How To Make Pastrami Salmon Sticks
What goes with mustard? Pastrami. Big soft German pretzels, too. But if you know one thing about NYC chef, restaurateur, author and all-around culinary ace David Burke, it's that he doesn't play by the rules. That's when salmon meets its meat match, mustard gets stripped down to its skivvies and pretzels slim down. Chef Burke's whimsical and dramatic take on modern American cuisine drew us to Soho's David Burke Kitchen, his newest venture, to experience the magic firsthand.
Constructed using Chef Burke's inimitably creative kitchen logic, these pastrami salmon stick snacks are even more delicious than they look. Once the salmon is "pastramied," (a technique everyone should know for beef, too) all that's left to do is wrap slices around pretzels and provide a fiery squirt of mustard oil. Voilà, party food. Oh, and you read it right, you can use the oil from the same seeds that produce the spicy yellow stuff on your sandwich. It's officially our new favorite condiment.
- 1/2 cup coarse salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
- 3 shallots
- 1 pound salmon filet
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon Cayenne powder
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons ground coriander seeds
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons
- long thin pretzel sticks
- mustard oil
- Combine salt and sugar in a small mixing bowl.
- Process the the cilantro, parsley and shallots in a food processor to a smooth puree.
- Place the salmon on a platter and generously season both sides with the salt-sugar mixture. When well-seasoned, coat each side with a generous layer of the puree.
- When the salmon has cured for 3 days, combine the molasses, cayenne, and bay leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool.
- Combine the paprika and coriander with the black pepper in a small bowl. Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and, using a spatula, scrape off and discard all of the seasoning from the fish.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly coat both sides of the salmon with the cooled molasses mixture. Sprinkle the spice mixture on both sides of the salmon to lightly coat. Place the salmon on a clean platter and cover it with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for 24 hours, then slice pastrami salmon thinly and wrap around 2-3 pretzel sticks. Serve with mustard oil.