Grilled king salmon with citrus fennel salad

Executive Chef Ben Mattman
JW Marriott, San Francisco

Salmon and fennel make a fabulous marriage of taste, texture and color. Here the fennel is thinly sliced and partnered with sweet citrus and delicate salmon, then tossed with a light vinaigrette.

Ingredients

Citrus fennel salad
2 fennel bulbs
1 head frisee
1 red grapefruit
2 blood oranges
2 navel oranges
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. olive oil

Grilled king salmon
4 (6-oz.) portions wild king salmon
2 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lemon
2 sprigs dill

Directions

For salad: Halve and core fennel and thinly slice with a mandolin. Put in ice water until ready to use. Meanwhile, clean frisee, wash and spin in a salad spinner. Remove fennel from water and spin dry as well.

Using a sharp knife, cut the skin and white pith from grapefruit and oranges. Working over a bowl, cut between the membranes to release the sections into the bowl. Squeeze the membranes to extract the juice.

Add fennel and frisse to the bowl with citrus. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and toss.

For salmon: Lightly brush salmon with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat, undisturbed, until salmon just starts to release and/or flakes easily, 10 to 15 minutes for most 1-inch-thick fillets. (Allow another 10 minutes for each extra inch of thickness.) Use a spatula to remove fish from grill. Squeeze lemon juice atop fish, plate alongside citrus salad and garnish with fresh dill.

Serves 4