Christmas and New Year’s Eve: its smoked salmon north of Toulouse settle on the most beautiful tables
Renowned saurissier near Toulouse, Thierry Salas has just opened the doors of Galeries Lafayette Le Gourmet, in Paris. Good news a few days before the end of the year celebrations.
To say that as the holidays approach Thierry Salas takes advantage of the night to sleep is a lie. He’s just resting a bit. Like every year at this time, in his laboratory in Rouffiac-Tolosan, north of Toulouse, it’s the rush.
He and his son Romain ended up not counting the hours of these days which begin well before sunrise. It is at this moment that what will become a real treasure in their hands is delivered: the smoked salmon.
Installed there for twenty-one years, the craftsman has made a name for himself. Going beyond local borders, it has attracted large restaurants as well as many delicatessens. At the Victor-Hugo market in Toulouse, he also made a loyal and regular clientele. His latest conquest is Paris. And not least. This is the famous Gourmet of Galeries Lafayette.
A loyal and regular clientele
“It’s the good surprise of this year. We have to be even more at the height. This is why our credo remains the quality obtained thanks to our know-how and our little secrets”, likes to repeat the sauris maker who does not hesitate however to share some tricks of his trade which has become an art.
To obtain a delicious smoked salmon, which he brings from Scotland and the Faroe Islands, Thierry Salas recalls that “each step is important”. fingering expert. Then we move on to salting with dry salt (here, no brine) where the approximate has no place. Then comes the desalting and drying, again, to be carried out with precision since no fish is the same. Finally comes the smoking, the final stage where talent makes all the difference.
“Creating an Atmosphere”
“You have to be present, and vigilant. On smoke with selected beech and oak wood. Our personal touch comes with the adjustments. At this stage, you have to create an atmosphere with cold and hot, and find the perfect balance, ”explains the “master”. We may not know more. One thing is certain: the result is magnificent. It offers a wide choice of plain salmon as well as fine signatures that connoisseurs crave: smoked beetroot salmon, horseradish and cardamom syrup; smoked salmon with gogi berries, sherry and rose petals; smoked salmon, old-fashioned honey mustard and brown mustard seeds; smoked salmon with wild garlic and blueberry flowers… The list is of course not exhaustive (1).
Other fish such as halibut, trout, haddock, eel… are on the menu. A foie gras, also smoked, has also become a star. With more than a hundred salmon smoked every day, and a growing clientele, it is not surprising that the company is in very good health. Keeping it here is simple: never stop smoking.