Baked Salmon with Bulgur Stuffing

From the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Introduction

Here is a guaranteed way to impress guests. Serve a baked fish stuffed with nutty, aromatic bulgur. This is simple if you don’t allow the sight of a whole fish to intimidate you. It is best to order a whole fish a couple of days in advance. If one is not available or all are very large, use 4 pounds of large fillets; begin to check temperature after fifteen minutes in the oven and you cook all the stuffing separately.

Ingredients

Bulgur Stuffing

Steps

1. To make stuffing, in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat, bring stock or broth to a simmer. In a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add onion and pine nuts and sauté, stirring frequently, until onion begins to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add bell pepper, and cook until it begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Add bulgur and stir to coat with oil. Add simmering broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow mixture to simmer, uncovered, until all liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley. Let mixture cool completely.
2. Preheat oven to 400 F. Rinse salmon inside and out under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Cover a large rimmed baking sheet, about 11-by-17 inches, with aluminum foil. Butter foil. Place whole salmon on foil. If pan is not large enough, remove head and/or tail with a heavy-bladed knife after transferring salmon to a cutting board. Sprinkle inside of fish cavity with lemon juice. Spoon cooled stuffing into cavity, mounding it fully and allowing some to tumble out. Place any remaining stuffing in a buttered baking dish. Pour white wine over fish. Cover both salmon and additional pan of stuffing with buttered aluminum foil.
3. Bake salmon for 30 minutes. Remove foil from salmon and place dish of additional stuffing in oven. Begin to check temperature of salmon after another 10 minutes. When salmon is done, an instant-read thermometer should register 130ºF to 140°F when inserted in the thickest part of fish. We prefer our fish at 130°F, when it is a slightly “custardy” texture near bone. If you prefer your fish firmer, cook longer.
4. Remove fish from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Remove pan of stuffing from oven. Peel away top skin of salmon. If desired, transfer salmon to a large, heated serving platter. This will require supporting it with 2 large spatulas. Alternatively, serve directly from baking sheet. Garnish platter or sheet with sprigs of parsley.
5. To serve, split top side of fish down center above backbone. Cut squares from each long half and slide off bone with a spatula. Serve each piece with a generous portion of stuffing. When top half of salmon has been served, remove backbone. Turn bottom half over and peel away skin. Continue to cut into serving squares.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet Entertains by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart.