Wild Alaska Salmon with White Corn Grits and Sungold Tomato Salsa

From: Chef Jason Wilson, Crush, Seattle, WA. Yield: 4 servings.

1 cup mascarpone cheese

1¼ cups whole milk

1¼ cups chicken broth

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

2 bay leaves

3 Tbsp. bacon fat

1 Tbsp. kosher salt

¾ cup instant white corn grits

1 Tbsp. minced chives

4 (4-6 oz. each) Wild Alaska Salmon, skin-on

½ cup olive oil

½ dill pickle

½ cup chives, chopped fine

zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. capers, smashed and chopped

1 cup sungold or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

3 anchovy fillets, well-chopped

to taste, salt

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

4 sprigs fresh dill

For grits: Bring the mascarpone, milk and chicken broth to a simmer in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the nutmeg, bay leaves, bacon fat and salt; simmer 2 minutes. Whisk in the grits. Bring to a simmer, then turn down heat and whisk constantly for 5 to 7 minutes, until thick and creamy. Stir in 1 Tbsp. chives. Remove from heat; keep warm.

Preheat oven to 250°F. Season Wild Alaska Salmon with salt on the skin side only; allow salmon to rest for 15 minutes. In a nonreactive bowl, mix ¼ cup olive oil with dill, ½ cup chives, lemon zest and juice, capers, tomatoes, red wine vinegar and anchovies to create a salsa. Saute garlic in 2 Tbsp. olive oil until toasted, then add to salsa.

Place salmon fillets on spray-coated baking pan. Cover salmon with dill and rosemary sprigs and bake skin-side up for 20-25 minutes just until opaque throughout. Serve each salmon fillet over ½ cup grits, then top with ⅓ cup salsa.