Every other week, we’re unearthing Heirloom Recipes -- dishes that have made their way from one generation's kitchen to the next.

Today: Melina Hammer of Licking the Plate makes a salmon dish that was her well-traveled grandmother's speciality.







My Noni and her husband Fred saw the world together, guided by great food. He was born in Yugoslavia and she, Berlin. Their families fled the Holocaust and landed in Ecuador, where they eventually met. They lived in several places, including New York and Mexico, and traveled extensively throughout Asia, South America, and, of course Europe.

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During all this, my step-grandfather loved to eat. To keep him from tipping the scales, Noni devised all kinds of trimmed-down, but still tasty, creations to keep him sated (and both of them well-fed). Their love of food ran the gamut from the familiar to the daring, and good eating was always a high priority.





I remember eating this dish during many of our visits and loving her thoughtful touches as the meal came together. My Noni - Lilly was her name - put a flourish to everything she did, so no matter what she prepared, it always felt special.

She passed away several years ago. Re-creating this recipe was in part a detective story: when I asked my folks how exactly Noni prepared the salmon -- was it poached? baked? -- no one could recall exactly. So, I made a decision, based on my memories of golden salmon flesh, that it must have been roasted briefly in a hot oven.

I may have added a little more of the chopped herb and laid a heavier hand with the cracked pepper, but this version lovingly honors her fine touch, and turned out wonderfully.

Noni's Salmon with Sour Cream-Dill Slather

Serves 4

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cups fat free Greek yogurt

1 small bunch dill

1/2 side wild salmon, pin bones removed

1 pinch mustard powder

1 pinch dried thyme leaves

Good sea salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

Good olive oil

See the rest of the recipe (and save and print it) here.