Light but hearty. Winter cooking can be tricky. We want something comforting, but we don’t necessarily want to over-indulge like it’s the holidays all over again. Good news: The Fulton’s Ume Sesame Seed Crusted Salmon with Sunchokes and Shellfish Potage will meet both these needs. Even better: the dish is on the restaurant’s winter Restaurant Week menus, available through February 12, 2023. During this promotion, The Fulton’s two-course prix fixe lunch is $60, available Monday through Friday, and the three-course prix-fixe dinner, also $60, is available on Sundays.

Perhaps you’ve already tried the salmon and fallen for its charms? You’re in luck. Here, The Fulton’s Executive Chef, Noah Poses, walks us through how to make it at home. 

“The dish uses different flavors of the sea in a few components,” Chef Noah explains. “The broth is made from fish bones, there’s the brininess from the shellfish, and umami and ocean flavor from the fresh seaweed that we add to the sauce. The sunchokes bring in earthiness, while a good amount of acid, fresh lemon, and herbs give the dish freshness. The ume sesame seeds are made from the liquid that is used to pickle ume plums. It’s my favorite sesame seed—salty and umami.”

For Fumet Potage →

The potage (a stock thickened with potato, like a stew) is made in four separate steps as outlined below. You can make the potage up to 24 hours ahead of serving the whole dish.

Set #1
12.5 cup Water
1 ea Fish head, from a 3lb fish, such as black bass
Fishbones, from a 3lb fish, such as black bass
1.25 cup Onion  
1/8 cup Galangal (Ginger’s more citrusy and sweeter cousin)
1/8 cup Ginger
3 ea Garlic cloves
1 pc Kombu (Dried kelp), 4inx4in
1/2 cup Leeks
1/2 cup Fennel

Set #2
8 ea Lemon, peel (from 8 lemons)
3 stem Dill
2 ea Thai chili, cut in half

Set #3
8 cup Fumet (Set 1 + Set 2 combined)      
2 cup Yukon potatoes
.15 cup Salt

Steps

1. Place all ingredients from Set #1 in a pressure cooker for 6 minutes. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, place in a pot with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain after. 

2. Steep all ingredients from Set #2 in Set #1 for 15 minutes.

3. Place Yukon Potatoes in a separate pot with water and cook until tender.

4. Place all ingredients (including the cooked potatoes) together in a blender and blend until smooth.

For Sunchokes →

2 cup Sunchoke
1/8 cup Grapeseed Oil
1 sprig Thyme
1 sprig Rosemary
1 tbl Salt

Steps

Cut the sides of the sunchoke off so it has a flat surface to lay on, roast in oven at 400°F for 10 min, or until tender.

For Salmon & Serving →

6 oz Salmon (Ume Seed Crusted)
4-5 pc Sunchoke
3 oz Potage
4 ea Manilla clams (cook till open and the remove from shell)
8 ea Periwinkles, cooked and deshelled. Can use another type of shellfish, or another clam.
2  ea Lemon segments, diced
1 tsp Red and green seaweed, chopped
1 tsp Chives
4 pc  Dill, for garnish
Yellow yuzu zest or Thai lime

Steps

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Brush egg white on one side of the Salmon filet and crust with Ume Sesame Seeds.

3. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and water on your cooking tray and place your piece of salmon in the oven, cook for approx. 6 minutes.

4. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil in a sauté pan, place your sunchokes in, and cook until deep golden brown. If needed, cook the rest of the way in the oven.

5. Place the Fumet Potage, manilla clams, periwinkles and seaweed in a pot and bring to a boil.

06. To plate, place salmon down first (sesame seed side up) and then the sunchokes. Drizzle the potage over the sunchokes and finish with lemon and chives. Garnish with dill and zest with yuzu.

07. Enjoy!