillweed (optional)
- 1 1/2 cups cooked leftover salmon, torn into chunks (see NOTE)
- 1/3 cup toasted chopped pecans
- Cooked pasta or rice to serve
Place a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and the leeks; sauté until the leeks become limp, about 3-4 minutes. If using frozen leeks, there’s no need to thaw them. Lower the heat and add the lemon and garlic; saute for about 1 minute. Deglaze with the wine; simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Stir the arrowroot into the water (or broth, if you prefer); add to the pan, stirring constantly for at least 30 seconds. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Add the maple syrup and the peas; stir to combine thoroughly. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; gently stir in the salmon (you want the salmon to remain in chunks)0 and dillweed, if using. Serve over pasta (or rice) and sprinkle each serving with some toasted pecans. Serve immediately.
NOTE: I used leftover Slow-Roasted Salmon with an Orange-Maple Glaze for this. It was perfect and a perfect way to use the salmon. It’s worth making extra salmon just so you can make this dish! If you prefer, remove the peel from the lemon with a potato peeler. Very finely slice the peel into julienned strips; squeeze the juice from the lemon into the mixture, when you add the salmon. You may not want to add the maple syrup. The toasted pecans are a lovely texture, so please use them.
Salmon-Leek-Meyer Lemon Sauce Recipe©Marcia Lahens 2017. All rights reserved.
Goddess Cooks 