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Salmon Carpaccio by Gabriela Santos
Story and photos by Jocelyn Alvarez Bibian

Inspiration can come from everywhere, and certainly it can come from food as well. Not only one can get inspired from food, but one can also be transported to special places and moments in time. As a seafood lover, Gabriela Santos, sophomore engineering management major, thought about the dish she was going to prepare, her immediate response was salmon carpaccio.

“Sea food is my favorite kind of food because of the variety, the richness of flavors, [and the fact that] it is not too heavy for the stomach,” Santos admits. As part of the St. Mary’s community, Santos recognizes that “the community is very welcoming and friendly.” As a student, Santos’ career plans have not always been to become an engineer.

“My first choice of major was culinary arts, but when I graduated [from high school], my interest changed from culinary arts to engineering. I decided to leave cooking as a hobby. Now, my career plans are to become an engineer and work on either finance or production, or both,” Santos says. Santos decided to prepare not only her favorite kind of food, but also one of the dishes she used to enjoy back home at El Salvador.

“This dish was always prepared for special occasions or [for] celebrations in my family,” Santos says. “I chose this particular dish because it is one of my favorite and it is very easy to make.” From beginning to end, Santos enjoyed the process of preparing the carpaccio. She was even more delighted when the time came to let her friends try it and watch them enjoy the dish. The different ingredients in the carpaccio present an explosion of flavor, an intense combination of flavors one would not expect. The combination of the smoked salmon, the leek, capers and cream cheese is like no other.

“I have had good experiences most of the time; people like it when they try it. Bad experiences not so much because the flavor can be adjusted with the ingredients, easy fix,” Santos says.

Although the dish represents an excellent entrée, not everyone may enjoy it the same way. “You have to love raw sea food,” Santos says, “and to use the ingredients based on your preferences and taste of palate.”

Regardless of the particular preferences in seafood, this is a dish everyone should try and judge for themselves the unquestionable richness of flavor from beginning to end.

Ingredients

• 4 oz of smoked salmon
• Capers
• 1 Leek
• 1 tbs of olive oil
• Juice from 1 lime
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cream cheese (optional)
• Ciabatta bread (optional)

Makes two servings.

Directions

First, cut the salmon as preferred (chopped or thin slices) and place on serving plate. Then, cut the leek in slices, separate each layer as much as possible, and place the slices on top of the salmon. Spread the capers over the salmon. Next, add a tablespoon of olive oil over the salmon. Do the same with the lime juice, salt, and pepper. As an option, spread cream cheese on a piece of ciabatta bread and place salmon on top.

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes | Tagged: Gabriela Santos, Jocelyn Alvarez Bibian, magazine launch, Salmon Carpaccio, St. Mary's University, taste of stmu |