Sake-Poached Salmon with Wilted Greens and Shallot Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 0.3 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 1 tablespoon olive oil extravirgin
• 0.5 inch ginger fresh peeled thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons honey 
• 2 tablespoons juice of lemon 
• 2 teaspoons soya sauce low-sodium
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 
• 0.5 cup sake rice wine
• 24 ounce salmon fillet 
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 2.5 tablespoons shallots minced
• 3 ounces spinach leaves 
• 8 ounces swiss chard trimmed chopped
• 1 cup water 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• whisk

Directions

1. To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Slowly add olive oil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Set aside.
2. To prepare salmon, combine 1 cup water, sake, and ginger in a large saut pan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and add salmon to pan. Cover and simmer 6 minutes.
3. Remove salmon and ginger from pan. Discard the ginger.
4. Add Swiss chard and spinach to pan; cook 2 minutes or until wilted. Stir in salt and pepper. Divide the spinach mixture evenly among 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 salmon fillet; drizzle each serving with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette.
5. Wine note: With the lively and abundant acidity of lemon juice, rice wine vinegar, and sake, this dish needs a bright, fresh wine to match. Try an affordable Austrian grner veltliner like Loimer Lois 2006 ($14), with its refreshing lemon-lime and grapefruit flavors, and hints of English peas and beeswax. The slightly green, herbal finish permits it to complement the Swiss chard. Jeffery Lindenmuth