Skill of the Grill Winner: Chef Stover's “Spring to Summer” Recipe

Grilled Salmon and Washington Asparagus with Red Hatch Chile Sauce

Chef Eric grills his fish during our annual Skill of the Grill competition in 2019 (above); portions of his dish in the process of being plated with the help of volunteers (right).

Remember Chef Eric Stover? And his Skill of the Grill winning dish, Grilled Bristol Bay Salmon with Corn Butter, Roasted Tomatoes, and Citrus-Marinated Blueberries? 🤤 YUM. We caught with Eric to see what was up in his kitchen during the Stay at Home order. As expected, he did not disappoint. This straight-forward recipe is one you can try while SeaFeasting at home!

A note from Eric, “This is a relatively easy salmon-forward dish that points us out of spring and into summer! My wife loved this dish when I made it on Friday.”

Ingredients: (serves two people)

• Two portions of wild-caught salmon, 4-6 ounces each, skin on

• 1 pound of WA asparagus, washed and woody stems removed

• 1/2 cup roasted Hatch red chilies, strained of liquid from container (note: regular roasted red peppers are totally acceptable, in regards to desired heat preference)

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled/stemmed and finely minced

• 1 large sprig rosemary, leaves stemmed and finely chopped

• Juice of one lime

• 1/2 cup of sour cream or thick Greek yogurt

• Olive oil

• Salt & Pepper

• Half a lemon

• Large flake sea salt

Equipment needed: 

A grill or heavy cast iron pan, and a small food processor.

Directions:

Make sure the are no pin-bones in your salmon fillets. Preheat your grill; if using a cast iron pan, preheat it in an oven set to 450 degrees. 

While the cooking surface is heating up, set up your food processor. Add the peppers, paprika, garlic, rosemary, and lime juice to the food processor. Process the ingredients so that the mixture becomes a loose purée, then pulse chop the sour cream into the purée until the sauce comes together. Season with salt, then reserve in the refrigerator until needed.

Add a small amount of olive oil to your salmon fillets, and then season with salt and pepper. Repeat the same process for your asparagus, and set aside. Starting with the skin side down on the cooking surface, cook the fillets on their skins until well-colored and pleasantly crispy. Flip the fillets and cook on the opposite sides, until the fillets have an internal temperature of 120 to 125 degrees. Remove your salmon from the cooking surface and rest the fillets skin side up on a warm platter. 

Once your salmon is resting, immediately cook your asparagus. Cook the asparagus stalks until they have nice color and are your desired doneness. 

Assembly: 

While the asparagus is cooking, spread the red pepper sauce on an adequately-sized serving platter. Place the salmon fillets on the sauce, and then nestle the just-cooked asparagus between your salmon fillets. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the dish, then garnish with a few crystals of flaky sea salt to add a pop of ocean flavor.

Enjoy!

If you need ideas for sourcing quality seafood at home, check out this post.