Weekly Recipe: BBQ Salmon From The Oakville In Chicago

Chicago is a foodie city worth traveling to, but you don’t need to take our word for it. Just try Chef Max Robbins’ recipe for barbecue salmon with cheesy grits and grilled green onion, as featured on the Northern Californian-inspired menu of The Oakville Grill & Cellar.

“With regards to California cuisine, people think light and bright and delicate,” chef Robbins says, “but since The Oakville is so centered on comfort food, we wanted to make a dish that was warming, deep, rich and very savory. Because salmon is such a firm and buttery fish, we can cook it in the style of barbecue in our coal oven. The glazed smokey fish sits on a bed of toasted grits with aged Gouda and a broth made from barbecue sauce, chicken stock vinegar and kale stems.”

See also: Weekly Recipe: Carolina Gold Rice Risotto By Le Jardinier In NYC

Robbins and his team take no-waste cooking very seriously, so they use leftover kale stems when making this barbecue sauce, and that’s something you might appreciate, too. The team says it gives the sauce a deeper flavor, similar to how southern cooks use stew greens in the region’s popular “potlikker” sauces.

This recipe yields four servings, and you’ll find those get gobbled up mighty fast! Get the freshest salmon fillets you can, whip up some homemade barbecue sauce (or jus, as chef Robbins says), impress your friends and family with your cheesy grits, and have fun!

BBQ Faroe Island Salmon with Cheesy Grits and Grilled Green Onion

Ingredients:

Salmon

• 4 portions of salmon, 6 oz each
• ½ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
• 1 cup cooked cheesy grits, recipe to follow
• ½ cup barbecue jus, recipe to follow
• 8 to 16 ramps or green onions*
• Olive oil for grilling ramps
• Kosher salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

*Chef’s note: If you can’t find ramps, green onions are a great replacement.

Cheesy Grits

• 1 ⅔ cups grits
• ½ cup chopped onions
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 4 ⅔ cups milk
• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup gouda, shredded
• 1 tsp salt

Barbecue Jus

• 1⅛ cups of your favorite BBQ sauce
• 2 cups chicken stock, unsalted
• 1 bunch black kale or collard greens
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• ¾ tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar

Directions:

Salmon

1. Preheat the oven or grill to 450F.
2. Brush the tops of each salmon portion with your favorite barbecue sauce and then salt.
3. Place salmon on a sheet tray and bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or place directly on the top rack of a hot grill, cover and grill for 15 to 20 minutes.
4. On a baking sheet, arrange ramps, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss until well coated. Place ramps on the hot side of the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until tender and charred, about 2 minutes. If not using a grill, sauté them in a large pan for about 2 minutes.
5. While the salmon cooks, ensure that the grits and jus are hot for serving.
6. For serving, place ¼ cup of the cooked grits at the center of each plate. Next, place a portion of salmon atop the grits. Then, surrounding the grits, carefully sauce around 2 tablespoons of the barbecue jus. Top each plate with grilled ramps or green onions.

Cheesy Grits

1. In a large saucepan, sweat the garlic and onion with salt in a quarter of the butter.
2. Add the grits and toast.
3. Add the milk and cook until thick, about 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Fold in the remaining butter and all of the cheese. Mix well and reserve.

Visit The Oakville Grill & Cellar in Chicago and online for more delicious dishes and inspiration.