ROAST SALMON with SALSA VERDE and BAKED POTATOES with BAY LEAVES

Heat Oven 220c / 425f / Gas mark 7.

Cooking time 25 minutes.Serves 6

Salsa Verde.
 
100 gm frozen petite pois

20 gm (large handful) flat leaved parsley leaves

6 gm (2 tablespoon) fresh mint leaves 

1 peeled garlic clove

3 desert-spoons of capers

5 anchovy fillets in olive oil, remove from jar and wash, dry using kitchen paper

Freshly ground black pepper 

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or liquidiser and mince until

he salsa is a coarse puree,

taste and if necessary add some salt, remembering that the anchovies provide

the main source of salt.

Roast Salmon. 

2 x 1 kg matching salmon fillets washed, scaled & free of all bones.

Olive oil 

1 tablespoon creme fraiche 

1 large bunch of fresh thyme sprigs 

Salt and freshly ground pepper.

Chopped parsley.

In a roasting/baking tray lay the sprigs of thyme in a line, sprinkle with olive oil.

Place the first salmon fillet, skin side down on top of the thyme.

Spread half the creme fraiche on top of the salmon fillet, then cover with the salsa verde.

Spread the remaining creme fraiche on the flesh of the other salmon fillet and  place skin side 
up on top of the salsa verde creating a sandwich.

Sprinkle the skin with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Put the salmon in the pre heated oven for 25 minutes, until the skin is slightly golden.

Remove from the oven, cover with a piece of aluminum foil and leave to rest for 10/15 minutes while
 the potatoes finish cooking.

To serve, remove salmon from baking tin onto serving platter.

Peel back the skin & remove, sprinkle with parsley, carve at the table using a 
  very sharp knife. If possible leave the under skin on the platter.

This Roast Salmon is rich and moist enough to serve without a sauce, however 
a good mayonnaise would be perfect.

Baked Potatoes with bay leaves.

15 Charlotte or other waxy potatoes (roughly 10 cm long)

8 fresh bay leaves.

Olive oil

salt and freshly ground pepper.

Wash potatoes, leave the skins on.

Dry with kitchen paper.

Make about 10 regular slices 5cm apart and 15 cm deep vertically along each of the potatoes 

Wash the bay leaves, place on a cutting board and using a sharp knife, cut out the spine from the leaf, 
leaving two halves of bay.

Place the potatoes on a baking tray, small enough to put in a microwave 
(if you don't have a microwave the potatoes can be baked in the oven)

Tuck the halved bay leaf into the sliced potato so that the leaf lies securely on top.

Sprinkle with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Place in the microwave on the highest setting for 10/15 minutes or until the potatoes are semi cooked.

Then put in the oven with the salmon for 25 minutes.

If you are not using a microwave, bake the potatoes for 1 hour in the oven along with the salmon.

 

BEETROOT GRAVADLAX 

Served with Ice-Cold Vodka 

A great ‘pick me up’

 Serves 6

20 mins to prepare 

2-3 days curing.

This recipe is my twist on traditional Gravadlax and is very easy to prepare.

Beetroot is used in the curing process which produces a spectacular result,
   leaving a deep pink decorative edge when the salmon is thinly sliced.

Ingredients 

2 matching salmon fillets, 300g each 

4 heaped tblsps course sea salt 

1 heaped tblsp caster sugar

2 tsps mixed pepper corns, coarsely ground

1 large bunch of dill coarsely chopped

1 large raw beetroot, peeled and grated

1 lemon and 1 lime for decoration

Method 

You will need a container (not metal) large enough to hold the salmon fillets.

Wash and pat dry both salmon fillets 

Remove all pin bones from the salmon using a pair of tweezers 

Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl (except the lemon and lime)

Place the first salmon fillet, skin side down,  in the container and spread the

beetroot mixture on top, then place the second fillet, skin side up, on top and gently press down.

Then cover a double layer of cling film on top of the salmon fillets, making sure that thecling film is
tucked in around the salmon.

Next you will need to find a heavy object to weigh the salmon down. 4 Kg if 
possible with something flat to spread the load.

Place on top of the cling film.

Refrigerate  for  2 to 3 days, turning the salmon every 12 hours.

2 hours before serving take the salmon out of the fridge and remove from the container.

Gently wipe away the beetroot mixture and pat dry with a kitchen towel.

Set aside for about an hour to dry.

To serve.

Slice the salmon fillets at an angle very thinly as far down as the skin but leave the skin behind.

Arrange on a serving dish and decorate with chunks of lemon and lime.

Serve with  thinly sliced bread and butter and a horseradish mayonnaise.

Ice cold Vodka is wonderful with this gravadlax or if you prefer a crisp lemony Sancerre would be perfect.


Hot smoked salmon.

 

HOT SMOKED SALMON

Fish Kettle 

Wood Chips, Alder & Apple. Half & half. (If you have difficulty in finding wood
chips go to www.cookequip.co.uk http://www.cookequip.co.uk  telephone - 01932 841171. 
They offer a world wide mail order service).

Tin Foil


Ingredients.

Sea Salt.

 Salmon or Salmon Trout 2 - 3 kg. 

Use a whole, scaled & gutted or part of a 

salmon for this recipe, depending on the size of your fish kettle.     

Large handful of fresh dill stalks.

1 apple, cut into thin slices.

SALTING the SALMON.  2 - 8 hours.

Take a large piece of tin foil, large enough to wrap around the salmon.

Sprinkle a layer of sea salt on the foil & place the salmon on top.

Rub more sea salt inside & out. 

Cover tightly with foil & place in the fridge for at least 2 hours & up to 8 

hours.

This process will remove excess liquid & help firm up the flesh.

SMOKING the SALMON. 

Remove salmon from the fridge & brush away all remaining salt and pat dry with 

some kitchen paper.

Place a handful of dill inside and add the sliced apple.

Place an even layer of the mixed alder & apple wood chips in the bottom of the 

fish kettle and replace the tray with the salmon on top.

Cover tightly with lid, if necessary cover lid with tin foil.

Place the fish kettle over 2 hobbs or gas burners turned up high.

As soon as you smell smoke turn the heat down to the lowest setting.

If using electric hobbs, turn off & leave for 1 hour & 30 minutes.

For gas hobbs, after 30 - 45 minutes (depending on the size of the salmon) on 

the lowest setting,  turn off heat & leave for 1 hour.

This salmon is delicious eaten hot, warm or cold.

Serve with a cool crispy cucumber salad and 

steaming  hot New Jersey Royal potatoes with butter and a generous sprinkle of 

fresh chopped chives and dill.

 

SPICY BARBECUED SALMON 

For this recipe you can buy a ready made curry paste, or if you are feeling 

adventurous, try making your own.

Home made curry paste taste so much fresher and you are able to distinguish 

the individual spices.

The warm mango chutney and it’s vibrant colour work really well with the spicy 

salmon, I have chosen a crisp white Rioja which compliments the spices perfectly.  

SALMON Serves  6 - 8

2 lemons and 2 limes for serving

1 lemon, sliced  and placed inside the fish

I Whole Salmon gutted and cleaned, or 2 salmon fillets about 300- 400 g each. 

Skin left on. Cut diagonal slices through the skin, about 1 1/2 inches apart

or

TROUT  gutted and cleaned. Cut 4 or 5 diagonal slices through the skin

1/2 lemon

1/2 lime 

Fish curry paste

If you are buying the fish curry paste you will find the paste in any good 

supermarket, you will need a 400 g jar.

To make your own

2 tblsps fennel seeds

2 tblsps coriander seeds 

2 tblsps cumin seeds

1/2 tblsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp black pepper corns

1/2 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces

1 clove

2 cardamon pods

1/4 tsp dried red chilli flakes (optional)

Sea salt 

Fresh ginger about 5 cm long, peeled and chopped into small chunks 

3 plump cloves of garlic, skinned and crushed.

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, dry fry all the curry ingredients except 

the salt, ginger and cloves of garlic, for about 3 minutes until the seeds start 

to pop.

Remove from the heat.

Grind the seeds to a powder in a pestle and mortar or in an electric spice 

grinder, remove and set aside.

Liquidise the chopped ginger, crushed garlic cloves, salt and 4 tblsps of water.

When pureed add the ground spices and mix well.

The paste will keep for a week in the fridge.

Two hours before cooking the fish rub a generous amount of fish curry paste all 

over the salmon or trout inside and out, making sure that the paste penetrates 

into the slices in the skin. If you are using a whole fish stuff some sliced 

lemon into the cavity. 

Cover with tin foil. 

Heat up the B B Q.

Using vegetable oil wipe the wire cooking rack to prevent the fish from sticking.

Cooking salmon filets. 

Place the salmon filets, skin side down on the B B Q and cook for 12 -15 mins, 

with the lid down if you have one, if not cover with tin foil. Carefully turn 

over and cook for a further 5 mins. Remove the salmon onto a serving dish to rest.

Cooking the whole salmon or trout.

Place the whole salmon or trout onto the B B Q and cook for 12 - 15 mins each 

side for the salmon and 5 - 7 mins each side for the trout

Remove the fish onto a serving dish and rest for up to 10 mins.

This barbecued salmon is delicious served with "Warn Mango Chutney" the recipe 

for this can be found in  'Pickles and Chutney's' 

Recommended wine 

White Rioja.