Ingredients

Spiced Steamed Salmon
with Chutney and Chard

Adapted from Daniel Boulud's Café Boulud Cookbook: French-American Recipes for the Home Cook by Daniel Boulud and Dorie Greenspan, forward by Martha Stewart, (Scribner 1999). Copyright 1999 by Daniel Boulud and Dorie Greenspan.

Makes 4 servings

This recipe comes with the American Heart Association's stamp of approval. I created it for a gala meal honoring the association and made sure that less than 30 percent of its not-many calories came from fat and that it had fiber, fruit, antioxidant leafy greens, and, just for good measure, fabulous flavor—not a written requirement on the AHA's list, but certainly one that's high on mine. The recipe has four components, all surprisingly fast and simple to prepare: sautéed Swiss chard, steamed curry-rubbed salmon, a fresh pineapple and dried-cherry chutney (a make-ahead condiment that's irresistibly snackable), and a lightly curried broth with head-spinning aroma. And each component can be mixed and matched. When you're looking for a change, try slipping slices of chicken breast into the dish in lieu of salmon, or serving the chard, chutney, and broth with rice.

The chutney:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 small onion, peeled, trimmed, and finely diced

• 1/2 small apple, peeled, cored, and finely diced

• 1/8 pineapple, peeled, cored and finely diced

• 1/4 piquillo pepper or roasted red bell pepper, finely diced

• 1 tablespoon dried cherries, soaked in hot water until plump and soft, drained, and finely diced

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

• ½ cup rice vinegar

• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Warm the oil in a medium sauté pan or skillet over medium heat, then add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent but not colored, about 2 minutes. Toss in the apple, pineapple, pepper, cherries, sugar, and curry powder, and cook only until the fruits are tender but not mushy, a matter of a minute or two. Pour in the rice vinegar, bring to a boil, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Pull the pan from the heat, season the chutney with salt and pepper, and set it aside until serving time. The chutney can be served warm or at room temperature. (The chutney can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept well covered in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature or gently warm before serving.)

The Broth:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon finely diced onion

• 1 tablespoon finely diced peeled carrot

• 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

• 1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped lemongrass bulb

• 1/2 cup dry white wine

• 2 cups unsalted chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth

• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1. Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium sauté pan or skillet over medium heat and, when it's hot, add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent but not colored, about 2 minutes. Toss in the curry powder, ginger, and lemongrass and cook for 2 minutes more. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, cooking until the wine evaporates. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and allow the broth to simmer for 20 minutes while you prepare the chard.

2. When the broth is ready, pass it through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Discard the solids, season the broth with salt and pepper, and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Set aside in a warm place until serving time. Right before serving, reheat the broth and, if you want, emulsify it with an immersion blender.

The Chard:

• 2 pounds Swiss chard, stems, and tough center ribs removed, washed, and cut into thin strands

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, toss in the chard, and blanch just until it is tender, about 5 minutes; drain well.

2. Warm the oil in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium heat and add the chard. Sauté for just 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside in a warm place until needed.

The Salmon:

• Four 6-ounce salmon fillets, skin on

• 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Season the fillets with the curry powder and salt and pepper. Bring a small amount of water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer (a wok with a bamboo steamer, a fish poacher, or a stockpot with a steaming rack is ideal). Place the fillets skin side down on the steamer tray, making sure that the fish does not come into contact with the boiling water, cover, and steam until the fish is opaque around the edges but still moist and rosy inside, about 10 minutes. Remove the tray from the steamer.

To serve: Divide the chard among four warm shallow soup plates. Arrange the salmon over the chard and top each fillet with a spoonful of chutney. Ladle the hot broth around the fish and serve immediately.

To drink: An American Gewürtztraminer

Instructions