The Salmon and Pecan Meatballs are dedicated to the mini TV series “True Detective: Night Country”, winner of the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Mini Series for Jodie Foster, for the Golden Globe Menu of the section “Building Menus”.
Wild Alaskan salmon cooked in oil bath and then wrapped in a pecan crumble to form small finger food style meatballs cooked in an air fryer and accompanied by sour cream.
Oil bath cooking allows for low temperature oil cooking of meat, fish, and vegetables.
A method that preserves the flavors of the food because the hot oil forms a sort of protective film that prevents the juices from escaping.
For a perfect oil bath cooking, the oil temperature should be between 104°F and 176°F (40°C and 80°C); I opted for cooking at 131°F (55°C) for about 15 minutes; the oil should be hot but should never reach boiling.
True Detective: Night Country is the fourth season of True Detective, an American anthology crime series created by Nic Pizzolatto, which debuted on January 14, 2024, on HBO.
The season is set in the fictional town of Ennis, in Alaska, and follows the investigation into the disappearance of eight men from a research station.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Air Frying, Other
- Cuisine: Contemporary
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 1.3 lbs wild Alaskan salmon
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4.2 cups extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon (zest)
- to taste long pepper grains
- to taste juniper
- 2.5 cups pecan nuts
Tools
- 1 Thermometer for food
- 1 Air fryer
Steps
Marinate the salmon with salt, sugar, and lemon zest.
In a pot, pour the oil, add the long pepper and juniper, and bring it to a temperature of 131°F (55°C) using a sous vide or by monitoring with a kitchen thermometer. The oil must NOT boil.
Submerge the salmon (it must be completely covered in oil) and cook at a constant temperature for 15 minutes.
Let cool and extract the salmon flesh, ensuring there are no bones or skin.
Chop the pecan nuts and toast them in a pan.
Form small meatballs with the salmon, roll them in the pecan crumble, and cook in an air fryer at 347°F (175°C) (or fan oven at 374°F/190°C) for 4 minutes (with the oven for 5 minutes).
You can purchase the box set of True Detective: seasons 1 to 4 online.
Oil Bath Cooking Technique
Known as Confit cooking, it is a French technique used for preserving meat, later transformed into a cooking technique, where foods were cooked, unlike now, for very long times.
Known as Confit cooking, it is a French technique used for preserving meat, later transformed into a cooking technique, where foods were cooked, unlike now, for very long times.
The cooking in oil at low temperature is indicated for cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, peppers, and generally for vegetables that do not absorb oil, as well as for fish (squid, salmon, tuna, etc.) and meats like beef, lamb, rabbit, chicken, duck, goose, and generally all meats that tend to become too dry.
