Picture this: Chilled salmon that practically melts on the palate, enveloped in a rich horseradish cream and emerald watercress purée and dotted with pickled ramps for a bit of acid. Fresh microgreens, Maldon flake salt, ground pepper and coriander, and a drizzle of olive oil finish the elegant, modern plate. Now picture this: You made it yourself. From scratch. No, seriously.

The four component recipes that make up Salmon 104 °F involve a broad range of techniques, both modern and classic, beginner and advanced, that will change the way you cook. But when it comes to artsy plating, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That’s why we provide recipes for all the components to make this dish delicious and then encourage you to channel your inner artiste and make it gorgeous. Watch the video above for some inspiration, and remember: the more you practice plating, the easier it becomes. So start simple, and you’ll be a regular Rembrandt in no time.

Salmon 104 °F

A rough translation of the French phrase *mi-cuit* is “half-cooked,” but that utterly fails to express the decadent texture of this salmon. A combination of heat and salt work in concert to ensure that although served chilled, this salmon is anything but raw.

As a wave of concentrated dissolved salt (enough to raise the salinity above 2 percent) permeates the flesh, various proteins in muscle fibers begin to unravel and entangle. This is curing, and it’s analogous to increasing the temperature of flesh with heat. Salt or heat alone can take meats and seafood from raw to cured or raw to cooked (either will denature proteins and cause them to gel), but when they’re used together, you can get the same effect with less salt and a lower temperature. The result is a remarkable texture. 

One subtlety of this recipe, which often goes unnoticed, is the need to chill the salmon for at least six hours before serving. The chloride ions from the salt are still diffusing toward equilibrium after the sous vide–cooking step, and this chilling step allows the texture to fully develop.

Finally, cooking in vacuum-sealed packaging has the benefit of keeping the salmon impeccably fresh by preventing damaging oxidation. If you don’t have access to a vacuum chamber sealer, don’t fret: we’ve got [link https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/simple-sous-vide-packaging a hack] that will help you achieve similar results without all the equipment.

Provided that you store the salmon at a temperature below [c 5], the combination of low-temperature cooking, mild curing with salt, and oxygen-free packaging will keep your fish fresh for 10 days or more. This makes it a delicious and versatile ingredient to keep around for a quick, healthy dish such as our [Salmon 104 °F](https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/salmon-104-f).

Salmon Mi-Cuit

Let’s set the record straight: horseradish is no radish, and it’s got nothing to do with horses. This zesty member of the mustard family got its name around the 16th century, though how English speakers came up with it is disputed. “Radish” likely comes from the Latin *radix*, meaning “root,” while “horse” is probably derived from “hoarse,” which at the time was used to mean “strong or coarse”—no surprise to anyone familiar with the plant’s harsh bite. (The French nailed it when they named it *raifort*, meaning “strong root.”)

For that spiciness we’ve come to know and love, we can thank evolution: when horseradish is chewed, it releases numerous enzyme-generated volatiles, including pungent sulfurous compounds—a natural defense mechanism against herbivores. Germans were probably the first to figure out how to harness and soften the zing by mixing it with ingredients like cream, egg, sugar, and vinegar. The rest is history. Shaved fresh horseradish is a delicious addition to rich, fatty dishes—the French use it in lemony cream sauces; the British pickle it and pile it on pot roasts and sausages.

In Norway, a classic sauce called *pepperrotsaus* includes horseradish mixed with whipped cream, vinegar, and sugar; this is often served over salmon. In that tradition, we whip up shaved fresh horseradish with cream and salt to serve over our [Salmon 104 °F](https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/salmon-104-f).

Horseradish Cream

Vacuum infusion is a remarkable way to flash-pickle plant foods like onions or ramps. This technique relies on the ability of a chamber sealer to dramatically reduce the surrounding pressure, which causes a rapid expansion of gases that ruptures the structure of plant tissue. When the surrounding pressure is restored to normal levels, the labyrinth of air-filled spaces collapses. Any surrounding liquid, such as the pickling juice used here, will rush in to fill the void. The result is the nearly instantaneous pickling of plant foods.

Curious to learn more? Check out the science of [vacuum compression of plant foods](https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/vacuum-compression-of-plant-foods). (You can also quick-pickle in the chamber of a [link https://www.chefsteps.com/classes/whipping-siphons/landing#/ whipping siphon]. Check out [link https://www.chefsteps.com/classes/whipping-siphons/landing#/ our Whipping Siphons class] for more information.) If you don’t have a chamber sealer or a whipping siphon, simply let the onions (or other plant food) rest in the pickling brine for 90 minutes or more, as described in Step 4.

Pickled Onions

Discussion

That this versatile member of the mustard family belongs to the genus *Nasturtium*, derived from the Latin for “nose twister,” will come as no surprise to those familiar with watercress’s zing. (The edible flower commonly called nasturtium belongs to a different genus.) This pungent plant twists your nose, so to speak, when chewing or puréeing causes various enzymes to generate compounds that tickle your nerves and produce that zesty burning sensation in your nostrils. In fact, watercress’s pungency is not a taste or smell at all, but instead simply a nerve irritant the plant releases as a defense mechanism when its tissue is damaged. 

But that hasn’t stopped us from devouring the stuff—for one reason or another—for thousands of years. In addition to being possibly among the first greens known to be consumed by humans, watercress has long been valued for its perceived medicinal qualities. Ancient Greek soldiers reportedly used the raw leaf as a tonic during wartime; Romans believed it prevented baldness; European explorers used it to cure scurvy. In fact, watercress does pack a healthy punch with lots of vitamins A and C, iron, and other nutritious minerals, but alas, no true medicinal qualities have ever been confirmed. 

The ancient green’s pungent tang shines through in this simple recipe, made with a bit of xanthan gum for thickness. (You can forgo the xanthan gum if you want, but be warned: your purée will separate and run quickly without it.) The result? A silky, bright-green purée armed with a sexy bite, perfect for accompanying fatty proteins like salmon or pork belly.

For a more viscous version (which we like to call Watercress Pudding), blend in 15 grams of Ultra-Tex 3. This recipe works with other greens as well—we like to use equal parts mint and cilantro to create vibrant green layer in our [link https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/butternut-buttermilk-parfait Butternut Parfait].

Watercress Purée

It’s that time of year again: The shop windows are filled with sweaters and corduroys. The checkout line is stocked with Scotch tape. “Back to School” posters herald the beginning of a new season. So what’s an adult to do when the kids spend all day Sunday gluing pipe cleaners to a Little House on the Prairie diorama due Monday? Don’t worry—we’ve got a big-kid project for you. This is Salmon 104 °F, the dish that launched ChefSteps in 2012, developed by cofounders Chris, Grant, and Ryan to teach culinary students and faculty a series of techniques that would take their cooking skills to the next level. (ChefSteps trivia: Chris and Grant once instructed the faculty at Rhode Island–based culinary school Johnson & Wales; they launched ChefSteps.com as part of a plan to develop free-to-learn curricula for non-culinary students who wanted to tackle new skills.) Salmon 104 °F remains one of our favorite projects for teaching new skills and honing culinary expertise. By making the four simple recipes herein, you’ll cover a culinary curriculum that spans everything from pickling to vacuum compression, brining to sous vide, and blanching to thickening with hydrocolloids. We’ve assembled four component recipes into a ChefSteps Project—a weekend enterprise that will help you learn new things while preparing a beautiful, restaurant-quality dish for family and friends. Each component can be made days in advance and refrigerated so that you have a simple, yet impressive, plate that’s easy to put together at a moment’s notice. And for those of you who skipped art class, never fear: we’ve got tons of artsy plating ideas to get those creative juices flowing. So sharpen your knives, don a cute new apron, and get a killer playlist in order—it’s time to go back to school. No pipe cleaners required.