# Whiskey Salmon Linguine



## ianlow32 (Sep 1, 2010)

Locally here in Singapore, we have this interesting dish called XO Bee Hoon, or sometimes another variation is Fish Head Bee Hoon. It's basically a milk based fish broth with sliced fish, or fish head pieces served with rice noodles and in the XO variant, a dash of brandy is added to give it an aromatic and sweet enhancement.

I decided to come up with a pasta variant over the weekend using salmon instead, among other minor changes.

To begin, fry some slices of ginger with minced garlic at high heat. Add in some chopped leeks as well. Splash some whiskey after a min or 2. Add chicken broth (you can use fish stock as well) and bring it to boil.

Separately, season some sliced salmon and lightly seal it in a pan and set aside. Once the broth is at a boil, add it in the salmon pieces and let it simmer for at least 20 mins.

Add some cream (milk is the traditional ingredient here but I prefer cream for the flavour) and bring it to a boil again. Add in some freshly cooked linguine to let it absorb the flavors of the broth. Just before serving, add another few dashes of whiskey to give it that sweet aroma and garnish it with some chopped coriander. It should give a similar yet somewhat unique twist from the traditional XO bee hoon taste.

Ian Low
thesilverchef.blogspot.com


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

I assume the whiskey is American?

The Scottish stuff is whisky (no 'E'!)

The Irish stuff has an 'e'...

The flavours are distinctly different,.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Have to partially disagree, Ishbel.

For sure, Scottish, Irish, and the various North American distilations have different flavors. But how they are spelled is a matter of geography, not taste.

In America, because we use the "e," it would be called Scotch Whiskey; except most of the time we don't actually use the W word. We would just say (or write, which is more germane) "Scotch," or "Bourbon," or "Rye."

Oddly enough, more times than not Irish is an exception. Those who do not specify by brand (i.e., "I'd like two fingers of Jamisons") are likely to say, "Irish Whiskey." Go figure!

Question: When you say "American Whiskey," do you mean bourbon, as is the case with the French? Or something else?


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## cookinmt (Aug 3, 2010)

Whenever I see a recipe that calls for either "whiskey" or "whisky," I assume it means bourbon unless otherwise specified... perhaps that's just some wishful thinking on my part.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

I do the same, CookinMT. Cuz ya know there's only two kinds of sippin' whiskey in the world: Bourbon.....and all the others. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif

But I wonder how much difference it actually would make in most recipes. True, Scottish whiskey has a taste of peat that the others lack. But by the time a "splash of whiskey" burns off, in a dish like the one above, do you think most folks could tell whether it had been bourbon, or rye, or whatever?


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## ianlow32 (Sep 1, 2010)

KYHeirloomer said:


> I do the same, CookinMT. Cuz ya know there's only two kinds of sippin' whiskey in the world: Bourbon.....and all the others. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif
> 
> But I wonder how much difference it actually would make in most recipes. True, Scottish whiskey has a taste of peat that the others lack. But by the time a "splash of whiskey" burns off, in a dish like the one above, do you think most folks could tell whether it had been bourbon, or rye, or whatever?


for my recipe, i prefer to use a mcellan as its more sweet and flavorful in the broth, when i tried to use johnie walker, it came up a bit bitter


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Not "mcellan." It's "The Macallan."  It's a very light Speyside single malt, without much peat.  It's aged in sherry casks, which is what gives it it's sweetness.  It has almost nothing in common with Johnny Walker. 

BDL


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## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

My husband is the whisky drinker in our house...   He has a number of single malt favourites.  I'll 'tak a cup o kindness' at St Andrew's dances, Burns' Suppers and Hogmanay - but I much prefer a good gin and tonic (preferably Bombay Sapphire).  I don't really like Irish or American whiskies.


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