I could jump on the bandwagon.

Start out this post with an image of me running around my room, hands flailing around, screaming, “SAINTS WON! SAINTS WON!”

But that would imply a few things. None of which are true.

Firstly. That I like football. Which is not false, necessarily. I don’t dislike it. I just don’t like it. Probably because I can’t for the life of me understand it. I mean. I understand the premise. And the rules. But if you sit me in front of a tv screen on which a football game is playing? I am for some reason incapable of following it for more than two seconds. My mind wanders. I lose interest. I start thinking about what I’m going to cook for dinner next week and whether or not I should have bought those plantains the last time I was at Whole Foods and, wow, aren’t plantains one of the best things ever invented?

And then by the time I look up and regain my bearings? Someone has gotten some down or something and I am completely lost. All over again.

Maybe that’s why I like baseball so much. You can zone out for five minutes and won’t have missed anything.

It might also lead you to believe that I watched the game. At all. Any of it. Which would be a complete lie. I meant to. But decided that I wanted to eat sushi instead. And by the time I was done with that, all of my guy friends had left the bar that they were watching it at. So go figure.

And then there’s the whole part about being a Saints fan. Which, I guess, is kind of true. Since, on our way to the sushi restaurant, I did declare to Sophie and Anu that they were who I would be rooting for. Why the Saints, you may ask, given my obvious ambivalence toward the sport in general? Now normally I choose who I want to win based on uniform color. But this year, I weighed them in terms of food.

Jambalaya. Gumbo. Beer-battered catfish.

Versus…I’m not sure. What do people eat in Indiana?

Don’t know. But whatever it is, it’s not jambalaya.

Enough said.


Similarly. I could also run around screaming about how much I loved this dish. Convince you that, yeah it might be 7:15 AM but you need to stop what you’re doing and start making this immediately. But that would only be partially true.

You see. I thought the salmon was fantastic. It really was. It was salty and lemony and everything that I love in a fish. So maybe you should go to the store immediately after reading this and pick up some salmon.

But then there were the endives. And it’s not that they were bad. I just, apparently, don’t like endives. Which I should have realized. But didn’t.

I mean, they look like something I should like. Especially with that caramelized pan-fried mouth-wateringly good exterior.

But then I bit into one and was hit with that kind of bitter undertone that I don’t like in escarole either (strange because I love the bitterness of broccoli rabe – again, that’s the problem. All indications pointed to love. Go figure.)

However. I did really like the citrus sauce that they were cooked in. It was sweet and tangy and delicious. And would be great over many other vegetables. Like broccoli. So if you like citrus and you like endives?

Feel free to jump on the bandwagon. I won’t call you on it. I promise.

Braised Endives with Citrus
Serves 4, adapted from Michael Symon’s Live To Cook

1 tbsp olive oil
4 belgian endives, halved lengthwise
6 sprigs thyme
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Juice and zest of one orange
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp honey
4 tbsp butter

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Heat a large ovenproof saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Place the endive in the pan, cut side down. Season with salt and cook until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sweat it for 1 minute. Add the thyme, orange zest and juice, stock, and honey. Bring to a simmer and then place the pan in the oven until the endive is cooked through and tender, about 20 minutes.

3. Remove the endive from the pan to a platter. Reduce the pan liquid over high heat to about 1/3 cup, swirl in the butter, and spoon the liquid over the endive.

Salmon Poached in Court Bouillon
Serves 4, adapted from Michael Symon’s Live To Cook

1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, whole
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black peppercorns
3 lemons, juiced
4 (6 oz) salmon fillets
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Combine the carrot, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, salt, peppercorns, cumin, cinnamon, coriander and lemon juice in a pot and add 1 quart water. Simmer for 30 minutes. Strain the liquid into a clean, wide, shallow pot.

2. Bring the court bouillon to 175. Submerge the salmon fillets in it. Using an instand-read thermometer, keep an eye on the temperature of the liquid to make sure you don’t let the temperature drop too low. On the other hand, if it begins to simmer, it’s too high. Remove the salmon when it feels medium-firm when poked, 7-10 minutes. Remove the fillets to paper towels to drain before serving.

This is what we are cooking up for this week’s Symon Sundays! I am hosting this week so be sure to check back here on Sunday to see everyone else’s dishes.

You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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61 Responses to Salmon Poached in Court Bouillon and Braised Endives with Citrus

  1. I totally agree about the endives. It seems like something I would really like. They look like the most lovely little tender leaves. But they taste….like poo. The salmon looks great though!!!

  2. Moni says:

    This looks amazing! Very inspiring. My next fish dish for sure! Thanks Joanne. 🙂

  3. The only thing I know about Indiana food is that they have an annual Peirogi festival so food wise New Orleans definitely wins. Plus Drew Brees is cuter than Petyon Manning 🙂

  4. SE says:

    I have never tasted endives..this looks a like a good one to make a start !!

  5. Mo Diva says:

    oh my heaven! gorgeous photos! looks incredibly delish!

    seriously, drop out of med school and go to culinary school.

  6. sounds good and looks yummy joanne…

  7. Megan says:

    I love escarole and endive and all things bitter.

    But I can’t stand baseball – too boring!And football? Really, I only watch it for the food.

  8. Mari says:

    I have a fear of cooking fish at home so the next time you make this, give me a call. It looks so juicy

  9. Ha! I didn’t watch the game either. 🙂 Wine and Brit murder mysteries were my chosen fare. 🙂 I will definitely try the salmon and confess I think I will love the endives! I like that subtle bitterness for some reason. 🙂

  10. teresa says:

    i’m not a huge football fan either, for all the same reasons. the dish looks wonderful, i love the way you prepared that salmon!

  11. Bob says:

    Heh, I’m not a fan of football either. It makes my girlfriend very happy. 😉

  12. chrystad72 says:

    I am so with you about the football. I totally understand it…i just dont appreciate it like some people do. Plus I cant sit still to watch a game that takes like 4 hours! ack! Not fun to me. I need something with a plot at least ya know? Now cooking for 4 hours. Definently something I could do easy! I am so loving the endives. so good. Im emailing myself this recipe to make sure that I hit it up. Looks so good. I actually really love grilled veggies and I love the addition of the citrus. The poached salmon looks awesome too. Fabulous meal sweetie. I hope you have an awesome Monday!

  13. i love your honesty i’ll take the salmon though

  14. Jagruti says:

    looks great and very colourful..:)) thanks for visiting me..hope 2 c u again..

    cheers

  15. I love the way u wrote that out….aint a big sporty fan either unless its me running all over the badminton court trying to figure where that last shuttlecock flew :-))))

    That said the salmon looks delicious and u always come up with suc a varied bunch of eliciousness to have everyone drooling away….

  16. You are becoming quite the sophisticated cook! I love the way the braised endive turned out!

  17. Kim says:

    You got some great color on those endives! I think this is the first time I’ve heard you say that you didn’t care for something. I understand though, endive and all those kind of greens can be somewhat bitter. I have got to get on the bandwagon with poaching fish though. It definitely intrigues me. Seems like the fish would be mild, delicate and almost melt in your mouth. I’m so enjoying these Symon challenges.

    Although it is not healthy, I think you might like the kielbasa. I know you’re a pork lover and most of them are made with pork. I usually buy the skinless variety. I have issues with skin, especially the intestinal variety. (Yum-does that remind you of anatomy lab?)

  18. I only made endive once, and had the exact same reaction… Acquired taste that i will never have.

    AND OF COURSE THE FOOD IS BETTER IN NEW ORLEANS… just wait til you see all those photos coming your way!

  19. This is a fantastic dish! I love poached salmon and it sounds really excellent with that delicious looking braised endive!

  20. Amy says:

    Football, soccer, and boxing are completely lost on me. The only reason to watch the Superbowl is the excuse (like we need one, right?) to make yummy apps and have friends over. I am, however, a die hard baseball nut, which to many seems completely silly since it’s a very slow game. Anyhoodle, I feel ya on this one.

    Well, you know how much I love Salmon. (I always have the prepackaged/skinless singles from Costco in the freezer), so I always perk up when I see a new way to prepare it. Can you believe I have never tried endive. Ever. You make a good case for me to avoid it a little longer.

  21. wow the endives look gorgeous! I’m nota sporty person. We don’t understand each other =P

  22. Pam says:

    The salmon sounds good. I don’t even know if I’ve ever eaten endives!

  23. Faith says:

    What a pretty meal! I’m curious about the endive…would you believe I’ve never had it? I’m not a huge fan of bitter greens though so I’m not sure if I’d like it…but that citrus sauce sounds fantastic!

  24. Karine says:

    That is a great salmon dish!

    I don’t like football too but I am Canadian. So that’s a good excuse. However, I don’t like watching hockey either, which makes me unCanadian. Very unCanadian. The funny thing though is that I love, love tennis. Go figure.

  25. Looks lovely as always! I happen to love football but you know how I got to that point? It started by game days being a day that was all about the food for me. I couldn’t wait to prepare the next game day buffet. I somehow grew to love to game too! Yay Saints! 🙂

  26. Julie says:

    what happens if you’re not sure what an endive is…

    …but you like football..

    …and baseball..

  27. not a big football fan but DAMN proud to be louisianan right now! =D
    knee’s a bit better. TOTALLY tore my groin one time. FUN.
    hey, let me know when it’s yo birthday and you might just get something hand made from me.
    SHE HADA MENTAL BREAKDOWN re: pb bananas

  28. I cannot wait to try your endive recipe!

  29. Debbi Smith says:

    I’ve never tried endive, the sauce does look good however. Huge football fans that we are (ya right), we took advantage of the $.44 bowling and 1/2 price appetizers and went bowling during the superbowl. They did show the game on the screens so we were able to laugh when during the half time show, some kid walked by and said “I didn’t know a bunch of old guys sang the CSI theme song!” Nice to know the superbowl enlightened many.

  30. I don’t understand football either, and I am nowhere near as understanding as you. 😉
    All that hype seems bizarre from up here.
    That being said, the winning team was from a place that could use a boost, so you’ve got to respect that aspect.

    Anyhoo.. onto the food. I made this the other night and we did love it. I made the whole salmon recipe and half the endive. (Saving 2 salmon fillets for a salad the next night) We loved that flavour! I have made many a classic French court boullion and they have never been this flavourful and balanced – the guy is a master.
    I agree the endive are an acquired taste – but I did get into them. Yours look much better than mine did in the photos. (Hubby said something about mine looking like headless fish.) Anyway, I liked the way the cooking mellowed out the endive and the sauce was totally delish.
    Thanks for such a great pick!

  31. theUngourmet says:

    This is pretty much the way I feel about football too!

    I don’t believe I have ever eaten endive this way. I’m definitely up for trying it though. 🙂

  32. sra says:

    What a lovely piece on the many inexplicable contradictions that go to form opinions (or still leave you undecided). In India, we don’t see much football except in pockets, but cricket and tennis are more popular. I rarely watch either but I would plump for cricket tho’ I played/learnt tennis for a while!

  33. Debinhawaii says:

    It looks like a delicious dish. I actually kind of like the bitterness of endive–no sure why! 😉

  34. I’m with you on the endives. I want to like them. I really do. I’ve even tried a few times, just in case my mind has changed. But nope, not happening. Dish looks great though!

  35. Sophie says:

    A georgous plate of fine food, Joanne!!

    I so love Belgian endives!!

  36. Joanne says:

    The dish looks fantastic. I wonder if you boiled the endive prior to putting it into the pan that some of the bitterness would be muted? I know that you have to boil a lot of those greens, such as collards, escarole…to take bitterness out.
    I love the recipe though. Looks great.

  37. Sippity Sup says:

    Well, without jumping on the bandwagon, I hear ya about football. But (now I am jumping off the bandwagon) I truly love braised, endives. I even love raw endives. I bet I’d love’em fried too! GREG

  38. imac says:

    Hi Joanne, I really like poached salmon with roasted veg, together with a glass of red wine,lol, I know, I’m a heathen.lol.
    Thanks for your visit and kind comments.

  39. Paul says:

    Salmon poachedhmm sounds yummy but endives? Never really had that. enticing.

  40. Barbara says:

    The poached salmon I have made- but whole; even have the poacher.Loved it.
    The braised endive looks like something I would adore- nicely caramelized. I do something with baby bok choy like that which is delicious. Probably the only reason the endive (which I eat in my salad for lunch every day) is served with that yummy sauce is to take care of the bitterness. The sauce really looks great!

  41. Pam says:

    What a fantastic meal – I am loving the flavors.

  42. ruchikacooks says:

    Cricket is more famous in India Jo. Thanks for the wishes for dear A. I am drafting for the event, will post it today. Want me to link yours on my side bar too?

  43. Kris says:

    I love endive! That looks so good!

  44. msmeanie says:

    That dish sounds interesting. I’ve never had endive before, maybe it’s an acquired taste. Great job on your half marathon. That is an awesome time for your first half.

  45. Bridgett says:

    I am with you, I completely blank out during football games and when I comment on the game I get the “Are you serious?” looks from my husband since apparently it was the wrong question to ask. So I stay away, lol. I love the salmon and definitely need to incorporate more into my diet.

  46. Andreas says:

    Those close-ups are mouth watering.
    Can’t remember the last time I’ve eaten endives,
    maybe it’s time for a revisit.

  47. You mean there was a football game in between the commercials? I’m glad the Saints won too. I love carmelized endive and the combination with poached salmon sounds delicious!

  48. Oh my – those photos made me HUNGRY! Hmm I don’t think I have ever even tried endive???

  49. doggybloggy says:

    the braised endives are stealing the show – forget football bring on the endive

  50. Catherine says:

    This looks fantastic Joanne! I’ll have to try this soon!

  51. Nicole, RD says:

    Another delicious recipe! They looked a bit like roaches at first, but as I read the recipe I had a big change of heart. Mmm!

  52. PJ says:

    Next time someone asks me why I don’t like watching football, I am going to redirect them to this post! You so acutely describe it.. exactly, the game just does not captivate me, and once you start thinking of something, you may as well as just keep thinking. And besides, I don’t think I get it either… 🙂 though, I enjoy providing snacks to all the superbowl parties!

    Braised endives and poached salmon look very delicious, love the citrus flavor..

  53. I must admit, I am not a football fan and didn’t care who won. In fact, I am not sure I knew who was playing.

    I will take the salmon over the football. Salmon always wins. The spices you used are an interesting combination. I have to try them together. I plan to make salmon Friday. Maybe…..

  54. Shirley says:

    Simply love salmon. Love the way you’ve gone about it.

  55. Kathleen says:

    Wow this dish sounds great! I’ve never tried braised endive. Very inspirational!

  56. Marisa says:

    Have had endive (once) in a salad and didn’t find the taste too offensive. Not sure whether I like it though, tasted pretty neutral to me! The citrus sauce sounds terrific – can imagine it would taste superb on something like brusselsprouts as well.

  57. Karen says:

    The citrus sauce sounds lovely and I’ll take salmon any way, any day… love it!

  58. Katy ~ says:

    Bookmarking the endive! Love, love it!! I can taste it’s deliciousness!

  59. I love endives, especially in a gratin! The addition of honey is genius

  60. Kevin says:

    What a nice meal! I do not use endives often enough.

  61. Tasha says:

    We really liked the salmon too. I’d like to try it with the cinnamon, corriander & cumin next time. We neither loved nor disliked the endives, but I always enjoy trying new things, so thanks for picking these recipes!

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