Searing with White Pepper throws off an awful smell....

[David Raccah]

Hello Daniel and others,

I wrote a blog post about the awful smell that came from my pan seared cracked pepper Salmon on my blog here: http://kosherwinemusings.com/2010/10/04/a-bunch-of-wines-shared-with-family-provocative-plum-chutney-and-roast-shoulder-with-festive-vegetables/. As I describe in the post, I made a pan seared salmon which was smeared with olive oil and a mixture of cracked white and black pepper (along with some garlic powder as well).

The smell was strong and when the salmon cooled down, the smell basically disappeared. The dish was awesome, moist, spicy, and tasty, and accompanied by the Provocative Plum Sweet Chutney, it was a massive hit.

What I could not figure out was why the white pepper released such a nasty smell when under high heat - any ideas?

Thanks,
David

[Trevor F]

Do me a favour, David................. be a nice Jewish boy... believe me, you can't go wrong with a nice plain bagel and smoked salmon, no rancid smells or anything like that.

BTW what is the provocative plum chutney ? Sounds quite erotic to me. I'll make some for my wife and see what happens.

[Daniel Rogov]

David, Hi...

The secret of "white pepper stink" is quite a well known phenomenon. Black peppercorns are the boiled, unripe green peppercorns of the pepper plant, the boiling meant to take away the bitterness. Once boiled the peppercorns are dried and are ready for grinding. White peppercorns start as black peppercorns but these are simply soaked in lukewarm water for about a week, that loosening the black crust on the corn. This water-soaking process almost guarantees that when heated to a very high temperture the steam and the bitter aromas of the peppercorns will be released.

If indeed white pepper is to be used in cooking , it should first be finely ground and mixed into whatever else remains of the sauce before heating and then only towards the end of cooking so that it does not attain boiling temperature.

As to bagels and lox, well, that's another story altogether. Only one question remains - can a bagel and lox be at its best without very thinly sliced red onion?

Best
Rogov

[John Treder]

>> Only one question remains - can a bagel and lox be at its best without very thinly sliced red onion?

Of course not! Now only one question - is it a sweet red onion or a hot red onion or just a Joe Average red onion?

I vote hot.

John

[Shlomo R]

As to bagels and lox, well, that's another story altogether. Only one question remains - can a bagel and lox be at its best without very thinly sliced red onion?

Best
Rogov

No, it cannot be at its best without thinly sliced red onion. I vote for Joe Average red onion, and will also add that white onion is better than no onion at all.