Free Around the Passover Table by Jayne Cohen Page B

at least 1 hour before serving.
    MAKE the herb oil. Combine the chives, dill, about 3 ⁄ 4 of the oil, and a generous pinch of salt in a blender. Blend on high, stopping to stir down as needed, until roughly pureed. Remove the blender cap and with the machine on, drizzle in the remaining oil. Continue processing until you have a smooth puree. Scrape the puree into a bowl, stir in the horseradish and salt to taste. Cover and set aside to let the flavors mingle.
    PREPARE the fish: preheat the oven to 250°F. Cut the salmon crosswise into 8 equal slices and bring the fish to room temperature. Choose a shallow roasting pan large enough to accommodate the salmon slices in a single layer, and smear it with some of the oil.
    COAT the fish on both sides with the oil. Stir together the paprika, salt and pepper to taste and massage into the flesh. Place the fish skin side down in the pan and scatter the herbs on top.
    SLOW-ROAST the salmon. The exact cooking time will vary according to your taste and the thickness of the fish. For a seder, I prefer to serve it medium, cooked about 25 minutes: just cooked through, showing the slightest bit of translucence at the thickest part, the skin easily peeled off. Even when completely cooked through, the salmon will look rare, since it will still be brightly colored throughout. The buttery flesh will not flake as you are used to, but instead will gently separate into layers when you poke it.
    TO serve, pull off and discard the salmon skin and brush away the herbs. Use a spatula to slide each salmon slice onto a plate, sprinkle with a little coarse salt, and drizzle with the herb oil. Scoop a large dollop of the relish alongside and garnish with dill leaves. Pass the remaining herb oil separately.

    COOK’S NOTE : You can prepare the relish about 2 days ahead, without loss of flavor.
    Leftover herb oil is wonderful stirred into mashed potatoes, soups, mayonnaise, and vinaigrettes, or stippled on fish, chicken, or vegetables.

    Fish in Tomato, Rhubarb, and Blood-Orange Sauce
    Yield: 6 to 8 appetizer or main course servings
    Tomato’s unexpected coupling with puckery rhubarb blossoms into a delightful marriage of flavors here. Worlds apart from the flat tomato-based sweet-and-sour foods I loathed growing up, this Sephardi fish classic sparkles with a cool, clean tang. I add just a bit of honey, relying more on caramelized onions, bright blood oranges, and the sweet heat of fresh ginger for the subtle but complex sweetening needed to tease the ingredients together seamlessly.
    I steam or poach the fish separately, rather than cooking it directly in the sauce as many recipes suggest, because the liquid it exudes makes the fish too watery.
    Flavored with early spring rhubarb, Greek and Turkish Jews often serve this as a fish entree at their seders. But it is equally fine as a refreshing main course, at room temperature or chilled—especially when the weather grows warm, and delicious hot as well.
    Because the flavors of the sauce demand time to fully develop, this is an excellent choice for make-ahead schedules. You can prepare the sauce up to three days ahead, and cook the fish just before serving (plan on extra time for cooling/chilling the fish if you are not serving it warm). Or make the fish when you prepare the sauce, and chill it, covered with sauce, until serving.
    FOR THE SAUCE
    3 medium blood oranges (if not available, substitute 2 large, juicy navel oranges)
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    2 cups finely chopped onion
    1 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
    About 1 tablespoon orange blossom or other light floral honey
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 pound rhubarb, ends trimmed (discard leaves; they can be toxic), tough strings removed with a vegetable peeler, and stalks cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)
    1 cup fresh orange juice
    Generous pinch of ground cinnamon
    2 cups canned, peeled plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), coarsely chopped, and 1 ⁄ 2