Roast Salmon Steaks with Pinot Noir Syrup

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Recipe from the cookbook The Minimalist Cooks Dinner: More Than 100 Recipes for Fast, Great Weeknight Meals, By Mark Bittman

Check out my article Cooking With Wine.

Check out all of Linda's great Salmon Recipes.


Roast Salmon Steaks with Pinot Noir Syrup

1/2 cup sugar
2 cups pinot noir wine
1 sprig
rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 salmon steaks or salmon fillets (6 to 8-ounces each), skin and bones removed

Cook sugar over medium heat in heavy-bottomed non-stick saucepan. Do not stir (shake the pan occasionally to redistribute sugar) until sugar liquefies and begins to turn brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and slowly add the wine, stirring with a whisk until the caramelized sugar has dissolved; add the sprig of rosemary. Return to high heat, cook, stirring occasionally, approximately 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce becomes a syrup and reduces to approximately ½ cup. When sauce is reduced, stir in balsamic vinegar and butter; turn heat to medium-low. Cook until butter melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove rosemary sprig.

Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat a heavy, oven-proof skillet (I use my cast-iron pan) over medium-high heat until it begins to smoke (add just enough oil to make a light film). Season salmon on both sides with salt and pepper and then place in hot skillet; sear until nicely browned, about 1 minute. Flip the fish over and put the skillet in the oven. Roast for approximately 4 to 6 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 140 degrees F (salmon will be slightly opaque in thickest part). Remember the salmon continues to cook after it is removed from the heat source. Carefully remove salmon from pan and transfer onto individual serving plates. Spoon Pinot Noir Sauce over salmon and serve with chopped rosemary.

Approximately cooking times for salmon:
1/4 to 1/3-inch - 3 to 4 minutes
1/2 to 3/4-inch - 4 to 6 minutes
1 to 1 1/2-inch - 8 to 12 minutes

Makes 4 servings.