Oaxacan-Inspired Ora King Salmon

Dylan Hallas, Executive Chef at The Club at 3 Creek in Jackson, Wy.

Ingredients for the Salmon:
Ora King salmon - 1 ea., 6 oz. filet
spice rub - 2 Tbsps. (recipe follows)
pure olive oil - as needed
thyme - 1 sprig
garlic clove - 1 ea., smashed
butter - 1 small knob
Ingredients for the Spice Rub:
paprika - 115 gms.
chili powder - 115 gms.
cumin - 100 gms., ground
coriander - 40 gms., ground
onion powder - 30 gms.
garlic powder - 30 gms.
cayenne powder - 2 gms.
Ingredients for the Yellow Mole:
pure olive oil - 56 gms.
yellow onion - 340 gms., medium dice
garlic - 32 gms., sliced
tomatillos - 450 gms., washed and quartered
tomatoes - 300 gms., washed and quartered
aji amarillo - 160 gms.
cumin - 10 gms., ground
coriander - 6 gms., ground
cinnamon - 2 gms., ground
allspice - 2 gms., ground
cloves - .5 gms., ground
chicken or vegetable stock - 960 gms.
tortillas - 30 gms.
pepitas - 80 gms., toasted
cilantro stems - 20 gms.
lime juice - 60 gms.
salt - 1%
Ingredients for the Romanesco:
Romanesco - 1 cup, eparated into small florets, tossed in pure olive oil and par roasted at 350F for 8 minutes
lemon peel - 1/4 ea., removed of pith and finely julienned
currants - 1 Tbsp., soaked in white wine for 1 hour
toasted pine nuts - 1 tsp.
butter - as needed
garlic - 1 tsp., finely minced
shallots - 1 tsp., finely minced
Ingredients for the Baby Kale:
pure olive oil - as needed
baby kale leaves - 1/2 cup

Heat a black cast iron pan until extremely hot and keep on a back burner.
Heat another medium pan, preferably cast iron, over high heat. Season salmon filet with salt and dust generously with spice mixture. Add a small amount of oil to the pan and lay the salmon in the pan, bloodline side up, adjust heat so that the spices darken considerably but do not burn. Flip the salmon and roast in a 350F oven for 6-8 minutes, depending on thickness. Once cooked, set aside to rest on a tray.
Meanwhile, heat a medium pan over high heat and add a marble sized knob of butter and the parcooked Romanesco. Cook until the romanesco takes on some color, then add the garlic and shallots and cook an additional minute, just until they start to turn very light golden. Add the soaked currants, pine nuts, and julienned lemon peel and a splash of vegetable stock and set aside.
Warm the yellow mole.
Lightly toss the baby kale with a thin stream of pure olive oil, lightly season with salt and pepper, and lay into the smoking hot cast iron pan on the back burner. Do not move the kale, letting it char on one side very quickly. Remove the kale and set on a resting tray.

Assembly:

Using a spoon, make a mount of the roasted Romanesco left-of-center of the plate.
Gently arrange the salmon on top.
Spoon the yellow mole artistically on the plate.
Arrange the charred baby kale at various points so the diner gets a bite of all components in each bite.