Ingredients
- 4 (6-ounce) portions local salmon or lake trout
- vegetable oil
- 1⁄4 cup mixed peppercorns, crushed
- Cabernet Franc Blackberry Sauce (recipe follows)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 11⁄2 cups Cabernet Franc
- 1⁄2 cup blackberry vinegar
- 1 cup local blackberries (frozen is fine), plus a few extra for garnish
- 1 cup light stock such as chicken, mushroom, vegetable
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Rub trout or salmon with vegetable oil and then coat the top side with peppercorns. Heat a sauté pan over high heat and add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the fish and cook about 2–3 minutes per side. Depending on the thickness of the fish it may be necessary to finish in a 350° oven for up to 5 minutes.
Remove from the pan, serve with the blackberry sauce and garnish with a few whole blackberries.
For the Cabernet Franc Blackberry Sauce
Heat olive oil and butter in a small saucepan. Add shallots and sauté 2–3 minutes. Add Cabernet Franc and vinegar to deglaze the pan; bring to a boil and reduce until pan is almost dry. Add blackberries and stock, reduce again by half. Strain to remove seeds and pour sauce back into the pan. Bring back to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low and whisk in butter a piece at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
