COOKINGWITHCAMPICHE
Photos by David Campiche
LEFT: Lush, green carrot tops make a fi ne seasoning for gremolata. RIGHT: Salmon and cucumbers make up a salad dish beside a ripe watermelon.
Refreshing salmon, cucumber and watermelon
BY DAVID CAMPICHE
The sun has crept out in full force. Inland,
the landscape cooks, temperatures leapfrog-
ging over past records. Along Washington’s
ocean beaches, mist hangs over the seascape.
To catch a salmon, we fi sh deep, arriving
home recently with several beautiful cohos
and one fair-sized king, a feast in mind.
After fi lleting the salmon, I cut the fi sh
into 2-inch-wide strips. I rubbed the fi l-
let fi rst with olive oil and then sprinkled it
with salt and sugar, coating the top side of
the fl esh liberally, skin in place on the back
side. I placed all into a shallow bowl, then
poured 1/4 cup of white wine over the fi sh,
fi nishing the process with chopped fennel,
fresh from the garden.
I placed the fi llets on an oiled baking
sheet and cooked them for about 5 minutes
at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When beads of
fat congeal and turn white, the salmon is
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ready. For a hot summer day, Laurie and I
decided to pair the salmon with a refreshing
salad of watermelon and cucumbers.
Salmon, cucumber and watermelon salad
Ingredients
• Two medium-sized cucumbers, sliced
into thin rounds
• 1 cup Japanese rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup of water
• 2/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 2 cups of watermelon, cubed and thinly
sliced
Preparation
Add granulated sugar to vinegar and
water to dissolve it. Slice cucumbers into
1/8-inch pieces and add. Top with water-
melon and refrigerate until cold.
My neighbor shared a dozen small car-
rots. These I cleaned and boiled in water
until tender and then drained. In 1 table-
spoon each of half butter and olive oil, I
sauteed the carrots for a couple of minutes
and added a tablespoon of honey, 1/4 cup
white wine and a 1/4 teaspoon of ground
cilantro and sauteed until the liquid nearly
evaporated. I fi nished the dish with a lovely
gremolata with carrot tops from the garden.
Gremolata
Ingredients
• 12 small carrot tops, fi nely chopped
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon curry paste, married with
1 tablespoon warm water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro, fi nely chopped
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest, fi nely grated
• Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
In a 10-inch nonstick pan, combine
cilantro, lemon zest, jalapeno and carrot
tops. Briefl y saute in 2 tablespoons extra
virgin olive oil until soft and fl avorful.
Sprinkle gremolata over carrots and
serve with the salmon, cucumber and
watermelon salad, preferably outdoors.
The sun arrived for us in the late afternoon
and the ocean air smelled salty and clean.
A dry white wine heightened the repast.
David Campiche is a potter, poet,
writer and lifelong resident of the Long
Beach Peninsula with a keen interest in
adventure, fi ne and culinary arts. Find
more about his work at davidcampiche.
com.