Posts tagged salmon

Asian Salmon and Coconut Rice

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Asian Salmon and Coconut Rice

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I’ve cooked this recipe far too many times in the past couple of weeks. With revision STILL on the go it is a fresh but really satisfying meal which is also a hopeless attempt at consuming some more oily fish to fuel my brain! I’ve been unhelpfully vague in the method as all depends on the rice, coconut milk and salmon you use which will vary the cooking time and the quantities a little. The timings will vary but use your instincts and aim for a crispy skinned dark soy salmon that is moist and just cooked with a creamy coconut rice. You may not get the timings perfect on the first shot but I guarantee you’ll make it again to get it right!

Serves 2

  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 4 oz brown/wild rice
  • 2 salmon fillets
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp runny honey
  • 2cm grated ginger
  • 1 lime, zest and wedges for serving
  • Scattering of sesame seeds
  1. Mix the soy, oils, ginger and honey together and leave the salmon to marinade in the mix for at least 1 hour in the fridge.
  2. Bring the coconut milk to the boil with a small cup of hot water and simmer the rice gently for about 20-25 minutes until cooked. The coconut milk you use in terms of thickness will vary so top up with hot water if it starts to look dry or if it is a thick variety, dilute down. What you’re aiming for is for the rice to cook in the time that it takes the coconut milk to reduce so you should end up with a creamy rice. If it is still looking drowned towards the end of cooking, turn the heat up and simmer more strongly. I like to use brown rice for its nutty flavour and texture.
  3. Once cooked, stir in the grated zest of the lime and keep warm.
  4. While the rice is cooking, preheat your grill to high and (skin side up) grill your salmon for about 5 minutes depending on thickness, until just cooked and moist with a dark soy crisp skin.
  5. Simmer the remaining marinade in a saucepan to warm and thicken.
  6. Serve your salmon on top of your coconut rice drizzled with a little of the warm marinade. Scatter with a handful of sesame seeds and a wedge of lime for squeezing. Serve with steamed broccoli.

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Salmon and Dill Ravioli, Lemon Buerre Noisette

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Salmon and Dill Ravioli, Lemon Buerre Noisette

 

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Only a few weeks after returning from my gap year travels I was disappointed in myself that I had gone all my (then) 18 years and one hearty gap year without ever having been to Italy! Venice and Florence had always been on my list of destinations……the land of food. So a quick ticket and a hostel bed later I found myself in the middle of Italy with a heavy bag and apron for company. Naturally with my priorities in the right place) I had both a Venetian and Tuscan cookery class booked and under my belt.

If I’m honest, I’ve never been a huge pasta fan but what could be better than making it yourself in the sunny Tuscan hills? I spent what has to be the most charming, authentic and relaxing day in a Tuscan cookery school just outside Florence on their magical estate. With wine in hand on arrival (their priorities were right) I cooked a 4 course meal using wines and rich olive oils from their own estate and learned how to make pasta. It was a day to remember. (For details see below).

However, not being a pasta fan I have not revisited the pasta section of the charmingly translated and authentic cookery book from the school- until now. I thought I’d deviate from the traditional spinach and ricotta variety I made in Florence and invented my own. For pasta lovers, making it could not be easier- I don’t even have a pasta machine! Whilst I would recommend one, as rolling it to a thin consistency did shamefully strain and unearth some hibernating arm muscles, but it was delicious. Fill your ravioli with whatever you like and coat in any sauce that takes your fancy! I’m now off to re-make the other dishes I so greedily enjoyed back in those sunny hills….watch this space

Serves 2-3

  • 200g ‘OO’ flour
  • 2 eggs
  • Pinch salt
  • Small handful of chopped dill
  • 2 salmon fillets, smoked (Mine were raw but lightly smoked which was a nice addition, alternatively used precooked smoked trout for the same texture and flavour but non-smoked salmon fillet work fine also)
  • 2 heaped tbsp creme fraiche/ricotta
  • 1 lemon, zest and 1 tbsp juice
  • 25g butter
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • Bunch of asparagus, chopped

1. Start with the pasta. Make a heaped mound of flour on a clean surface and make a well in the centre. Break in your eggs and a pinch of salt. Use a fork to whisk the eggs in a circular motion and then gradually bring in the flour from the sides bit by bit to incorporate it into the doughimage2. Once it has all be added (its may need a splash of water or wine to add a bit more moisture) knead into a ball. Add the chopped dill and then knead with the heal of your hand for a good 15-20 minutes until the dough is really smooth and it feels elastic.image

3. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook the salmon in a hot oven for about 10 minutes until just cooked but still moist. Discard the skin and flake into a bowl with some seasoning, the finely grated zest of the lemon and a squeeze of the juice. Leave to cool before stirring in the creme fraiche.

5. Once the dough has rested, remove from the fridge and use either a pasta machine or some elbow grease and a rolling pin to roll out so it is really thin.

6. Cut out circles with a pastry cutter and spoon teaspoons of cold salmon into the middle. Fold over into a half moon and sandwich together and seal with a fork.image

7. Place onto a lightly floured/.polenta coated plate.

8. Cook your asparagus spears for a few minutes and then drain and keep warm. Additionally, heat a splash of oil over a high heat and fry the capers until crisp and drain on kitchen paper.

9. Bring a large heavily salted pan of water to the boil and drop in your pasta. Simmer briskly until cooked to your liking (about 3-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the pasta) and they will rise to the surface when they are nearly ready.

10. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large frying pan on a high heat. When it starts to sizzle, stir and allow it to turn a brown nutty colour and release a nutty aroma. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice

11. Drain the pasta and serve, with the asparagus spears and drizzle generously with the lemon butter sauce. Scatter with the capers and a grating of lemon zest.

Buon Appetito!

The cookery course I did in Florence was ‘The Good Taste of Italy’ day course found here. I didn’t stay in the accommodation on the estate but I wish I had, its worth a look as they also do cookery holidays where you are housed in their stunning villa and fed silly.

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The Venetian course I did was outside of Venice and was very different. It took a more homely and casual approach set in the house of an Italian Mama. Advertised to teach you to ’cook like an Italian Mama’ it was certainly the most authentic course I could have done and there were only 3 of us in the class. After being collected, we shopped for our ingredients and picked our vegetables and herbs form their own healthy allotment before being welcomed generously to their kitchen to cook up a feast.

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Lapsang Souchong Smoked Salmon

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Lapsang Souchong Smoked Salmon

I attempted to smoke my own fish at home and it was a surprising success! You’ll  need a 1940’s gas mask or failing that, an efficient extractor fan- I chose the later- as your kitchen soon gets a little smokey. The taste is worth the trouble though, as it infused this beautiful salmon with a subtle smoky fragrance and a moist, pillowy texture! Following Skye Gyngell’s instructions with a few tweaks here and there, this is how to go about your home smoking…..

  • 45g muscovado sugar
  • 60g caster sugar
  • 135g tea leaves- I used Lapsang souchong which has a bonfire-like smoky taste.
  • Salmon filltets
  1. Using foil, make 2 cups about 3cm deep and divide the above combined dry mixture into both
  2. Place in a deep roasting tin. Place ramekins or pudding moulds in the four corners and rest a wire rack on top of them, covering the foil cups
  3. Place the salmon fillets skin side up on some parchment and wrap and place on top of the wire rack. Place the tin on a medium-high heat and begin to heat. It takes about 10 minutes to begin smoking- extractor fans are essential here.
  4. For salmon, my timings were a bit hit and miss. I smoked it for about 5 minutes and then checked. Then leave to rest for for a few minute still wrapped but off the heat.

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To let the salmon be the star of the show, I served mine simply with creamy lentils with lots of fresh chopped herbs. The only down fall to this is you don’t get the crispy skin I so love on fish. People find this is strange but it is essentially just like pork crackling! So, you can peal the skin off the salmon and fry in a hot oiled pan for a few minutes and serve as a salty shard on top for added texture and crunch!

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Indian Fish Pie

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Indian Fish Pie

This should really be called ‘Indian inspired fish pie’ as I highly doubt you’d find it on the streets of Delhi……however, it has a nice spicy touch! This recipe can be left completely untouched and authentically English without the Indian influence but if you fancy a twist on your usual fish pie then it adds a really interesting and tasty alternative. It reminds me of a ‘kedgeree pie’…….

  • 500g mixed fish fillets (salmon, smoked haddock and cod) chopped in large chunks
  • 1 large handful prawns
  • 1 handful peas
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp curry paste (optional) mild or hot- I used Patak’s Curry Paste
  • 1 egg (hard boiled, peeled and chopped)
  • 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 250g puff pastry
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 35g unsalted butter
  • 35g flour
  • 500ml milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  1. Heat some olive oil in a pan and soften the chopped onion for about 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook for a further 2 minutes, then set aside.
  2. Next, make the white sauce. Warm the milk in a pan with a bay leaf before melting the butter in another pan over a medium heat until it starts to bubble. Then remove from the heat and stir in the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon to form a paste. Return to the heat and cook the paste, mixing all the time, for 1 minute.
  3. Add a ladle of milk to the paste, whisking hard to prevent it going lumpy, until thickened and continue adding the milk until the sauce is thick and smooth (remove the bay leaf). Bubble briskly for about 5 minutes until thick enough. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.
  4. Add the curried onion mix to the sauce, along with the peas, prawns, chopped egg, parsley and fish and stir to combine. Transfer to a suitable serving dish and using the beaten egg, coat the edges of the dish so the pastry lid will stick better.
  5. Roll the puff pastry on a floured surface, to the correct size to fit as a lid and cover the fish filling. With the overhanging pastry, scrunch up the excess and stick it to the edges of the dish to get a big pastry crust around the edge (the best bit)image
  6. Brush the whole pie with beaten egg and transfer to a preheat oven at 180°C for about 35-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden and puffed and the filling is hot!