What's the Dish? Salmon Tower from Pusser's
By James Houck
Photos by Tony Lewis, Jr
June heralds the summer season, which for our culinary purposes in this month’s column conjures fresh fruit and vegetables, a touch of barbeque, and fresh seafood. These three elements come together deliciously in what is one of the best dishes we have tasted since the inception of this column several years ago. Executive Chef James Eriksen of Pusser’s Caribbean Grille offers not one, but three, recipes which altogether energize a light protein, in this case salmon. After enjoying his step-by-step recipe(s) demonstration, we discussed his culinary background.
What’s Up?: How did your culinary career begin?
James Eriksen: I worked as a cook when I was in high school. After high school I got a job at Muirfield Village Golf club in Dublin Ohio, a rather prestigious club that had some very talented chef’s. That’s where I actually began “real” cooking and fell in love with the culinary field.
WU: Describe the culinary influence present in your dishes.
JE: Pusser’s, being a Caribbean restaurant, has its roots firmly planted in the West Indies. The Caribbean has many different cultures that influence their dishes, Dutch, French, English, Spanish, African, etc…, which allows us to infuse a lot of different flavors, spices, and textures. We also have our waterfront location on the Annapolis harbor, which allows us to blend in some traditional Chesapeake and Maryland Cuisine as well. I like to think it all comes together for unique dining experiences.
WU: How did you come to work at this restaurant?
JE: I moved to Annapolis area in the early 1980’s and worked in Hotels from Baltimore to D.C. I was always looking for a place that would allow me to have more creative control over the menus. When I interviewed with Pusser’s they were looking for someone to be just that person and I have been working here for the past 14 years.
WU: What do you like most about your job?
JE: Besides the creative menu control, I like the variety the job has to offer. We have a very Caribbean restaurant menu with a lot of local Chesapeake flair, a great catering operation for the entire hotel which is more traditional continental cuisine and myself and my Sous Chef’s do daily specials which allows us to keep up with new trends, a evolving market of products, and keep the creative flair going. We also have the opportunities to do weekly and monthly specials. We get fish shipped to us from Florida and Hawaii, specialty produce from California and if the local crab meat market dries up we have a direct relationship with one of the biggest crab picking facilities in the Carolina’s. All these things help keep the job fun, challenging, and rewarding.
WU: How difficult is the dish to make at home?
JE: Start to finish, I made the whole thing in about an hour from scratch. There is a good bit of knife work to do, but to make it easier and actually a little better make the rum barbecue sauce and the curried mango salsa the day before. It saves a lot of time and makes it taste a little better, the flavors meld together when allowed to sit overnight like chili or spaghetti sauce does. Then all you have to do is grill the salmon and makes the whipped yams.
WU: What makes this dish special to you?
JE: It takes a local favorite, salmon, and turns it into a uniquely Caribbean dish with great eye appeal and crisp fresh flavors that you won’t find anywhere else.
Salmon Tower with Mango Salsa, Caribbean Rum Barbeque Sauce, and Whipped Yams
4 servings
Mango Salsa (can be prepared day before)
2 ripe mangos
1/4 cup each diced: red pepper, onion, cucumber (de-seeded and skinned), plum tomato (de-seeded), diced scallion, grilled corn kernels (white corn is best)
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. curry paste
1/4 cup Coco Lopez (optional)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
Pinch of ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel and cut flesh away from seed on mangos. Dice into 1/2 inch cubes. Place half the mangos in a blender with a little water and puree into sauce consistency. Pour the puree into a heavy sauce pan, add sugar, and bring to a boil. 1) When sugar is dissolved into puree, reduce heat, and add cumin, curry, and Coco Lopez. Continue simmering until syrupy thick. 2) Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Caribbean Rum Barbeque Sauce (can be prepared day before)
1 cup mustard-based barbeque sauce (or your favorite)
2 tbsp. jerk sauce (or Worcestershire)
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup Pusser’s Rum (or dark rum or your choice)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1/2–1 tbsp. jerk seasoning (to your taste)
1 tbsp. rum extract
Bring all ingredients to a boil, except barbeque sauce. 3) Induce flame-up by lighting vapors with long-stemmed lighter (NOTE: use fire safety precautions when attempting any cooking method involving flammable ingredients and/or high heat). 4) After flame-up is over (alcohol burned off), add barbeque sauce, return to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.
Whipped Yams
1 lb. yams, peeled and cubed
1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
Pinch of jerk seasoning
Pinch of allspice
Salt and pepper to taste
Place yams and potatoes in a pan with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Allow to simmer about 10 minutes or until both are tender. Cube butter and place in mixing bowl with jerk seasoning and allspice. Drain yams and potatoes well, place on top of butter in mixing bowl, and allow several minutes to melt butter. 5) With potato masher (or wooden spoon), smash and mix until smooth and even. Add heavy cream slowly until proper consistency is reached. Salt and pepper to taste. Hold warm until ready to serve.
Salmon Tower
4 eight oz. filets fresh salmon
Prepare grill (charcoal or gas) to medium high heat, as well as preheat oven to 400° F. Grill each salmon filet over direct medium high heat approximately 2 minutes per side. Baste with Caribbean Rum Barbeque Sauce. 6) Remove filet from grill to oven safe dish and finish in oven about 6 minutes. Remove from oven and place salmon over bed of Whipped Yams. Top with Mango Salsa and lightly drizzle with barbeque sauce.
To watch the video of Chef James Eriksen preparing this delightful creation, click here!
Salmon Tower
Pusser's
Jim Erikson
Chef Jim Eriksen
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