Atlantic Salmon Cake with a Mint and Sweet Pea Cream

 2 Tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon canola oil

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup, plus 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and soft

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup shelled fresh peas (or frozen)

1 teaspoon minced fresh mint leaves

Kosher salt and ground white and black pepper

1 pound fresh salmon fillet, skinless and boneless

1 egg white

2 Tablespoons heavy cream

3 Tablespoons minced celery

1 Tablespoon minced scallions

1 teaspoon finely chopped dill

2 Tablespoons sour cream

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup canola oil

1 European cucumber

Fresh dill and mint for garnish

 

1.      Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon canola oil and the minced shallot and stir for 30 seconds. Deglaze with the white wine and reduce until it is almost dry. Add the cream and reduce by half, until the sauce thickens. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the 1/4 cup of soft butter. Add the lemon juice and season with a pinch of white pepper and salt to taste. Cover and reserve in a warm place.

2.      If you are using fresh peas, place them in a small saucepan with the remaining Tablespoon of butter and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about 3 minutes. For frozen peas, simply heat them in a pan with the butter. Season with salt and white pepper.

3.      Place half of the warm peas in a blender with the minced mint and the sauce and blend until smooth. Cover and reserve in a warm place. Cover the remaining peas and reserve in a warm place as well.

4.      To make the salmon cakes, divide the salmon into 2 equal pieces. Finely dice half of the salmon into 1/4-inch cubes and reserve. Coarsely chop the remaining salmon into1/2-inch pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 30 seconds to make a smooth puree. Add the egg white and heavy cream and blend for 20 seconds longer, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Remove the mixture to a medium-sized bowl and stir in the minced celery, scallions, dill and sour cream. Season with a few pinches of salt and a pinch pf white pepper.

5.      Form the salmon mixture into four even sized balls and then form into cakes. Place the panko bread crumbs in a bowl and add one salmon cake. Coat the cake with panko by pressing it quite firmly into the cake until the cakes are uniformly coated with the bread crumbs. Repeat with the remaining cakes.

6.      Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the canola oil. Pan-fry the cakes, cooking them for 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.

7.      Thinly slice the cucumber with a mandoline and arrange them around the rim of each serving plate in a circular overlapping pattern. Sprinkle the cucumbers with kosher salt and black pepper.

8.      To serve, ladle the pea sauce inside the ring created by the cucumber slices. Place a salmon cake in the center of each serving plate. Sprinkle the exposed sauce with the remaining peas and garnish with the dill and mint sprigs.