Seafood for Breakfast

Reflections on morning and brunchy-midday meals, examples of note from Hood Canal and NYC, plus a recipe for buckwheat waffles with smoked salmon

Before I get into breakfast, a quick note for any readers who live in the Puget Sound area about some events I’ll be doing in April. Town & Country stores will have a month-long celebration of seafood going on and are featuring my book Shellfish. I’ll be at two of their “Fresh Catch” events: Mill Creek on April 12, and Shoreline on April 26. I’ll also be doing book signings at their Lakemont (4/10), Bainbridge (4/17) and Ballard (4/24) stores, and teaching a class at their Poulsbo store (4/17). More details available on their events page.

A cold weekend in early February, we spent time on Hood Canal with dear friends, which included an overnight at the Alderbrook Resort, a favorite Northwest destination. It happens to also be an ideal place to stay for seafood-lovers who might be venturing to Hama Hama oyster farm about thirty minutes up the canal. Which is exactly how our weekend went. Saturday afternoon we’d feasted royally at Hama Hama’s Oyster Saloon, which included oysters prepared a few different ways (more on that visit in a later issue). And there I was the next morning, zeroing in on the Hood Canal Hash on Alderbrook’s brunch menu: fried oysters, bacon, roasted tomatoes, onion, potatoes, two eggs any style (over medium, please). Egad, that was delicious.

Hashing it out, fried oyster style at Alderbrook, leftover grilled salmon style at a cabin on Orcas Island

I’m a big fan of breakfast and have been for as long as I can remember. The folks who can get through hours of the day without eating something, maybe lunch is their first meal…that’s just beyond my comprehension. I’m also a devoted morning person, up very early weekdays, usually up well before 7:00 on weekends. Having a cup of coffee and something to eat shortly after getting up is part of my morning routine that I love.

It takes a special occasion for me to elevate breakfast beyond my usual toast and jam or toast and an egg, sometimes oatmeal. The Salmon “Bacon” recipe shared in an earlier newsletter, for instance, was made for Christmas brunch a couple of years ago—the only constant annual brunch meal around here. And when away on Orcas Island with family a few years ago, we made a decadent salmon hash for breakfast, using leftover grilled salmon from the night before. I’ve also shared a recipe for Dungeness Crab Dutch Baby, a savory riff on the beloved puffy baked pancake.

Those two recipes came from my salmon and crab cookbooks, both of which had a full breakfast/brunch chapter. Among other recipes shared in those chapters were poached eggs on salmon, leek, and potato cakes, a quiche-like salmon and tomato breakfast pie, an herbed omelet with crab, crab benedict, and breakfast bruschetta with crab and goat cheese. I had no oysters-for-breakfast chapters in other books, but did include hangtown hash with fried eggs in Oysters, and baked oysters with bacon and eggs in Shellfish.

And here’s to the most devoted of seafood fans out there who are happy to consider their favorite seafood dishes for any meal, regardless of what the clock might say about typical meal times. After all, that hash I had on Hood Canal isn’t too far from simply being a perfect plate of fried oysters with some roasted vegetables alongside. It’s more than I’ll be whipping up for myself any early-morning soon, but I won’t rule it out for another brunch one of these days.

Brunch at Russ & Daughters

I’ve been traveling to New York City since the mid-1990s and can’t believe it took until last winter for me to step foot in the beloved Russ & Daughters. Famous for its smoked fish, caviar, bagels, other baked goods and specialty foods, the shop has been around for over 100 years and its sit-down cafe where we ate dates to 2014. Our brunch there could not have been a more perfect finale to the trip, sending us off in grand style. Make that grand style with generous amounts of seafood. I wish I’d taken a picture of the menu, though you’ll catch snippets of it in a photo below, and of course on their website. I encourage you to have a look and figure out what you’d order for your next meal there. I can’t wait to go back.

The smoked salmon board; deviled eggs with smoked trout and caviar in the background; pickled herring; the smoked sturgeon board--every bite exquisite (well, pickled herring not my thing but my husband loved it!)

Buckwheat Waffles with Smoked Salmon and Chive Crème Fraîche

This is a recipe that I’ve served a number of times as a party snack—waffles cut into smaller bite-sized pieces—or as the first course of a dinner party, perhaps with a small tuft of salad greens alongside. The waffle base, of course, makes it also a perfect option for brunch. And when you’re feeling more “pure maple syrup” than “smoked salmon,” these waffles will suit those occasions as well.

Like capers and a few other foods I didn’t like for many years, buckwheat took a while to grow on me. I think it was the classic buckwheat crêpes of Brittany that began to win me over, and in more recent years I’ve almost always had some buckwheat flour on hand for making crêpes, waffles, crackers. Another favorite snacky option is buckwheat crêpes filled with a cream cheese-chive-smoked salmon filling, rolled up and cut into bite-sized pinwheels. I’ll share that recipe with you before long.

Feel free to use flakes of hot-smoked salmon here instead of draping thin slices of cold-smoked salmon on the waffles. I trust that any smoked fish would work well here.

1/2 to 3/4 cup crème fraîche
2 tablespoons minced chives, plus more for sprinkling
1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, separated
4 to 6 ounces cold-smoked salmon

Preheat a waffle iron to medium-high heat. Stir together the crème fraîche and chives in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Whisk together the buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, gently whisk together the buttermilk, melted butter, and egg yolks until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk gently just to mix.

Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer or large whisk until soft peaks form. Add about one third of the egg whites to the batter and use a rubber spatula to briskly fold them in to lighten the batter, then more gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Pour a generous 1/2 cup of the batter onto the waffle iron (more or less depending on the size of your iron). Close the waffle iron and cook until lightly browned and the steam subsides, 4 to 5 minutes, or according to your iron’s instructions. Continue with the remaining batter.

Set the waffles on individual plates and top with the smoked salmon. Add a dollop of the crème fraîche, sprinkle minced chives over, and serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings