Recipe Detail Page

1 To make the black-olive crumb, preheat oven to 250°F (120°C).

2 Spread olives out on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 hours or overnight until thoroughly dry. In a mini-chop, chop olives finely, then spread out between 2 layers of paper towels to drain excess oil. (Crumb can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)

3 To make the cured salmon, combine salt and sugar, then sprinkle generously all over salmon. Put salmon in a single layer in a deep dish, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

4 Rinse salmon in cold water and pat dry. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or until ready to cook.

5 To make the sweet and sour pepper sauce, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until onion starts to soften, about 5 minutes. Add red peppers and salt and cook, stirring, until onion and peppers are almost soft but not brown, about 12 minutes.

6 Stir in sugar until dissolved. Add vinegar and bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Boil, stirring occasionally, until vinegar has reduced to a glaze, 1 to 2 minutes.

7 Add about 1 cup (250 mL) water (enough to just cover peppers). Bring to a boil and boil, stirring occasionally, until about three-quarters of water has evaporated, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

8 In a blender, purée pepper mixture until very smooth, adding 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30 mL) of water if mixture is too thick to purée. Strain through a fine sieve, discarding solids. Taste purée and add more vinegar, sugar and/or salt to taste. Refrigerate for up to 24 hours or until ready to serve.

9 To make the seared artichokes, combine vinegar, olive oil and peppercorns in a large saucepan. Trim stems and tops from artichokes and remove all outer leaves, dropping artichokes into saucepan and coating them with vinegar mixture as you work. Add just enough water to saucepan to cover artichokes. Season with salt to taste.

10 Bring to a boil over high heat, weighing artichokes down with a small plate to keep them submerged. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer until tender, 5 to 15 minutes depending on size.

11 Drain artichokes, let cool, then cut in half lengthwise and pat dry on paper towels. If central chokes are quite hairy, scoop them out with a tiny spoon. Refrigerate for up to 4 hours or until ready to serve.

12 To make the artichoke chips, heat canola oil in a large, deep saucepan to 325°F (160°C).

13 Trim stems and tops from artichokes and remove outer leaves. Cut artichokes in half lengthwise and, if necessary, scoop out hairy chokes with a tiny spoon. Using a mandoline slicer, thinly slice artichokes, flat-sides down. Immediately fry, in batches, until golden brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and season with salt to taste. Set aside at room temperature for up to 4 hours.

14 Just before serving, preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

15 Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add yellow pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Scrape out pepper into a small bowl and keep warm.

16 Heat remaining oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add artichoke halves, cut-sides down, and cook, without turning, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large oiled heavy skillet over high heat. Add salmon, skin-side down, and sear for 30 seconds. Flip salmon and sear for 30 seconds. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until just cooked but still coral-coloured in centre, 4 to 5 minutes.

17 To serve, spoon about 2 tbsp (30 mL) sweet and sour pepper sauce onto each of 4 warm dinner plates. Place a piece of salmon just off-centre on each plate. Scatter sautéed yellow pepper on each plate, along with 3 pieces of seared artichoke. Sprinkle salmon with black-olive crumb and finish each plate with a few artichoke chips.