Kitchen Swap: Salmon with Shiitake Relish from Etta's Seafood in Seattle
Chef Tom Douglas is Seattle’s culinary star. He runs several restaurants, including Etta’s, the Palace Kitchen, the Dahlia Lounge, and Lola. He’s been nominated for the James Beard Award, competed on Iron Chef America and has a line of spice mixes called Rub with Love. Chef Douglas has also written several cook books including Tom Douglas’ Seattle Kitchen, Tom’s Big Dinners and I Love Crab Cakes. Mushrooms have a special place in Chef Douglas’ heart. Here’s what he had to say about the fungus:
1. What do you think makes the cuisine of the Pacific Northwest unique? What are some quintessential ingredients from the region that you like to cook with?
The Northwest has a plethora of regional ingredients. Chefs here tend to have great respect for the region’s bounty so it’s reflected on their menus. Whether it’s foraged or farmed there’s a tight connection between the chef and the farmer. The Pacific Northwest is known for its mushrooms such as chanterelles and hedgehogs, plus Dungeness crab, Olympia oysters, Yakima peaches and cherries, Washington wine and the great cheeses that are being made all over the state.
2. What role do mushrooms play in your cooking?
Mushrooms play the bread to my butter…we use them in every aspect of our menu.
3. Do you remember when you first started to like mushrooms?
I grew up in the Kennett Square, Pennsylvania Area which is the domesticated mushroom capital of America. This means we always had mushrooms. My dad would always pick up a box of “number twos,” which are the mushrooms with imperfections– perfectly delicious, just not pretty enough for the market– so mushrooms were always in my house. My wife Jackie brought wild mushroom foraging to the relationship, having gone with her father around the woods of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene.
4. Is your Salmon with Shiitake Relish a popular item at Etta’s?
The Salmon with Shiitake Relish is Etta’s number one seller!
5. What made you decide to use shiitake mushrooms in the relish over other mushroom varieties?
I like shiitakes because they have a real woodsy flavor, and I especially like them when they are tossed in oil and roasted in a 400 degree oven. They also make a great salad garnish.
We’ve posted the full recipe for Salmon with Shiitake Relish here for easy printing.
