Rob DeWalt
Welcome to the [salmon] candy shop.
Growing up and living in Santa Fe since the late 1980s, I've always associated Indian Market weekend with food more than anything else. Not because the art, regalia and dances didn't excite me, but because for waiters, cooks and chefs (like the old me), this was and is considered one of if not the busiest and most lucrative times of the year for restaurants.
I can remember spending more than a few nights on dining room floors in my chef whites, catching a few hours of shut-eye before the next day's prep and lunch/dinner services. Honestly, I don't miss it. But I do miss the impromptu kitchen escapes between shifts, sneaking down to the Plaza to score some fry bread, Navajo tacos, roasted corn, blue corn mush, mutton stew and Three Sisters stew with roast lamb.
Still, I have a request for the long-running Santa Fe Indian Market and the 1 year-old Indigenous Fine Art Market in the Railyard, both of which invite Indigenous artists from New Mexico and beyond to our city to show and sell their work: Why not invite Indigenous cooks and chefs to the party? They're artists, too. With the FUZE.SW Food + Folklore Festival called off this year and its future uncertain, the local celebration and serious exploration of Native foods seems to be on the backburner.
It would be nice to see some other Native American and First Nations foods represented at both IFAM and the Santa Fe Indian Market. When honoring Native culture and tradition from a continental perspective, ignoring strong connections to the land as it relates to real food—not just inedible artistic representations of it—seems like a lost opportunity for both markets and their attendees to grow new roots. Delicious ones.
On that note, I'm loving the local summer bounty of berries, and with luck, there will be no shortage of kokanee (landlocked sockeye) salmon at Eagle Nest Lake, Navajo Lake and other New Mexico waters during the early-October salmon-snagging season. In the spirit of fresh ingredients and other products that speak to the evolution of Puebloan, Native American and First Nations cuisines, I put together a fusion plate full of big flavor and texture. I started with bannock, a sort of biscuit/fry bread hybrid popular among Alaskan and Canada-based Indigenous peoples—a dish introduced to the region by the Britons hundreds of years ago.
The preservation of salmon was tantamount to the survival of Northwest Native American and First Nations populations. One of the treats they made with salmon is known as "Indian candy," a sweet, slow-smoked fish whose texture wavers between that of jerky and cold-poached fish. And the berries? A little sugar, and what else do you need? I prefer to serve this dish family-style, with the bannock passed around the table and torn by guests, like a knotted challah.
Salmon Candy with Bannock and Blackberry/Blueberry Compote
(serves 4-6)
New Mexico Salmon Candy
- 2 pounds skin-on Coho or sockeye salmon fillets, cut into 4-inch-thick pieces
- ½ pound kosher salt
- ½ pound brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons New Mexico red chile powder
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
Mix the dry ingredients well. Rub the fillet pieces with the dry rub and let sit (cure) for 3-4 hours at room temperature. If you prefer a jerky texture, cure for 8 hours in the fridge. Drain any liquid off the cured salmon. Smoke with fruit woods (apricot, apple) at 225 degrees per your outdoor smoker's instructions for 3-4 hours, or until the salmon reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees. Brush with maple syrup every 90 minutes, if desired. Remove from smoker and cool completely on wire racks.
Bannock (fried bread, not fry bread)
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup water
- Vegetable oil, for frying
Pour vegetable oil into a heavy cast-iron skillet to reach ½-inch from the bottom. Heat on the stovetop over medium-high heat. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Pour in milk and water. Toss with fork until a loose dough forms (do not overmix). Turn loose dough onto a floured board, and gently press into an 8-inch circle. Gently fry the disc of dough, carefully turning once (use oven mitts!), until the bannock is puffy and a dark golden brown. Drain on paper towels set over a wire rack.
Berry Compote
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1 pint blackberries or marionberries
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until berries begin to fall apart. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Serve as you will. Each of these dishes is meant to be shared by hand. If you want to get fancy, fry some sage in oil or butter and plate/garnish with it accordingly.
