Italian Grapes in Lodi Paired with Grilled Salmon Tacos #ItalianFWT

 Once upon a time, an Italian family lifted its roots and moved to another place in the world and brought with them the grapes grown in their homeland. This has happened time and time again, so much that Italian grapes are now grown all over the world. 

Many people don't realize that Pinot Grigio (or Pinot Gris) is actually a mutation of Pinot Noir. Genetically, they are all the same.  Pinot Grigio/Gris are also essentially the same.  Grigio means "grey" in Italian and Gris is "grey" in French.  They become different wines by the way they are vinified. Italy is the leader in Pinot Grigio but you will find them in Australia, Canada, the United States (Oregon and California) Germany, France, and New Zealand.

Pinot Grigio wines reference the Italian winemaking style and are lighter, brighter, and dryer.  We chose the F. Stephen Millier 2018 Pinot Grigio that is grown in Lodi, California. This wine was a special project produced especially for Naked Wines through the Angel project. Stephen night-harvested these grapes to preserve as much flavor as possible.  What comes through is a fresh, modern wine with light floral aromas.  The flavors contain green apple and pear with a crisp finish.  We purchased our bottle for about $10.

We decided this wine could stand up to a bit of a richer dish, so we made grilled salmon tacos. The crisp edge held up well to the spiciness of the salmon and the salty, cheddar cheese.  We grilled on a gas grill and first used a wet rub on the salmon.  We served with coleslaw and crema cilantro.  It was an incredible and delicious pairing!

Yield: 4

Author: Terri Steffes

Grilled Salmon Tacos with Cilantro Crema

Delicious summery dish that can be prepared in advance, ready to grill.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 18 Min

Ingredients

Salmon

• 4 4 oz. salmon filets
• 8 8"  tortillas
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T chili powder (ancho works well)
• 1 T lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Cilantro Crema

• .5  c sour cream
• 3 T chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 T chopped green onion
• 1 t chopped jalapeno
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Grilled Salmon

1. Heat grill to medium heat.
2. Coat salmon with rub and rest for 10 minutes.
3. Grill salmon skin side down for 4 minutes.
4. Flip, grill for four more minutes.
5. Coat with the remaining rub.
6. Remove from grill, cut into small pieces.
7. Heat tortillas on grill for one minute on each side.
8. Place salmon on tortilla and top with crema.

Crema

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Notes:

Coat the salmon with the rub up to three hours in advance.

Make the crema up to 12 hours in advance.

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