Signature Dishes: Pistachio-crusted salmon at Luke & Mike’s Frontporch in Aspinwall

This is part of an ongoing series highlighting Signature Dishes at locally owned restaurants in the region. See Trib Total Media’s new online directory of restaurants, Dine Local, at dinelocal.triblive.com.

A signature fish dish created during covid conditions has evolved into a menu staple at Luke & Mike’s Frontporch Grille in Aspinwall.

Executive chef Blakely Aluise created a unique wild salmon dish from readily available ingredients in her chef’s cupboard.

“I wanted to use what I had then when the restaurants closed,” Aluise said. “I wanted to take salmon and make something that was more of a comfort dish.”

The pistachio-crusted salmon ($24.95) features baked wild salmon prepared with a chopped pistachio crust and served with a rosemary lemon aoli and crunchy arugula.

“Pistachios make a great crust, and it’s something different than your typical pecan or walnut,” said Aluise of her choice for the primary breading ingredient.

The signature salmon recipe has been well received. “The customers loved the dish during covid, and it was an easy dish to make quickly, make a lot of it and people loved it,” Aluise said.

Aluise said the crucial finishing touch is a fresh-cut lemon charred on the grill.

“We grill them because it gets this beautiful char on the outside and makes it a little smoky,” Aluise said.

The pistachio dish began as a curbside pick-up menu item when Luke & Mike’s closed in 2020 during the pandemic restrictions.

“We added it to the menu, it stayed and people are asking for it,” Aluise said.

Luke & Mike’s opened more than a decade ago with an emphasis on freshly sourced American cuisine.

Aluise, 38, has been chef for five years. A Fox Chapel Area High School alumnus, she graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York in 2008.

Luke & Mike’s is owned by restaurant veterans Billy and Sheri Rice, who named their 11th venture for their sons.

Sheri Rice said that while the pandemic restrictions and shutdowns have been difficult for business, she’s staying the course. “It’s been a long, hard year for this industry. I know a lot of people who just stepped out of the restaurant industry and a few who just didn’t make it out alive.”

A cozy indoor dining area is complete with a small bar, fireplace and television. While bistro-style seating is the dining choice during wintertime, the restaurant offers ample al fresco dining, with a large courtyard area and outside porch and side bar.

Luke & Mike’s Frontporch Grille, 235 Commercial Ave. in Aspinwall, is open from 4 to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. See frontporchgrille.com or call 412-252-2877.