Roasted Poblano Salpicón w/ Smoked Salmon

The other day, I asked (my Mexican) husband (okay, he's my only husband) what 'salpicón' meant.

And he's like - I don't know.  

And I'm all - What!?

And then he says - Just because I'm Mexican doesn't mean I know what every word in Spanish means.  I haven't heard that word before.  Do you know what every word in the English language means?

So I say - Pssshhh.  Yes!  [...as I page through the dictionary in my head trying to think of a word I don't know.  Which is a contradiction in and of itself.]

Okay fine.  So just because he's Mexican...and just because he's spoken Spanish his whole life doesn't necessarily mean that he knows every thing there is to know about Mexico and the Spanish language.  But it also doesn't mean I will stop asking.  And ruffling his feathers a little when he doesn't know the answer.

So I looked it up.  In Mexico, Salpicón is basically a "salad" mixture of chopped or sliced meats, seafoods, and/or vegetables.  It is usually served as a filling for tacos or roasted poblanos or as a topping for tostadas.  Cool.  Easy enough.  Broad enough.  Vague enough.  It's a general term.  And it may stem from (or be related to) the French meaning of the word Salpicon - a mixture of one or more ingredients that have been minced or diced and held together with a sauce.

So, after I told the hubs what it meant, I preceded to make a Salpicón.  It's a (seemingly) crazy combination - hot-smoked salmon (LOVE!), roasted poblanos, and red onions.  A little oregano.  I brought it all together with a drizzle of olive oil.  And then I topped crispy tortilla chips with it.  It was amazing.  Smoky and salty and spicy and strong...hooo-wee!

Roasted Poblano Salpicón w/ Smoked Salmon

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: n/a

Keywords: condiment snack side fish chiles salmon Mexican

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

• 8 oz. (~3 medium) Poblano chiles
• 1 small red onion, cut into ¼" dice
• 4 oz. (hot-)smoked salmon*, skin removed & flaked
• ½ tsp. dried Mexican oregano
• good olive oil
• freshly squeezed lime juice
• freshly ground black pepper

to serve:

• tortilla chips or crackers

Instructions

Roast your poblanos over an open flame or under a broiler until blistered and blackened all over, 5-10 minutes. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic (or carefully slide into a large baggie and close. Allow to steam and cool for a bit and then rub off the skin and pull out the stem and seeds; rinse to remove any stray seeds or bits of skin, if needed. Chop into ¼" dice.

Rinse diced onion under cold water in a strainer. Shake dry.

Place everything in a bowl and toss gently to combine. You'll just need a few squeezes of a lime, a drizzle of olive oil, and pepper to taste.

If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate. If you are...enjoy as a garnish or scooped up and eaten with chips or crackers like you would salsa (that's how I like to eat it).

*note: by (hot-) smoked salmon, I mean the type of salmon...smoked in a smoker or using wood chips.  It doesn't need to be hot (temperature-wise) or hot (spice level).  Although, if you want to use a smoked salmon with flavor (maple, peppercorn, spicy, whatever), I'm sure that would be tasty.  Also feel free to try this with (cold-) smoked salmon (lox/gravlax), if you wish...I just love me some (hot-) smoked salmon, and it goes so perfectly here.

adapted from Fiesta at Rick's

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