A la boxes

Sometimes fate and the pressures of a culturally advanced and precariously leveraged society can leave you with only a few moments to put dinner on the table for your family and others who might wish something other than a burger. Not, mind you, that I have one thing against burgers, they are some of my favorite food. But those kind souls in my life who survived the $50,000 Burger blitz of recipes are always relieved to see that time in my life has passed. And now a new haze of very long days and very little allowance for the time Blushing's haute cuisine can consume, has arrived. This state of emergency is known as Moving. And so with two pans, very little of anything and (God help you) I hope, the couple of remaining pieces of china you left out to feed yourselves, I am here to help you pull off a first class dish served on a pile of moving boxes headed for Jacksonville. Wish us luck, I am nervous as always when part of our world faces upheaval and broken, out-of-make, stemware.

I had a very hyped version of this dish at Zelda's in Newport in 2000 and I thought that it just could not be as difficult as the menu made it sound. In fact, I like my dish better and it
is nearly as easy as making coffee and as elegant as you would want it to be should you need a showpiece in less than 15 minutes for a pile of fish-eating dignitaries or demanding yet civilized ruffians.

Salmon with Thyme Honey Pan Sauce
Newport, 2000
Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs wild salmon fillet, sockeye, for example, cut into 4 even portions
Canola spray
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup very good honey
Juice of one lemon, zest of the same lemon
2 tsp. ground thyme
2 tsp fresh thyme (optional)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray a pan of any variety with canola and place fish, skin side down, on the pan. Season with salt and pepper and grate some lemon zest event over each fillet.
Place in oven and cook 12 minutes, or longer if you prefer fish more than medium-cooked.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium-low heat, add butter and allow to melt completely (you could clarify this butter, that is very nice, but hardly a necessity at home.). Add honey and stir until combined. Add ground thyme and fresh thyme if you elect to use it. Add lemon juice, allow to come to a steaming heat but do not boil.

Place each fillet on plates or a platter as you choose. Pour sauce over the top. garnish with a bit of fresh thyme or lemon slices. Serve, and bow to applause. Serves 4.