Fish

Although we grill a lot of salmon at Cakebread Cellars, we have also come to love the creamy texture of salmon roasted slowly in a low oven. This gentle cooking method seems to accentuate salmon’s richness and to yield a notably buttery result. Fish on the grill can overcook quickly, but the oven technique is much more forgiving. Accompany with Braised Radishes and Sugar Snap Peas (page 154).

When he attended the 1997 Workshop, Florida chef Pascal Oudin coated California salmon with a pecan crust, seared it, and paired it with a carrot emulsion. Brian has adapted the recipe to catfish, to give the dish some Floridian style, and replaced the crust with a toasted pecan garnish to make less work for home cooks. Serve with sautéed spinach or other wilted greens. On another occasion, prepare the silky carrot emulsion for grilled halibut or sea bass.

At the winery, we are always looking for enticing finger foods that our guests can enjoy comfortably with a glass of wine in hand. This hors d’oeuvre from Memphis chef Wally Joe, devised at the 2004 Workshop, passes that test. Piped or spooned onto endive leaves, the mousse makes an easily passed hors d’oeuvre. The mousse’s creamy texture and smoky notes find an echo in our Napa Valley Chardonnay, and the apple garnish provides another aromatic link.

Inspired by the simplicity and purity of Japanese sashimi, American chefs are exploring the world of seafood crudo (Italian for raw). Typically, crudo is accompanied by Mediterranean garnishes like capers and olive oil rather than the soy-based dipping sauce that is served with sashimi. At the 2005 Workshop, Florida chef James Reaux made a beautiful halibut crudo with chive oil, using the abundant chives in the winery garden. For raw preparations such as this one, the seafood must be impeccably fresh.

Over the years, workshop chefs have devised many memorable hors d’oeuvres with chèvre because of Cakebread’s long friendship with two wine-country goat cheese producers: Laura Chenel and Skyhill. This one-bite appetizer, featuring soft herbed goat cheese spread on a potato slice with a dollop of tapenade, comes from chef Pascal Olhats, who prepared it during the 1993 Workshop. If you have a small food processor, you can halve the tapenade recipe, as you need only a small amount for this dish. Then again, tapenade keeps well in the refrigerator, and you will be happy to have some on hand. Use it as a sandwich condiment or spread for crostini, slather it on grilled tuna, or toss it with pasta.

A professor of wine and spirits at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Weiss is part of our Workshop “faculty.” He teaches a wine and food pairing seminar for the participants every year and selects appropriate Cakebread Cellars wines for the evening meals. That’s no small challenge given how complex many of the chefs’ creations are, but we give Michael carte blanche in the cellar. When entertaining at home, he and his wife, Jenny, often serve their own gravlax as a first course. In place of the fresh dill that perfumes traditional gravlax, the Weisses season the fish with coriander seed, fennel seed, and lemon. The method works beautifully on farmed Arctic char, a more sustainable choice than farmed salmon. You can serve the translucent slices with toast and condiments, as described here, or on cucumber slices with a dab of crème fraîche.

A light, bright, citrusy hors d’oeuvre for a warm summer night, this tartare requires impeccably fresh tuna. Keep the fish on ice as you prepare it and serve it immediately for the most vivid flavor. To preserve the tuna’s plum-red color, don’t add the salt or soy sauce until the last moment. You can present the tartare in lettuce cups, if you prefer, instead of on fried wontons or crackers.

Made famous in the port city of Veracruz, Mexico, this spicy dish combines jalapeños, olives, tomatoes, and oregano in a pan sauce that surrounds the firm-fleshed snapper as it cooks. Serve with lime wedges and white rice or a simple green salad.

Steamed fish is a healthful and quick-cooking dinner option. Adding a few aromatics to the steaming liquid enhances the taste of the fish without using any butter or oil. Haddock, halibut, or other firm-fleshed white fish can be used in place of the cod.

Here Dijon mustard serves a dual purpose: It flavors the delicate fish, and helps the bread-crumb coating stay in place as the fish cooks. Tilapia can be used in place of flounder.

Two types of fish—flaky salmon and meaty swordfish—produce doubly delicious grilled kebabs. Thread the fish with the grain perpendicular to the skewers. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water at least fifteen minutes to prevent them from scorching.

Tuna is most often cooked to medium-rare to prevent it from drying out. If you prefer, cook one or two minutes longer after turning, or until opaque throughout.

This recipe borrows familiar ingredients from the Italian pantry—arugula, tomatoes, capers, and red-pepper flakes—to produce a dish with bold flavors. Sole, flounder, halibut, or cod can be used in place of the tilapia.

To form fish sticks, cut tilapia fillets in half lengthwise down the center line. Halve again lengthwise, then crosswise. If you can’t find Old Bay Seasoning, a specialty of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the United States, use another seafood spice blend.

To keep the salmon pieces moist as they roast, they are gently pressed together in the pan. A rustic potato-and-artichoke hash is cooked alongside. Slice the potatoes on a mandoline or with a very sharp knife to make thin, uniform pieces.

Uncooked salmon patties can be refrigerated, tightly wrapped in plastic, up to one day. Or wrap individually and freeze up to two months in a resealable plastic bag (thaw in refrigerator before cooking). Serve with the mayonnaise and noodles below, or mixed greens.

In this richly flavored dish, the salmon and cabbage are cooked in rendered bacon fat; for a vegetarian variation, omit step 1 and start by heating two tablespoons olive oil in the skillet.

Full of fiery red-pepper flakes and salty capers, olives, and anchovy fillets, this tomato-based sauce is a lively alternative to a traditional marinara. Tossing the cooked pasta with the sauce in the skillet helps coat the strands.

Pieces of tilapia are added to this tomato-based chowder in the final minutes of simmering; the fish cooks quickly without breaking apart. Other flaky white fish, such as flounder, sole, or halibut, could be used instead. Serve the soup with soda crackers.

The salmon and green beans are equally good served warm or cold. If chilling, prepare recipe through step 3; refrigerate fish, green beans, and dressing separately, then proceed with step 4 just before serving.