Seared Salmon with Onions and Rhubarb

Why You’ll Love This Dish

This dish is a celebration of early summer. It balances richness with brightness: buttery salmon with crispy skin, tangy rhubarb in a sherry glaze, sweet caramelized onions, and earthy green fava beans. It’s elegant, seasonal, and bursting with flavor.

What You’ll Need

• 1–2 grams of cannabis (THC or CBD dominant depending on your preference)

• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

• ECRU Decarboxylator

Step-by-Step

1. Decarb Your Herb:

   • Load your flower into the ECRU chamber (max 2 oz capacity).

   • Press the button for THC decarb (30 min) or CBD decarb (60 min).

   • Wait for the decarb cycle to complete — no odor, no mess.

     
     

2. Infuse the Butter:

   • Add ½ cup butter directly into the canister.

   • Press the infuse button and let it run for 4 hours.

   • Strain out the plant material and store the infused butter in the fridge.

Pro Tip: If you're unsure about dosage, start low. If your cannabis has 20% THC, and you use 1 gram (1000mg), that’s ~200mg THC total. Using half a stick (4 tbsp) means each tablespoon has ~50mg. For this recipe, we'll only use 1 tablespoon (≈12mg THC total) to keep portions friendly.

Ingredients

Infused Elements

• 1 tbsp cannabis-infused butter (from above infusion)

Rhubarb & Sherry Sauce

• 1½ cups dry fino sherry

• ¼ cup turbinado or palm sugar

• ½ lb rhubarb, trimmed, sliced diagonally (⅓-inch thick)

Onions and Fava Beans

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter (non-infused)

• 1 lb bulb or sweet onions, thinly sliced

• ½ cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth

• 1 thyme sprig

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1 lb fava beans, shelled

Salmon

• 4 wild salmon fillets (6 oz each), skin on

• Vegetable oil

• Salt and pepper

• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Make Rhubarb & Sherry Reduction

• In a saucepan, bring sherry and sugar to a boil until sugar dissolves (~2 min).

• Add rhubarb and cook until just tender (~1 min). Strain, reserving liquid.

• Reduce the liquid over high heat to ½ cup (~8 min). Set aside.

2. Caramelize the Onions

• In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tbsp regular butter.

• Add sliced onions and cook on low heat for ~2 min.

• Add stock, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

• Cover and simmer over low heat until onions are tender (~8 min).

3. Blanch Fava Beans

• In a pot of salted boiling water, blanch beans for 2 min.

• Cool under cold water, peel skins, and stir into onion mix.

4. Sear the Salmon

• Heat a cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high.

• Oil and season the salmon.

• Place skin-side down, cook for ~4 min until crisp.

• Flip and cook another 3–4 min until cooked through.

5. Add Cannabis Butter & Finish

• Remove onion-fava mixture from heat.

• Stir in 1 tbsp cannabis-infused butter and lemon juice.

• Stir gently so the infusion incorporates without overheating.

6. Assemble the Plate

• Warm the rhubarb and reduced glaze together.

• Spoon rhubarb sauce onto plates.

• Add onion-fava mix beside it.

• Top with the seared salmon fillets.

• Garnish and serve immediately.

Why Infused Butter Works Here

Fat is the key to THC and CBD absorption — and both butter and salmon are rich, fatty vehicles for cannabinoids. By folding infused butter into the warm (but not boiling!) onion-fava mix at the end, we keep potency intact and avoid degradation.

This is microdosing done gourmet-style.

Wine Pairing (Yes, Even with Cannabis)

Pair with an oaked California Chardonnay — its stone fruit and buttery finish echo the richness of the infused salmon. If you're going weed + wine, sip slowly, stay hydrated, and remember: less is more.

To Serve

• On each plate, spoon a portion of the rhubarb and sherry glaze.

• Add a generous scoop of the warm onions and fava beans alongside.

• Top with a beautifully seared salmon fillet.

• Garnish with extra thyme or a drizzle of olive oil if you like.

Notes

• Turbinado sugar (a raw cane sugar) gives a subtle molasses flavor.💡 Sub with light brown sugar if needed.

• Palm sugar offers deep, toffee-like sweetness. It's common in Southeast Asian cooking and found in most Asian markets.

• If fresh fava beans aren't available, try edamame or shelled English peas as a substitute — they won't be exactly the same, but they keep the dish vibrant and seasonal.

Tips from the Cannabis Kitchen

• No alcohol infusion! The ECRU Decarboxylator does not support alcohol-based tinctures due to low boiling point risks. Stick to butter, coconut oil, MCT oil, or glycerin.

• Infusion safety tip: Always label infused dishes clearly — especially when serving guests.

• For stronger effects: Use 2 tbsp infused butter, split across four servings (~25mg THC per plate). For casual users, 1 tbsp across 4 servings (~6–8mg per plate) is a gentle introduction.