Smoked Sake-Kama (Salmon Collar) Carbonara

For some reason fish collar hasn’t gone mainstream in the United States.  Sure you can find sake-kama (grilled salmon collar) on the appetizer menu at your local Japanese restaurant for about $15, but the secret is that you can get pounds of kama from your local fishmonger for just a few dollars.  Buri kama, or collar, is the fatty part of the fish just back of the gill area and includes the pectoral fins.  It may not look like much but this is where the best fish flavor is concentrated.  Like pork ribs, you may have to work for your food but the fatty flesh right off the bone is second to none!

Cooking options for the kama are limitless.  As a general rule keep it simple.  A bit of oil and sea salt, throw it on the grill and the fatty fish will take care of the rest.  Today we will be smoking our kama to make fettuccine carbonara.

Like I mentioned before collar is extremely cheap.  My local fishmonger sent me home with pounds more collar than I needed for my recipe.  Therefore I prepared the collar two different ways for the smoker.  For each recipe I created a brine for the collar.  Yes the fish came from the sea but a good 45 minute brine will not only add flavor to your fish, the brining process also helps create a barrier to keep the moisture in your meat  and help you not over cook it.

Salt Brine (for the fettuccine)
For my first brine I added 1/3 cup of kosher salt and 1/3 cup of sugar to a one gallon ziplock back.  Mix in water and soak the fish, refrigerated, for 45 minutes to an hour.  After that completely wash your fish with tap water.  Pat dry.  Lightly coat with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Soy Brine / Marinade (for a tasty snack)
Soy sauce should be the dominant ingredient as we will be using the high concentrations of salt as a quasi-brine.  I also added cooking sake as it is rather salty as well. Combine with some ginger powder and garlic powder.  Put the marinade and collar in a gallon ziplock bag, seal, and refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour.  After about an hour remove from brine, remove excess, but do not rinse off.

Preheat your smoker to 190°F and add the wood of your choice.  For salmon, in my opinion, there is nothing better than alder.  It is the traditional wood for smoking salmon in the Pacific Northwest and has a light, delicate flavor.

Add the salmon to your smoker.  As I wanted a strong smokey flavor I added 1/2 cup of alder chips every 30 minutes or so. Once your collar reaches about 135°F you will want to check your fish.  Although completely cooked I often prefer to let it cook 20-30  minutes longer and let the fat melt.  Depending on the temperature of your smoker the whole process should take 2 to 3 hours.

Take your smoked collar and remove meat from every nook and cranny you can find. Put in a bowl and set aside.

Smoked Sake-Kama (Salmon Collar) Fettuccine Carbonara

2 cups smoked salmon collar (or more)

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 egg yolks

100mg dry white wine

8oz heavy whipping cream

1/2 pound broccoli 

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

salt

ground pepper

olive oil

fettuccine noodles

1/3 cup starchy noodle water

Boil fettuccine noodles until al dente.  (save 1/3 cup of starchy water) 

Steam broccoli until cooked but still firm.  Set aside

Heat nonstick 12 inch pan over medium heat adding 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Once oil is shimmering add onions and saute until golden brown.

While sauteing the onions, in a small bowl combine the egg yolks, cream and 1 teaspoon of salt and ground pepper.  Set aside.

Once onions are golden brown add wine and cook over medium heat until wine has reduced to 3 tablespoons.

Add starchy noodle water to the onions and wine and cook until it begins to thicken. (2-4 minutes)

Reduce heat to medium-low and add the cooked fettuccine noodles to the pan.  Stir to combine ingredients.

Slowly add the bowl of cream and egg yolks. At this point it is very important to only cook at very low temperatures.  If it gets too hot your creamy egg mixture will solidify and that is unappetizing.

Once your sauce has thickened add parmesan cheese, smoked salmon and broccoli.  

Enjoy!  I think this carbonara pairs perfectly with a pinot noir.  For this meal I used Calera 2008 Pinot Nori and it couldn’t have been more perfect.  $20 bottle of pinot that tasted like a $50 bottle.  Simply excellent.  Itadakimasu and Kampai!