"Fried and then pickled sweet and sour fish, typically sardines, are a staple cicchetti served in the bacari of Venice," says Mark Perrier, chef and co-owner of Vancouver's Osteria Savio Volpe.
"In this version, I've substituted fatty wild spring salmon belly for the sardines. The richness of the oily fish, bright acidity of the onions, and sweetness of the raisins work together to pair beautifully with any number of classic Italian aperitivos served at the start of a meal."
Servings: 4
Spring Salmon Belly en Saor
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup raisins
2 pounds spring salmon belly, cut into 1 inch by 2 inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup olive oil
2 large sweet white onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup pine nuts
Method
Combine wine and raisins in a bowl and soak for 30 minutes; drain, and set aside.
Season salmon with salt and pepper and then dredge lightly in flour.
Heat half of the olive oil in a pan until smoking and fry the salmon until golden on both sides; cool.
Heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat in the same skillet used to cook the salmon.
Add onion and cook until it begins to caramelize, roughly 10 to 12 minutes.
Add vinegar, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
Stir in raisins, nuts and season with salt and pepper to taste; let cool.
Place half the salmon on bottom of an 8x8-inch dish; cover with half the onion mixture.
Place remaining salmon on top and cover with remaining onion mixture.
Marinate in refrigerator for minimum of 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Serve with bread.
Makes 12.