Plan B for a Rainy Day

After 3 years of anticipation, my husband and I have finally built our rooftop deck. We didn’t actually build it; we had it built. So, what is the first thing we did? We immediately bought a barbecue grill to take advantage of the summer days with some outdoor cooking and dining.

After two days of grilling steaks, chicken, and shrimp, it was time for some fish. My husband picked up a beautiful wild salmon, and I was planning on a great dry rub for the salmon before throwing it on the grill. But then the clouds came, followed by some flashes of lightning, and finally the downpour. So, grilling was no longer an option. How about the grill pan indoors? The last thing I wanted to add to our already hot and humid home was another ten degrees, not to mention the lovely fish aroma permeating every room in the house. Hmmm…what to do on a rainy day with a nice hunk of fish? Something comforting. For both the stomach and the soul. Soup? Too hot. Chowder? Too creamy. Gumbo? Just right!

Wild Salmon Gumbo

2 tablespoons butter
Poblano pepper
Red bell pepper
2 medium carrots
3 sprigs of thyme
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon bay seasoning
1/2 cup parsley
1 1/2 lbs salmon
5 Roma tomatoes
1 quart Vegetable stock
1/2 a big red onion or 1 small onion

Roux ingredients:
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups milk

Set oven to highest temperature or 450 degrees and roast tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and salt and pepper for 20 minutes.

Chop the onion, red pepper, poblano, carrots, and sauté with butter on medium high in a soup pot. Add sprigs of thyme, spices, and then add roasted tomatoes. Add the vegetable stock and bring to boil. Cover with lid, and let it simmer.

Season salmon well with salt and pepper and lay it on a baking sheet (on parchment paper). Place it in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, in a sauce pan, make the roux:
On medium high heat melt butter, add flour, and whisk for three minutes. Then whisk in the milk for 3-4 minutes as roux thickens and becomes a golden brown color.

Ladle a batch of liquid from the soup pot to the roux and then transfer all the roux into the soup pout and stir.

Remove salmon from oven and let it rest. Remove skin if desired, and cut or flake salmon into 1 1/2 inch pieces.

Pour two ladles of the gumbo into into a bowl. Place 5-6 pieces of the salmon in the center. Garnish the bowl with chopped parsley and serve.

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