Grayling a la Redwall

Grayling a la Redwall is the first food item we're really introduced to in the Redwall series as Friar Hugo stalks off to the kitchen, shouting instructions and ingredients. I was a little nervous about attempting it, since it's the first real non-baked-good thing I've tried, but it came out marvelously. According to Wikipedia, grayling is a type of salmon, so I've used fresh salmon from my local grocery store. I also was unable to find beechnuts, which I was hoping to use as a garnish. Other than that, this recipe is as true to Friar Hugo's instructions as I could make it.

A quick note: I live alone and don't eat very much, so I made the sauce the first night and thawed individual fillets to bake in my toaster oven each night. If you have enough people to cook a pound or more of salmon at once in the oven, I certainly recommend that route. However, if you are in my position and don't want a bunch of fish leftovers to go bad, this method works quite well. You can even bake the fillets straight from the freezer; just increase cooking time to about 40 minutes and check that it flakes properly before pouring over the sauce.

Grayling a la Redwall

Cook time (fish): 20 minutes
Cook time (sauce): 15 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes if you are a good multitasker.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds salmon (cut into 6 fillets)
• 1/4 cup fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp butter (divided)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Lay out a large piece of parchment paper. Cover with rosemary and thyme and lay fish over herbs.
   

   
3. Cut 1 tablespoon butter into small pieces and distribute over the fish. Gather paper into a packet and bake for 25 minutes or until salmon flakes easily.
   

    
4. Meanwhile, melt remaining tablespoon of butter in a saucepan. Add oil and garlic and cook until fragrant.
   

   
5. Add wine and stock, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.
   

   
6. Add mint, honey, and half-and-half, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
   

   
7. Pour sauce over fish and serve. Garnish with nuts if using.