Café Salmon from Sideways

Café Salmon from Sideways

Chef Nat Ely of
Los Olivos Café

The Los Olivos Café was honored to host the setting of the double-date meal in Sideways, where Miles & Jack (Paul Giamatti & Thomas Haden Church) meet the Santa Ynez Wine Country ladies (Virginia Madsen & Sandra Oh) for dinner. The film’s director Alexander Payne asked us to prepare a sumptuous meal for them– a real repast that would be memorable without Merlot, natch – and so I came up with the following Café Salmon recipe. I was disappointed that the Sideways scene, as written, called for Miles to leave the table before finishing his delicious dinner (despite Jack’s admonishment not to “drink and dial”), but that’s showbiz. If you prepare this dish at home, I guarantee you friends and family will not leave the table so easily….  

Café Salmon (Serves 4)

For the Potatoes:

• 1lb Red creamer potatoes
• 6 cups canola oilSalt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place potatoes in a pot of salted water and cook until tender. Remove from water and cool. Heat oil to 350 degrees, lightly break potatoes in half and place in oil. Deep fry until crispy and light brown, reserve.

For the sauce:

• 2 cups white wine
• 1 shallot
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 1 lemon whole, sliced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 16oz butterSalt to taste

Method:

In a medium pot, place wine, shallot, bay leaf, peppercorns and lemon. Reduce to ¼ cup liquid. Add cream and reduce by half. Remove from heat and strain through chinois. Whisk in butter and reserve.

For the fish:

• 4 each 6oz portions wild king salmon
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a hot pan, lightly caramelize or brown the salmon face down. Turn over with a spatula, cook for 2-3 minutes on medium low heat, remove pan from heat. Leave fillets in pan and let heat transfer through fillet.

For the salad:

• 2 small bulbs of fennel
• 1 medium red onion
• 1# vine ripe tomatoes
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 6 cloves of garlic
• ½ cup white wineSalt and pepper to taste

Method:

Trim stalks and root mass from fennel bulb and discard. Shave bulb with mandoline or slice thinly with knife. Peel the red onion and julienne. Dice tomatoes and slice the garlic. In a warmpan, caramelize garlic, add fennel, red onion and deglaze with white wine. Add tomatoes, wilt spinach and season to taste.

Plating:

Arrange crispy potatoes in the center of a large soup plate. Spoon fennel and tomato salad on top of potatoes. Place fish on top of salad. Ladle sauce to coat fish. Garnish with snipped chives.

-Enjoy with Fiddlehead Sauvignon Blanc-

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