Lasagna of Cabbage and Salmon
In this elegant appetizer, the “lasagna” is made of layers of fresh and smoked salmon, separated by crinkly Savoy cabbage and topped with a sauce of roasted red pepper and cream. The sauce may be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often. The cabbage leaves may be blanched and cut up to 1 day in advance.
Ingredients
- Red Pepper Sauce
- Unsalted Butter - 1 tablespoon
- Shallots - 2, sliced
- Mushrooms - 4, sliced
- Fresh parsley sprigs - 2
- Black peppercorns - 1 teaspoon, crushed
- Fresh thyme sprigs - 1
- Sherry Vinegar - 1/2 cup
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1 cup
- Red Bell Pepper - 1, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
- Fried Potatoes
- All-purpose Potatoes - 2, peeled
- Vegetable Oil - 4 cups, for frying
- Lasagna
- Savoy Cabbage - 8 to 10 leaves
- Unsalted Butter - 1 tablespoon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Salmon fillet - 8 ounces, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
- Smoked Salmon - 2 ounces, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
- Fresh Chives - 1 tablespoon, snipped, for garnish
Instructions
To make the sauce: Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots, mushrooms, parsley, peppercorns, and thyme. Saute, stirring frequently, until the shallots are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the sherry vinegar and cook to reduce by three fourths. Add the heavy cream and cook to reduce by half, or until thickened.
Remove the pan from heat and strain the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve. Put the mixture into a blender or food processor, add the roasted pepper, and puree until smooth. Add the salt and pepper. Set aside and keep the sauce warm.
To make the potatoes: Cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch dice. Heat the oil to 375 F, or until a bread cube turns brown in 10 seconds. Add the potatoes and fry until brown and crisp. Remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low-heat oven.
To make the lasagna: Remove the leaves from the cabbage. Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil and blanch the cabbage leaves in the water for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the leaves are pliable. Remove the leaves from the boiling water with tongs and immerse them in a bowl of ice water. Dry the leaves with a towel. Cut each leaf into a 4-by-3-inch rectangle.
Melt the butter in a saute pan or skillet placed over low heat and heat the cabbage leaves. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
To serve: Heat a nonstick saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the salmon slices and cook for 30 seconds on each side. Place a cabbage leaf on each plate and top with 2 salmon slices and a slice of smoked salmon. Repeat, then cover with a layer of cabbage. Drizzle warm red pepper sauce on top and around the plate. Sprinkle with snipped chives; garnish with fried pepper cubes.
