Smoked Salmon with Cashew Cream and Caramelized Red Onions

There are certain winning combos that work every time and salmon is one of your best friends that will never let you down. This recipe is easy to make and to scale up for however many people you've got coming round.

Ingredients

  • Smoked Salmon  ·  1 package 
  • Water, a few tablespoons to make the cashew cream  ·   
  • Salt  ·  1/2 teaspoon 
  • Butter  ·  1 tablespoon 
  • Olive Oil  ·  1 tablespoon 
  • Sugar  ·  1 teaspoon 
  • Red Onion, thinly sliced lengthwise  ·  1 
  • Herbie's Ground Ginger  ·  1 tablespoon 
  • Pure Maple Syrup  ·  2 tablespoons 
  • Fresh Lemon Juice  ·  1 tablespoon 
  • Herbie's Vanilla Bean Extract  ·  1/2 teaspoon 
  • Whole Cashews (Preferably Raw)  ·  1 cup 
  •  ·   
  • For Crostini's:  ·   
  • Sourdough Baguette, sliced thin on a bias (C)  ·  1 
  • Olive Oil (C)  ·  2 tablespoons 
  • Salt (C)  ·   
  • Pepper (C)  ·   

Instructions

There are certain winning combos that work every time and salmon is one of your best friends that will never let you down. This recipe is easy to make and to scale up for however many people you've got coming round.

Start by soaking the raw cashews in cold water. Make sure that the water covers the cashews by at least a few inches. Soak the cashews for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Once it begins to shimmer add the red onion and cook for 2 min. Then turn the heat down to low and add both the sugar and butter. Cover and simmer for 20 min. while stirring every 5 min.

Take the soaked cashews and drain them. Add them to a blender or food processor. Add the vanilla extract, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt and Herbie’s Ground Ginger. Process until smooth. Make sure to add a few tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches the consistency of a light cream or even an aioli. Reserve.

Take the caramelized onions off the heat and set aside.

(C) Lay out the thin slices of sourdough on a sheet tray and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Bake for about 8 min. or until they are golden brown and delicious.

To serve, Place a piece of smoked salmon with a dollop of cashew cream on top and garnish with the warm onions.

Chef Tommy’s Tips:

  • This is a great appetizer recipe that can be prepared the day before and instead of keeping the onions warm all the ingredients could be served cold.

  • Want to make a meal out of it? Instead of smoked salmon use 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs. Follow steps 1-5, then season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan over med high heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook for 2 min. on each side until they browned on each side. Then place the chicken in a baking dish and spread the cashew cream on top of each one. Bake at 375 degrees until the chicken is cooked through to at least 165 degrees and the cashew cream has browned nicely. Serve with caramelized onions on top.

Amour Merlot

Amour Merlot

Amour is a limited production single-varietal Merlot wine from our Estate vineyard.

Ginger (ground)

Ginger (ground)

A very high quality, aromatic ginger with lots of flavor.