Pacific Coast Salmon Rolls with Bacon & Fennel Tartar Sauce

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Cut the bacon into small pieces and dice the fennel. Toss the bacon and fennel together in a small pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring 3-4 times for 30 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and the fennel tender but not brown.

Put the mayonnaise in a medium-sized bowl.

Drain the bacon and fennel mixture on paper toweling. When completely cool, stir the mixture into the mayonnaise along with the cilantro and lemon juice. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cut the salmon into 1 to 2” cubes, toss with the olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper.

In the bottom of a double boiler with a steamer insert, bring about 1” of water to the boil. Place the salmon in the steamer, ensuring no pieces overlap. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium and steam for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the salmon is firm to the touch and just before beads of white fat appear on its surface (see note). Remove salmon to a plate and cool completely.

Serve on soft rolls with lettuce, red onion and plenty of the cilantro tartar sauce.

Notes:
– The more you cook with salmon, the better you’ll anticipate the appearance of the white beads. Perfectly medium-rare salmon is removed from the heat just before these little drops of fat appear.
– Keep the leftover tartar sauce, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days.