Ingredients:

4 oz. piece salmon, seared very rare on serving side, and chilled
1 tbsp. compound butter
1 sprig fennel
½ tbsp. olive oil
16 ozs. cut lemons, peel and all
12 ozs. sugar
1 oz. olive oil

Procedure:

• Place chilled salmon, compound butter, fennel and olive oil in a small bag and vacuum-seal it for 15 seconds with an eight-second seal.

• Place in a 120°F water bath for at least 20 minutes, but not longer than one hour.

• For the Meyer Lemon Sauce: Drain lemons and reserve juice. Puree in a blender and add 1 oz. olive oil until the juice is the desired consistency. Sweeten with sugar and pass all through a tamis into a squeeze bottle.

• To serve: Remove salmon from water bath and let sit for a couple of minutes while you heat up a saute pan over medium-high heat. Place a little oil in pan then add the salmon, serving-side up, with all juices from bag. Baste with serving spoon until the color is right. Plate with lobster, squash noodle, baby beet and pickled baby red onion over gnocchi roman and serve with the bitter-sweet Meyer lemon sauce, fennel oil and fried red onions.

Recipe courtesy of Dennis Mandragona, Executive Chef, Essex Fells (N.J.) Country Club