SALMON IN CARTOCCIO WITH ASPARAGUS, CITRUS, AND THYME
- 2 oranges
- 2 lemons
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 salt-packed anchovies, filleted, rinsed, and drained, or 4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 6 spears jumbo asparagus, tough bottoms snapped off, stalks cut on the diagonal into ¼-inch-thick slices, tips halved lengthwise
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Six 4- to 5-ounce wild salmon fillets 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ¾ cup dry white wine
Instructions:
- USING A SHARP PARING KNIFE OR SERRATED KNIFE, cut off the top and bottom of each orange and lemon to expose the flesh. Stand each one upright on a work surface each one upright on a work surface and slice off the skin and bitter white pith, working from top to bottom and following the natural curve of the fruit, then trim away any remaining pith. To remove the segments, carefully cut each one away from the membranes, sliding the knife down either side to release it. Set aside.
- In a medium sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the anchovies and garlic and cook, stirring, until the anchovies are falling apart and the garlic is lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring, just until the slices are barely tender in the center, about 1 minute. Season with salt if necessary and pepper, remove from the heat, and let cool.
- Cut six 12-inch squares of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Fold each one in half to mark the center, then unfold it.
- Season the fish fillets aggressively on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil over the bottom half of each piece of foil and top with one-sixth of the asparagus mixture. Place the fish on top and arrange about 3 orange sections and 2 lemon sections (or half-sections) on top of each fillet. Sprinkle with the thyme.
- Fold up ½ inch or so of the three bottom edges of each packet to make a shallow container, and drizzle 2 tablespoons of the white wine over and around each fillet.
- Fold over the top of the foil to cover the salmon, fold over about ¼ inch of the open edges together to seal them, and then make a double fold for a tight seal.
- Place the packets on the hottest part of the grill and wait until you can hear the wine bubbling, about 2 to 3 minutes, then cook for 5 minutes more. Transfer the packets to a large platter or a baking sheet and allow them to stand for 5 minutes.
- Place a cartoccio on each plate and serve, letting your guests cut open the fragrant packets themselves.
- This is a lovely dish, simple to make but far more than the sum of its parts. Cooked in cartoccio (traditionally wrapped in parchment paper, here in aluminum foil for the grill), the salmon fillets grill-poach in their own little steam baths and emerge succulent and flavorful. Listening is always part of cooking, and for this recipe you really need to rely on the audio—when you hear the wine bubbling, you know you’re in the right spot.