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Salmon With Walnuts and Dried Cranberries

Makes 4 entree servings

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries, soaked in 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh horseradish, or 2 tablespoons bottled horseradish, drained
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin on
• 1 pound flat-leaf spinach, trimmed of thick stems, washed, and dried
• 2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter with the shallots in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until the shallots are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the white wine and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Pour the orange juice from the cranberries into the saucepan (set the cranberries aside). Reduce the orange juice to just 1/4 cup. Off the heat, whisk in the remaining 7 tablespoons butter, a tablespoon at a time. Add the horseradish and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep in a warm spot, away from the direct heat – or the sauce will break.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large saute pan (nonstick if possible) over high heat. (Use two pans if all the fish won't fit comfortably in a single pan.) Sprinkle the salmon liberally with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, almost smoking, add the salmon fillets, skin side up, and sear until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Do not try to move the fillets until they've gotten a good sear, or they'll stick to the pan. Flip and cook on the other side. A 2-inch thick fillet will take 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium.

While the salmon is cooking, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing, until the spinach has just wilted, a minute or so. Add the walnuts and cranberries and cook for another 30 seconds to heat everything through.

Place a quarter of the spinach and cranberries in the center of each of the four warm plates. Set the salmon skin side up over the spinach. Spoon the sauce around the plates. Serve immediately.

(From “ In the Hands of A Chef ” by Jody Adams and Ken Rivard, William Morrow)

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