Holding Space
Seared Salmon with Pistachio Pipián and Brown Butter Radishes
Pipián is the classic Mexican sauce made with pepitas (pumpkin seeds) that is tangy, herbaceous, and spicy all at the same time. In Central Mexico, pipián is to us what mole negro is to Oaxaca. It is one of the most special moles we eat to celebrate a birthday, a wedding, or just a special Sunday.
Hold space for this week’s Fresca because this pipián is made with pistachios. Yes, pistachios and very little pepitas!
Why mess with perfection, you ask?
Pistachios bring a grassy nuttiness that cannot be denied. I toasted them with just a handful of pepitas for grounding (cultural grounding). They thicken the base of the pipián, which is technically a salsa verde: tomatillos, cilantro, garlic, and onion. The salsa is luxuriously thickened with pistachios and pepitas.
A fat slab of salmon is seared on a skillet after cooking radishes in brown butter until they shrivel to their ultimate radish potential. There is a squeeze of lemon that makes it sing.
Holding space refers to the act of being fully present with someone else without judgment or distraction.
Thank you for holding space for me.