Chef critique
Coho Salmon with Blackberry Beurre Blanc
This is an elegantly composed, highly seasonal recipe with excellent formatting, requiring only minor tweaks to its salt distribution and butter handling for a flawless execution.
Score: 9/10
Suggested fixes
- In the ingredient list, increase the total Morton kosher salt to 1 3/4 tsp.
- In step 2, instruct the user to return the cubed butter to the refrigerator so it remains cold until step 6.
- In step 3, reduce the salt used on the salmon to 1 tsp (which perfectly matches the 1.25% target for 1 lb of boneless fish).
- In step 5, increase the salt on the corn and onions to 1/2 tsp to meet the 1% vegetable target.
- In step 6, add 1/4 tsp salt to the saucepan along with the cold butter to balance the reduction's acidity.
Issues
- medium / flavor: The salt distribution slightly over-seasons the salmon while leaving the corn underseasoned (1/4 tsp salt provides only half the 1% salinity target for about 250g of vegetables) and the beurre blanc completely unseasoned. Adjusting the amounts will better balance the dish.
- low / cookability: The butter for the beurre blanc is diced during prep in step 2 but is not used until step 6. Because a stable beurre blanc relies on very cold butter to emulsify properly, letting the butter sit at room temperature during prep and cooking increases the risk of a broken sauce.
Strengths
- Excellent use of seasonal, contrasting ingredients that will present beautifully.
- Precise pulling temperatures and a smart, concise formatting style for preparation steps.
- Perfect adherence to concise referencing of prepared ingredients in later steps.