Executive Chef Virgile Brandel of Atrio Restaurant & Wine Room takes pride in using sustainably sourced, local fish—so it's no wonder that his smoked salmon is a hit. Here, he shares the recipe.
Known for foraging the freshest ingredients for every dish, Conrad Miami's Atrio offers Mediterranean cuisine made with Florida's prized fish and produce. Menu highlights include the seared pork belly—described as "very Miami"—and pan-seared scallops that taste like "being on cloud nine." But Chef Brandel's smoked salmon is particularly unique in that the restaurant does the curing and smoking in-house and pairs it with Huancaína-drizzled potatoes.
"I enjoy creating dishes that I would like to eat," Brandel told us. "Huancaína potatoes are a favorite rustic Peruvian dish and salmon is a great healthy option. I wanted to elevate and refine these items, from their flavorful preparation to their elegant presentation."
This winter, recreate the chef's entrée of choice with a recipe straight from Atrio's kitchen:
Homemade Smoked Salmon with Huancaína Potatoes
SERVES 4-6
Salmon:
1 tsp chopped dill
1 fresh 12 oz. salmon filet
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1⁄2 bunch dill and pinch of dill sprigs
1 sliced lemon and zest
2 handfuls of hickory wood chips
Potatoes:
1 large Yukon gold potato
1 large purple potato
1 large sweet potato
1 hardboiled egg
1 tbsp fried capers
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped Kalamata olives
Huancaína sauce:
1 3⁄4 oz. onion
1 3⁄4 oz. canola oil or grape seed oil
1 1⁄2 oz. aji amarillo paste
1 tsp chopped garlic
10 1⁄2 oz. queso fresco
3 oz. evaporated milk
1 oz. saltine crackers
1 oz. lemon juice
For the salmon:
Mix the salt, sugar, chopped dill, sliced lemons, and zest in a bowl.
Cut a large piece of aluminum foil and cover it with a large piece of plastic film. Sprinkle just half of the mixture onto the plastic film and place the salmon skin side up. Rub in the remaining half of the mixture on the salmon side. Cover the salmon with the plastic and aluminum sheets and place on a sheet tray. Store it in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Unwrap the fish and rinse under water. Pat dry.
To smoke the salmon, place it over wood chips in a metal tight for 30 minutes.
Refrigerate the salmon for another two hours and serve as desired.
For the potatoes:
Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water. Use the tip of a knife to check on the potatoes. Cool them down in ice water.
Peel the potatoes and slice them 1/4 inch thick. Use a 1" round cookie cutter on the potato slices for the circular shape.
In a bowl, mix together the Kalamata olives, chopped hardboiled eggs, a pinch of capers, and the olive oil. Set aside for the final steps.
For the Huancaína sauce:
Cook the onions and garlic in a sauce pan until translucent and place in a blender or food processor. Add the cheese, evaporated milk, canola oil, crackers, aji amarillo paste, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. The sauce's consistency should be thick. Add water if needed.
To assemble:
Place the potatoes in a circular design on the plate, alternating colors. Top with fried capers, Huancaína sauce, chopped Kalamata olives, sprigs of dill, and finely chopped hardboiled eggs. Place three slices of salmon on the side.