Cold Salmon with Asparagus

• 3 cups water
• 0.5 cup dry white wine
• 0.5 cup sliced onion, green onion, or leek tops
• 0.25 tsp. fennel seeds
• 6 peppercorns
• 2 salmon steaks
• 0.25 tsp. sea salt
• 0.5 lb. asparagus
• Citronette Dressing
• 1 Tbsp. minced chives
• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest

Begin by making your citronette dressing and set it aside.

Trim and steam the asparagus (how long depends on the thickness of the stalks—anywhere from 60–90 seconds) and set it in the refrigerator to chill.

Boil the water with the wine, onion, and spices, simmering for 15–20 minutes.

Remove the skin and bones from the salmon. If the salmon is thicker than 0.25", lay it flat on a cutting board, and, holding your knife parallel to the cutting board, slice the salmon in half. If it's still thicker than a quarter inch, place it between two sheets of wax paper or plastic film and pound it thin. This is important or the salmon will not cook through.

Lay the salmon in a single layer in a heat-proof dish; season with a little salt and strain the hot liquid over it, raising the salmon so the hot water gets underneath it as well. Cover the dish with parchment and let it stand until the fish is opaque all the way through (about 10 minutes).

Lift the slices of cooked fish out with a spatula and chill them in the fridge for 15–30 minutes. You can freeze the liquid for use as fish stock.

Place slices of chilled salmon on each plate. Toss the asparagus in the citronette dressing and arrange it by the fish. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the fish and garnish with lemon zest and chives.