For Wise Sons’ Evan Bloom, Salmon Is Jewish

Shared by Evan Bloom
Recipe Roots: Vancouver > Ventura, California > San Francisco

Growing up in 1980s California, Evan Bloom’s idea of Jewish food wasn’t limited to the Ashkenazi culinary canon of his family’s roots. There was brisket on the family table, of course, kugel, matzo brei, and trips to delis in Los Angeles that seeded his love of pastrami and rye. But the idea of Jewish flavors and dishes extended beyond the common canon.

“Salmon is just as Jewish to me,” Evan, who co-owns Wise Sons explains. “My mom was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, where salmon is, er, king. We ate salmon like Americans eat chicken: all the time,” he writes in the new cookbook Eat Something: A Wise Sons Book for Jews Who Like Food and Food Lovers Who Like Jews.

Evan’s mother Linda would poach salmon in the oven or wrap it in foil and poach it in the backyard on the grill — always gas, never charcoal. “We’re Jews,” Evan laughs. “It’s more convenient. It’s that idea that 365 days a year, you can pop out to the patio and throw something on the grill.”

The salmon in the Bloom family is finished with sliced lemons and dill — a task Evan helped with before he was old enough to cook. To Evan, that was Jewish, “especially with those flavors,” he adds. 

The family’s love of salmon comes from his mother’s roots in Canada, he says. After leaving Czarist Russia to come to North America, Evan’s great-grandparents settled in rural Saskatchewan where Evan’s grandmother was raised as one of nine children. Later, she moved to Vancouver, where Evan’s aunt and cousins still live. “Whenever we would go visit, this was a dish we found on the table,” Evan adds. 

Today, the dish is in regular rotation in Evan’s home in the Bay Area. He often makes extra so he can use the leftover fish, as his mom did when he was growing up, to make salmon burgers, salmon salad, or as the topping for a bagel. His father Stuart would also take advantage of leftovers, taking the skin of the salmon and crisping it in the toaster oven for a snack. 

Creatively using leftovers is a hallmark of the Bloom family kitchens. “My mom used the word — I think it’s Yiddish — ungepatchke[t],” Evan says. “Very few things she made were the same every time. It was a little of this, a little of that. Whatever was in the fridge became something else. And that’s how I work at home now.” 

To us, that too feels Jewish. 
Editor’s Note: Evan’s recipe for homemade pastrami — and the story of how he came to own a deli — is also part of our archive. Check it out here.

Always-Perfect Oven-Poached Salmon

Makes: 4 Servings
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
¼ cup mayonnaise 
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
Four 6 ounce skin-on salmon fillets, about 2 in wide, patted dry with a paper towel 
1 bunch fresh dill, separated into 4 smaller bunches, plus 1 tablespoon roughly chopped 
16 lemon wheels, about ⅛ inch thick (from about 2 lemons), plus 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F [180°C]. 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and salt. Lay out a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil roughly 12 in [30.5 cm] square on a flat surface and place one salmon fillet in the center, skin-side down. Slather 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture all over the salmon, including the skin, coating the fish evenly. Return the salmon to the center of the foil. Lay a small bunch of dill sprigs on top of the salmon, and arrange 4 lemon wheels across the top in a line. Carefully fold up the edges of the foil to make a packet, and crimp the seams. (This will help keep the steam inside and keep the fish moist when cooking.) Repeat the process with the remaining salmon fillets. At this point the packets are ready to cook, but they can be stored in the refrigerator overnight.

3. Space the four salmon packets evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from the oven. Immediately open each packet, being careful not to burn your fingers as the hot steam escapes. The salmon will easily pull away from the skin, if desired, or it can be carefully removed whole with a flat spatula. 

4. The salmon can be served hot right away, at room temperature, or cold. Sprinkle with chopped fresh dill and serve with lemon wedges.

Chef’s Note: Leftover salmon will keep in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Cooked salmon is extremely versatile. It’s great scrambled with eggs and onions; stuffed into a toasted sandwich with a slice of tomato and crisp lettuce; shredded over salad greens; or in a creamy fish salad. My favorite is to blend 1 part chopped smoked salmon, 1 part poached salmon, and 2 parts sour cream; it makes a great party dip.

Adapted from Eat Something by Evan Bloom with permission by Chronicle Books, 2020

Evan's Dad's Sour Cream & Peaches

After Evan and his brother Ari would go to bed when they were little, their father Stuart would sit down to read two local newspapers and enjoy a snack of sour cream or cottage cheese and fruit, either from the apricot tree next to their home or from Harry & David Fruit of the Month Club. Today, the love of fruit and cream is multigenerational. “It’s a Bloom men’s tradition,” Evan writes in his book. 

Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
2 pounds fresh peaches (about 6 peaches), peeled, pitted and sliced
2 cups sugar
¼ cup water
2 to 3 pints sour cream

Preparation
1. Combine the peaches, sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the syrup is medium thick. Cool the mixture.

2. Serve the peaches with a side of sour cream or layer the cooked peaches and syrup with sour cream like a parfait in individual cups.

Make Ahead: Store in a glass mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or freeze forever.

Adapted from Eat Something by Evan Bloom with permission by Chronicle Books, 2020