Salmon Croquet with Quail Eggs

This is not a croquette, that’s a deep fried roll. It’s a croquet.

Ingredients (Serves 3):
1 pkg. English Muffins (Nooks and Crannies)
2 center cut farm-raised salmon fillets
Dill Cream (see below)
6 Quail Eggs (Order online)
Hot sauce of your choosing, I use Tapatío
Olive Oil
Asparagus

Season the salmon fillets with Kosher salt and white pepper, then let them come to room temperature (about 20 mins). Heat a non-stick skillet medium, then add a light drizzle of olive oil. Add one piece of the salmon, skin side up and leave be for 4 minutes. Set a timer for each turn and turn on your oven fan.

Rotate the fillet to one side and cook for 2 mins, then repeat on the other side. Adjust your stove-top temperature in mild increments throughout the process, maintaining sizzle without smoke or spatter.

Finish with the skin side down for 1 minute, remove from the heat and set on a cooling rack. Cook the other piece of fish.

For the Dill Cream (aka Jeff’s Tatziki)

1 medium tub Sour Cream
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
2 sprigs fresh dill
2 tbsps lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, diced
Salt and pepper

Add the sour cream to a large mixing bowl with a spatula. Mince the fresh dill and 2 cloves of garlic and add to the sour cream along with the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper and stir evenly.

Shave the asparagus fine using a peeler, then lightly oil the English muffins and toast them in your broiler oven.

For the Quail Eggs

Prep the eggs using a pairing knife. With the egg laying on it’s side, cut out an elliptical hole on the top doing your best to not rupture the yolk sac. Place them in a small bowl two at a time, then use that to add them to the heated pan. This way the yolks stay close together and you don’t have to rush. The eggs will cook quickly, so focus on nothing else and do it up good!

Plating
Remove the salmon skin by hand and slice into strips with a knife or pizza cutter. Flake the rest of the fillets with a fork. If any part of the fish is still to rare throw it back in the skillet until it’s a lighter shade of pink.

Add a generous layer of the dill cream to the English muffins and follow it up with a bed of the shaved asparagus. Top with the cooked salmon, salmon skin strips, fried quail eggs and hot sauce and you’re there!