The man known publicly as “Jeff the 420 Chef” started cooking and baking with cannabis when a friend’s mother was diagnosed with cancer.

As he learned to help her manage the nausea and discomfort of her treatments, Jeff developed his own cannabutter and canna-oil infusion process that preserves THC while leaving very little marijuana flavor behind.

He honed the technique while cooking for friends, fellow chefs and celebrities. Now he teaches this process in his cannabutter class in San Francisco.

Jeff also shared 100 infused recipes – from appetizers and desserts to multicourse meals – in his new book, “The 420 Gourmet: The Elevated Art of Cannabis Cuisine.” Along with recipes, “The 420 Gourmet” includes an overview of cannabis, a look at various strains and information on dosage.

The book, which is being billed as “a true foodie’s guide to edibles,” is available now from Harper Wave for $29.99.

“Jeff the 420 Chef” collaborated with Chef Tadashi Miwa to create a recipe that appears in the book for a cannabis-infused poached salmon meal complete with sautéed zucchini-and-leek spaghetti, beurre blanc sauce and parsleyed potatoes.

“Tadashi and I met when he was working the line at One Market in San Francisco,” Jeff said. “I always thought poaching salmon would be difficult, but Tadashi showed me that it’s easier than making pie in a store-bought pie shell – and it takes only minutes.”

The recipe makes six servings. It takes about 45 minutes of prep time, plus one hour and 30 minutes of cooking time.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SALMON
  • 6 salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each)
  • Fine sea salt
  • White pepper
FOR THE COURT BOUILLON (POACHING LIQUID)
  • 4 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
  • 8 carrots, chopped (about 1 inch thick)
  • 8 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 inch thick)
  • ⅔ cup white wine vinegar
  • 5 quarts water
  • 1 herb sachet of 3 sprigs thyme, 5 parsley stems, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon cracked peppercorns
FOR THE PARSLEYED POTATOES
  • 12 baby red potatoes, washed and cut in quarters
  • Salt
  • 2 tablespoons grass-fed butter
  • ¼ cup parsley, minced
FOR THE BEURRE BLANC
  • 2 teaspoons shallot, minced
  • ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1½ tablespoons cider or white wine vinegar
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 1¾ sticks grass-fed butter, cubed (about 1 inch) and chilled
  • 2 tablespoons creamy cannabutter, chilled (find Jeff’s recipe in his book or try our own version here)
  • Salt
  • Ground white pepper
FOR THE ZUCCHINI-AND-LEEK SPAGHETTI
  • 2 teaspoons grass-fed butter
  • 2 teaspoons creamy cannabutter
  • 1½ cups zucchini, cut into a long julienne (⅛ by ⅛ inch thick)
  • 1½ cups leeks, white part only, cut into a long julienne and blanched
  • Salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chives, minced

DIRECTIONS

1. Season both sides of salmon with salt and white pepper to taste.

PREPARE THE COURT BOUILLON

2. In a large pot, place all of the ingredients (except the sachet) in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer. Add the sachet and allow bouillon to simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You should be able to taste the acid and the aromatics. Strain and keep hot over very low heat.

BOIL THE POTATOES

3. In a separate large pot, place the baby red potatoes, quartered, and cover with water. Season with salt and allow to simmer over medium heat until cooked, 15 to 18 minutes. Do not boil—if you do, the potatoes will start to fall apart as they cook.

4. Remove the potatoes and soak in an ice bath to stop the cooking process, then set aside.

PREPARE THE BEURRE BLANC

5. Combine the shallot, peppercorns, wine, lemon juice, and vinegar in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until the liquid has evaporated to nearly dry. Add the heavy cream and reduce by half over medium heat.

6. Lower the heat and allow the cream to barely simmer. Add the cubed/chilled butter and cannabutter a few pieces at a time, whisking constantly to incorporate thoroughly. When all of the butter is incorporated, the sauce will be slightly thickened.

7. Taste and season with salt and white pepper. Set aside and hold in a warm space.

PREPARE THE POACHED SALMON

8. Bring the court bouillon to a bare simmer.

9. Submerge the seasoned salmon fillets fully (about 2 inches deep from the surface) and poach for 7 to 10 minutes. After 7 minutes, check the internal temperature of the salmon (it must be at least 125º but no more than 135ºF). Set aside and cover to keep warm.

PREPARE THE PARSLEYED POTATOES

10. In a sauté pan, heat the grass-fed butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the prepared potatoes and sauté until there is some browning on the surface of the potatoes. Remove from the heat, season with salt, and toss in a generous amount of parsley.

PREPARE THE ZUCCHINI-AND-LEEK SPAGHETTI*

11. In a separate sauté pan, heat the grass-fed butter over medium heat. When melted, add in cannabutter and mix well.

12. Immediately add the zucchini and leeks, tossing frequently until heated through (2 to 3 minutes). Season with salt and black pepper. Remove from the heat and toss in the chopped chives.

TO PLATE

13. Place a fair amount of the sautéed zucchini-and-leek spaghetti in the center of the plate. Position a poached salmon fillet on top of the bed of noodles. Place a serving of the parsleyed potatoes on the side. Ladle about 2 tablespoons of the beurre blanc sauce on top of the salmon, and serve.

*CHEF TIP: Want a neat trick for the zucchini-and-leek spaghetti? Get a $15 hand spiralizer! Jeff calls it his “new favorite kitchen gadget” since it “spaghettis” a whole zucchini in only 30 seconds.

APPROXIMATE THC PER SERVING**

  • 10%: 5.1 mg
  • 15%: 7.6 mg
  • 20%: 10.2 mg

**Based on infusing 5 grams of cured/dried/decarbed cannabis into 1⅓ sticks of butter.

Jeff the 420 Chef recently published 100 cannabis-infused recipes in his cookbook “The 420 Gourmet: The Elevated Art of Cannabis Cuisine.” The book is available now from Harper Wave for $29.99.