For Passover this year, take a step back in time with food historian and cookbook author Hélène Jawhara Piñer, who has made it her life’s work to celebrate Jewish cooking, bringing dishes and Seder plates from the annals of history to the tables of modern chefs and home cooks.
Her most recent cookbook, Matzah and Flour: Recipes From the History of the Sephardic Jews (published by Academic Studies Press), is the perfect tome for Passover, celebrating the role that bread, both leavened and unleavened, holds in Jewish cuisines. “The recipes delve deep into the captivating journey of how flour and matzah have been a steady, yet evolving influence on Sephardic cooking, ultimately emerging as timeless symbols, embodying a history of resilience, faith and community,” writes Piñer.
Many of the recipes Piñer uncovered for the book date back to the 1300s and 1400s. “Food is never just food—it carries stories, traditions and transformations that reflect the complexities of Jewish life across centuries,” says Piñer.
For this holiday season, Piñer shares a delicious recipe from Matzah and Flour that encapsulates both the creative use of matzah and ancient Sephardic cooking traditions. This salmon preparation hails from a cookbook from a Sephardic community in Gerona before the Spanish Inquisition. Referred to in the book as “Joan Çarriera’s Salmon Stew,” named for the woman who first wrote down the recipe in Catalan, this dish “highlights the deep, inherent connection between history and food practices among the Jews of Spain and their diaspora,” says Piñer.
The recipe combines some ingredients that may seem unorthodox together, but turn out to meld together harmoniously. Fresh salmon is breaded in matzah and fried in a skillet (ideally cast iron) with artichokes (Piñer says baby artichokes are best) and spinach, before the finishing touch is added: fried eggs with a grating of hard Spanish cheese. The bright flavors of lemon and sumac marry with the vegetal components and the richness of the salmon and eggs, making this dish unlike any other.
“I had never made this dish before I discovered it in the source material, and as I love it, I make it for Passover every year, and refuse to make it for another moment of the year,” says Piñer. “I’ve found that a longer marination and extra lemon really elevate the flavors.”
A Bordeaux native, Piñer recommends white Bordeaux—typically blends of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillion (and sometimes Muscadelle)—to serve alongside this dish, or “a Chardonnay from Chablis for its freshness and minerality to balance the honey and fish,” she says. “You need a white wine with good acidity to balance the richness of the salmon and the sweetness of the honey, while also having enough structure to complement the artichokes.”
For Passover, Wine Spectator editors have recommended six kosher Sauvignon Blanc– and Chardonnay–based white wines below, plus a handful of other white varieties, to pair with this salmon preparation and a range of other lighter, spring foods on your Passover table. Chag Sameach!
Matzah-Crusted Skillet Salmon with Artichokes
Excerpted from the book Matzah and Flour: Recipes From the History of the Sephardic Jews by Hélène Jawhara Piñer. Copyright 2024 by Hélène Jawhara Piñer. Reprinted by permission of Academic Studies Press.
Ingredients
- 4 skinless salmon fillets
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 7/8 (50 grams) matzah, crushed into breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons sumac flakes
- 2 small red spring onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- 8 artichoke quarters, cooked (fresh or canned)
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup grated Manchego or similar hard Spanish cheese
Preparation
1. In a bowl, make the marinade for the salmon by mixing 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Coat the salmon fillets with the marinade.
2. Mix the crushed matzah and sumac flakes on a plate. Coat each salmon fillet with the matzah mixture and place on a new plate. Once all four fillets are coated, cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. In a skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook the salmon fillets for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and return to a plate, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
4. Slice the spring onions julienne and crush the garlic cloves. In the same skillet, add the sliced spring onions and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes over medium heat until the garlic is golden. Add the honey and stir. Add spinach leaves and pre-cooked artichoke quarters. Cook for 5 minutes, adding additional olive oil if the mixture becomes too dry. Add lemon juice to taste and stir.
5. Place the cooked salmon fillets back in the pan and settle them in the spinach. Crack four eggs into the skillet between the salmon fillets. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the eggs are cooked. Sprinkle the eggs with an additional 1 teaspoon of salt and the grated cheese. Serve with broken pieces of matzah.—Serves 4.
6 Recently Rated Kosher Sauvignon Blancs and Chardonnays
Here is a selection of outstanding and classic dry Kosher whites from recently rated releases. More options for white wines and red wines can be found in our Wine Ratings Search.
COVENANT
Chardonnay Sonoma Mountain Lavan 2022
Score: 91 | $44
WS Review:There's a vivid mouthful of crisp lemon curd, pomelo and yuzu at the core of this fresh white, with notes of crunchy sea salt and a hint of butterscotch. An element of creamy nougat on the finish makes for a complete, satisfying and harmonious wine. Kosher. Drink now. 500 cases made. From California.—M.W.
COVENANT
Sauvignon Blanc Lake County Red C 2023
Score: 89 | $24
WS Review: Bright and lemony, showing notes of lemon sherbet, grilled Meyer lemon and green apple that are intense and vibrant on a sleek frame, with details of ginger and green tea on the crisp finish. Kosher. Drink now. 1,300 cases made. From California.—M.W.
PSAGOT
Score: 88 | $28
WS Review: Notes of white flowers and melon show ripeness and weight on a medium-bodied palate. Round at the edges, this is flecked with green herb details and energized by mineral-laced acidity, with chalky bitterness at the end. Kosher. Drink now. 1,320 cases made, 150 cases imported. From Israel.—K.B.
RECANATI
Score: 87 | $20
WS Review: There's a honeyed edge to this creamy white, with melon, spiced apple and chamomile rendered in a fresh, succulent style. Juicy and round, with a salty, savory undercurrent through the finish, which is silky in feel. Kosher. Drink now. 5,000 cases made, 1,025 cases imported. From Israel.—K.B.
BACKSBERG
Chardonnay Paarl Sydney Back 2023
Score: 87 | $19
WS Review: With an appealing core of apple, pear and melon fruit flavors, this light- to medium-bodied white is fresh and zesty, with hints of pink grapefruit peel and grated ginger on the finish. Kosher. Drink now. 1,000 cases made, 560 cases imported. From South Africa.—A.N.
DALTÔN
Sauvignon Blanc Galilee Fumé Oak Aged 2023
Score: 86 | $19
WS Review: Offers notes of freshly cut grass and star fruit on a delicate frame, with a flinty mineral accent in the backdrop. Light and stony, showing savory hints of salt and smoke. Drink now. 5,260 cases made, 700 cases imported.—K.B.
Other Recently Rated White Kosher Whites
COVENANT
Score: 90 | $22
WS Review: Succulent and vibrant, with pretty peach, lemon and honeysuckle flavors that linger on the supple finish. Kosher. Drink now. 250 cases made. From California.—T.F.
NANA
Score: 90 | $38
WS Review: Freshly crushed apple and pear flavors meet a deftly inlaid thread of baking spices and salted butter in this tasty white. Creamy in texture, with good weight but not heaviness. The silky, persistent finish shows a subtle kiss of brioche and dried green herb notes. Kosher. Drink now through 2027. 650 cases made, 126 cases imported. From Israel.—K.B.
COVENANT
Score: 89 | $28
WS Review: Sleek and vibrant, offering nectarine, lime and honeysuckle accents that end on a refreshing note. Kosher. Drink now. 300 cases made. From California.—T.F.
