Paupiette de Saumon au Crabe

Paupiette de Saumon au Crabe

Photograph by Maren Caruso

SERVES 4
TIME 35 to 40 minutes

Ingredients
1 leek (about 6 oz.)
3 tbsp. butter
6 oz. shelled cooked crab (3/4 cup), all bits of shell removed
1 lb. boned salmon fillet (7 to 8 in. wide) with skin, rinsed and dried*
2 cups dry vermouth
1/2 cup whipping cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp. thinly sliced fresh chives
Lemon wedges

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 450&#deg;. Trim and discard stem end and tough green top from leek; cut leek in half lengthwise and hold each half under cold running water, separating layers to rinse well, then thinly slice. In a large, ovenproof nonstick frying pan over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp. butter. Add sliced leek and stir often until limp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Add remaining 2 tbsp. butter to pan; when melted, add the crab and stir often just until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Push to one side of pan.

3. Holding a sharp knife at a 45&#deg; angle, cut flesh of salmon fillet crosswise off the skin into 1/8- to 1/4-in.-thick slices; you should have about 12. One at a time, lay slices flat and spoon about 1 tbsp. warm crab onto wide end. Starting at that end, roll salmon tightly around crab and place, seam down, in frying pan. Pour vermouth around rolls.

4. Transfer pan with salmon rolls to oven and bake until fish is opaque but still moist-looking in center of thickest part (cut to test), 12 to 15 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer salmon rolls to plates, cover loosely with foil, and let stand in a warm place.

5. Add cream and reserved leek to pan. Boil over high heat until liquid is slightly thickened and reduced to about 1 1/3 cups, 8 to 9 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce around salmon rolls and garnish with chives and lemon wedges.

*To save time, you can have the salmon thinly sliced off the skin at your seafood market.

PER SERVING 426 cal., 63% (270 cal.) from fat; 30 g protein; 30 g fat (13 g sat.); 8.4 g carbo (0.2 g fiber); 291 mg sodium; 159 mg chol.

Serve with Ridge Chardonnay 2007 (Santa Cruz Mountains estate)