Crescent City Fresh Salmon Bubble-N-Bake

Ingredients:

2 lbs. fresh salmon filet, 1-inch thick
1 cup cocktail sherry
1 cup canned chicken broth
2 bay leaves
3 thin lemon slices
1 tsp. whole black peppercorns
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
6 Tbsp. butter, divided
3/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
8 oz. baby Portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tsp. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Frank Davis Garlic Hot Sauce
1 tsp. ground thyme
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup frozen petit pois peas
1 lb. extra-wide egg noodles, cooked al dente
1/4 loaf stale French bread
1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced

First, take a 12-inch, non-stick, high-sided skillet and add to it the sherry, the chicken stock, the bay leaves, the lemon slices, and the peppercorns.

Then bring the mixture to a rolling boil for exactly 2 minutes, stirring continuously.

After the allotted time, place the salmon fillet into the flavored stock, reduce the heat to simmer, cover the skillet tightly, and gently poach the fish for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, set a second 12-inch skillet on the stovetop.

Then to it add the olive oil and 3 tablespoons of the butter--reserve the remaining 3 tablespoons for later.

Then combine the oil and the butter over medium heat, and when they are fully blended drop in the green onions and mushrooms and stir in the seafood seasoning and the hot sauce.

At this point, sauté the mixture gently for about 5 minutes or so.

Then sprinkle in the ground thyme and the flour and whisk everything together for about a minute or so to mellow the flour.

When this has been done, whisk in the cup of chicken stock and the evaporated milk. To finish up this stage of the preparation, adjust the seasonings, gently stir in the green peas, and-over medium heat-simmer the sauce until it begins to thicken slightly.

Now remove the poached salmon to a wide, deep bowl (remember it's been resting in the poaching liquid all this time) and flake it with a fork.

Then gently fold together in the bowl the cooked noodles, the flaked salmon, and the sauce and transfer the mixture to a buttered casserole dish.

All that's left to do is to grate the stale bread into coarse crumbs directly into a mixing bowl.

Then melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a small cup in the microwave, pour the melted butter over the bread crumbs, toss completely to coat the crumbs, mix uniformly with the parsley, and evenly scatter the bread topping over the top of the casserole.

Finally, slide the dish into a pre-heated 400 degree oven and bake it uncovered until the crumbs are richly browned and the sauce is hot and bubbly (about 15 minutes or so).

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Chef's Notes:

This casserole is best when served piping hot right from the oven. But it can be cooled, stored overnight in the refrigerator, reheated, and served the next day as well.

If you'd prefer a richer, thicker sauce, substitute heavy cream for the evaporated milk.

If you find that you need a little extra liquid in the casserole, you can stir in some additional chicken broth. Or to make it even richer in seafood flavor, you can reduce the poaching liquid (I'd say at least by half of it's original volume) and stir that into the dish.

?The only side dish you'll need with the casserole is a myriad mixture of your favorite raw vegetables (coarsely sliced), chilled, tossed with either an olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette or a prepackaged slaw dressing, and liberally sprinkled with a handful of shredded Romano and Parmesan.


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