Salmon Pasta (serves three to four people)

• 16 oz. fresh salmon (two fillets)
• 8 oz. Mushrooms (mix and match)
• 2 large cloves of garlic (minced)
• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons of capers (drained)
• 8 oz. heavy cream
• 8 oz. chicken stock (may be made up from bullion)
• 4 oz. white wine (optional but nice)
• 2 oz. virgin olive oil
• 2 oz. butter
• 16 oz. package of dried tagliatelle pasta (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagliatelle)
• 8 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)

This is really a simple recipe even though it looks like there is a lot going on here at first glance.  The whole thing takes about 20 minutes and for our purposes it would be best to use a combination of campfire and gas stove just to have a bit more room and control.

You are going to need a LARGE sauté pan (skillet), a large pot for the pasta and some sort of grill, plank or skewer to cook the salmon.  I’m going to assume that you have a small grill if not, you can cut the salmon into chunks and run several skewers through it in order to cook it over the fire.  If you really want to impress the crowd you could also strap it to a cedar plank with some kitchen twine and prop the plank up in front of the fire for about twenty minutes.  

Start by putting your biggest pot on or in the fire so the water can get up to a boil. (rub liquid soap on the outside of the pot to make cleaning it slightly easier when you are done).  Pasta usually takes around ten minutes to cook so the water has to be boiling about halfway through cooking the salmon. You can take the salmon off the fire earlier if you need to because it is going in with the sauce which will heat it through and finish cooking it if needed.

Cut the mushrooms into chunky slices; mince the garlic and the rosemary leaves, taking care to remove the woody bits of stem from the rosemary if there are any.  

Throw your olive oil in the pan on the stove at medium heat and throw in the garlic and rosemary to sauté for a few minutes to infuse the oil.  Next throw in the capers, shake the pan a little and then throw in the butter followed by the mushrooms. Toss it to coat the mushrooms and then leave it alone for a while so that the flavors come together and the mushrooms get a nice brown color. Mostly make sure that the oil does not get so hot that it begins to smoke. That is too hot.

Here is a variation where I have added scallions in place of the garlic. I have also used leeks in place of or in addition to the garlic when the mood hits me.

Put the salmon on the grill and have someone keep an eye on it. It is going to cook for about 6 to eight minutes per side depending on how thick it is. Most people (like me) tend to overcook it which is not really needed. Remember, it will cook some more when it is added to the sauce. First you want to give it some of the flavor from the fire and a little color. I usually salt and pepper the salmon before it goes on the grill and if you like you can rub some olive oil on it ahead of the salt and pepper.

Crank up your stove to medium high heat and pour your white wine into the sauté pan all at once (after you take a taste for yourself). The smell of the wine evaporating will probably bring several curious campers over to the cooking area so be prepared to shoo them away. Next add the chicken stock to the pan and let it reduce in volume for about five minutes on high heat. You should have steam coming off the pan now.  Stir the contents of the pan and slowly add the heavy cream to the mix. Keep stirring so the cream does not curdle.

The pasta should be done so take it off the fire and carefully drain it (don’t burn yourself). Add the pasta to the bubbling sauce and toss or stir gently. Remove the salmon from the fire, take off the skin and break the salmon into large chunks as you add it into the sauce.  Now everything should be happily together in one place. Reduce the heat and let the pasta simmer while everyone else washes their hands for dinner.

Serve in bowls or on plates with salt and pepper to taste. Throw some grated cheese on top to finish it.

Shown here with some grilled asparagus on the side.