I recently had this salmon sandwich at a San Francisco restaurant and I have to say, it’s a dish worth copying. I raced to the market, then to the kitchen to develop my own twist on it.
When you buy the salmon, ask your fishmonger if you can smell the fish to determine its freshness. If it smells like an ocean breeze, you’re good to go. If it smells like low tide, ask for a different piece. You can ask the fishmonger to skin the fillets for you, as well.
Plan on roasting – or grilling – the fish for 8 to 10 minutes for every inch of thickness. Then tuck the salmon fillets inside warm pita pockets, slathered with aioli and nestled alongside arugula and tomatoes. An aioli is basically a garlicky mayonnaise, but I’ve added black olives, thyme and fresh lemon juice to elevate the flavors. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make your own mayonnaise from scratch, but it’s fine to buy ready-made aioli. Use a food processor to blend in the olives and other ingredients, or stir them in by hand.
Roasted Salmon Pockets with Garlicky Black Olive Aioli
Makes 6 sandwichesINGREDIENTSBlack olive aioli
1 cup good quality mayonnaise1 large clove garlic, peeled
12 black olives, pits removed1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice1/4 teaspoon or less kosher salt (adjust the amount to compensate for the saltiness of the olives)
Fish3 pita breads, 7 inches across
6 salmon fillets, about 4 ounces each, skinned
Olive oil for brushing salmon1/4 pound arugula
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
INSTRUCTIONSUsing a food processor, blend all the black olive aioli ingredients until smooth, about 1 minute.
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Wrap the pitas in foil and warm them in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Keep the pitas wrapped in foil until ready to serve.
Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees. Brush salmon with oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Transfer to an oiled sheet pan and roast salmon in the oven until a knife inserted into the thickest part encounters no resistance, about 8 minutes for medium rare and 10 minutes for well done.
Cut the warm pita bread in half. Generously slather the inside of each pita half with Black Olive Aioli. Place the cooked salmon in the pocket and sprinkle with arugula and tomatoes. Serve immediately.
Bibby Gignilliat is the founder of Parties That Cook, a San Francisco-based culinary event company; www.PartiesThatCook.com.
