Salmon with Bacon Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce

Preparation: Let the Salmon come to temperature on the counter for 15 minutes. Gather all of the ingredients. Dice the bacon.

Bacon: Place a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and 1 teaspoon of bacon grease and stir, coating the bacon. Let cook about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the onion and garlic, chiffonade the basil, and grate the lemon zest. (To chiffonade, stack the basil leaves, roll them lengthwise then cutting crosswise, slice into thin ribbons.) Give the bacon in the pan a stir and cook until browned and crisp. Remove the bacon leaving the fat in the pan.

Salmon: Pour out all of the bacon fat from the frying pan except about 2 tablespoons and return pan to the stove over medium heat. Very lightly salt each salmon filet and lay them in the pan, pretty-side down (or skin-side up - I removed the skin on my pieces). Let cook undisturbed for about 3-4 minutes depending on thickness. You'll see the salmon become lighter where it has cooked, this will let you judge if it's time to flip. (You'll want that color change almost half-way before flipping.) Flip the fish with a spatula and cook again for approximately 3-4 minutes. Remove the salmon to a plate and tent gently with a piece of foil to keep warm.

Sauce: Return the pan to the stove, keeping the heat set to just below medium. Add the onions and garlic and stir until they begin to soften - about 1½ minutes. Move the pan off of the burner, and while STANDING BACK,slowly add the vodka. Return the pan to the heat stirring to lift up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the vodka reduce by half.

Add the tomato paste and stir it around the onions to warm it up and help break it down. Add the heavy cream and water, stirring to combine. Let it simmer gently for a minute to thicken up a little. Add the bacon, 1 tablespoon of vodka, and lemon zest. Stir the sauce until the sharp smell of alcohol has dissipated. Add the basil. Taste and add a pinch of salt and pepper to your taste. Turn off the heat.

Plate: Place a salmon filet on a serving plate and top with half of the sauce. Garnish with more basil if desired.