America's Test Kitchen Helping Me to Eat More Fish

I think it's a sign of me getting old but I like PBS' food shows - I think they have the best food programming out there, though I don't subscribe to the new Cooking Channel so it's not a complete comparison. I enjoy watching America's Test Kitchen for its entertainment value, but we haven't really made anything from the show until we watched the recent episode "Salmon - Indoors and Out".

I'm really trying to reduce my red meat intake and increase my fish consumption. Sushi is a favorite, tho it's expensive to eat out and it's not something I'm prepared to make at home. The grilled salmon prepared on the show was very easy to do - it required heating the hell out of the grill and oiling it like mad, but it didn't stick. It was the vinaigrette that made the dish particularly tasty. We had every type of vinegar in the house except the one I needed (white wine vinegar), so I substituted rice wine vinegar and it seemed just fine. The acidity worked nicely to cut through the richness of the fish, and with a big fresh salad, it was a great meal on a sweltering hot day.

With the success of our first foray into ATK's offerings, I think this salmon dish will make it into our regular weeknight repertoire. The next recipe to try from this episode is an oven baked salmon with a tangerine relish, but I think I'll save that for a cooler day.

Almond Vinaigrette
From America's Test Kitchen

Makes about 1/2 cup

Ingredients
1/3 cup almonds , toasted
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 medium shallot , minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cold water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
Table salt and ground black pepper

Instructions
Place almonds in zipper-lock bag and, using rolling pin, pound until no pieces larger than 1/2 inch remain. Combine pounded almonds, honey, mustard, vinegar, and shallot in medium bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in olive oil until emulsion forms. Add water and tarragon and whisk to combine, then season with salt and pepper. Serve.