Smoked Salmon Salad

Ingredients:

Mixed salad greens

200g smoked salmon

250ml sour cream

10ml wholegrain mustard

15ml chopped fresh dill

Freshly ground black pepper

125ml vinaigrette

Method:

Wash and dry the salad greens

Skin and flake the salmon and mix with the sour cream, mustard, dill and pepper.

Flood 4 serving plates with vinaigrette, top with mounds of the salmon mixture and garnish with salad greens. 

Langoustine and Salmon Tart

This is a more sophisticated version of salmon en croute

with a rich langoustine sauce to serve.

Ingredients:
For the langoustine tart:
500g all-butter puff pastry
600g salmon, skin and pin bones, about 2.5cm/1in thick
1 egg white
50ml double cream
20 langoustines, peeled, de-veined, shells reserved for the sauce
125g baby spinach leaves
2 egg yolks, beaten

For the sauce:
50g butter
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
½ head fennel, roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2ml cayenne pepper
10ml tomato purée
75ml white wine
500ml fish stock
75ml double cream
½ lemon, juice only

Method:

For the tart, preheat the oven to 200C.

Roll the pastry out on a floured work surface to a 3mm thickness. Cut out a 30cm x 10cm rectangle and a 37.5cm x 15cm rectangle.

Trim the salmon into a 27.5cm x 7.5cm rectangle

Roughly chop the salmon trimmings (about 175g). Blend the salmon trimmings and egg whites to a purée in a food processor. Add the cream, salt and freshly ground black pepper and blend together until smooth.

Place the smaller piece of pastry onto a baking tray and spread over half of the salmon purée. Cover with the langoustines and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Arrange the spinach leaves on top, then the piece of salmon. Cover with the larger piece of the pastry and crimp the edges. Trim the edges and brush with the beaten egg yolks. Score the pastry with a table knife.

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked through and golden-brown. Set aside to rest for five minutes.

Meanwhile, for the sauce, heat a frying pan until hot and add the butter, onion, carrots, fennel and thyme and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until just softened but not coloured.

Add the langoustine shells, cayenne and tomato purée and cook for a further minute. Add the white wine and continue to cook until the volume of the liquid is reduced by half.

Add the fish stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Blend the sauce in a blender until smooth, then pass through a sieve into a saucepan. Return the sauce to a simmer, add the cream and cook for a further minute. Season, to taste, with salt, lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper.

To serve, carve the tart into slices and spoon over the sauce.

Jubilee Salmon

Asparagus and salmon go so well together that the Queen chose this combination for a dish to be served at the banquet to celebrate her Silver Jubilee; it's a celebration of Scotland and England, two of the countries over which she reigns. Most British asparagus is grown in England, while salmon is caught mostly in Scottish waters. Although wild salmon is now not as abundant as it was previously, farmed salmon is usually readily available, even if it's never quite the same as the wild fish, the quality is generally quite good. If you do come across wild salmon, which is available in May, it only needs poaching, not much more.

Ingredients:
4 x 175g salmon steaks, trimmed and pin-boned
25g unsalted butter
2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
12 asparagus spears, trimmed
150ml white wine
150ml fish stock
25g clarified butter
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

For the Herb Hollandaise
150g clarified butter or ghee
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
5ml white wine vinegar
10ml lightly chopped fresh tarragon
10ml snipped chives

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Lay the salmon steaks skin-side down on the work surface. Make an incision through to the skin from back to belly, taking care not to cut through the skin. Open up the steaks so that the skin is folded in the middle at the back - like a book. You should now have a 'heart shape' fish steak.

Grease an oven proof baking dish with butter and sprinkle in the finely diced shallots. Add the salmon steaks, skin side down, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange the asparagus spears around them and pour in the wine and stock. cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the prepared oven for 10 minutes only. Do not be tempted to cook the fish for longer than this; it needs no more cooking.

While the salmon is in the oven, prepare the topping for the fish. Melt 25g clarified butter into a small pan, add the diced tomatoes, season and warm through. Do not stir.

when the salmon has finished its 10 minutes in the oven, remove from the oven and transfer the salmon steaks carefully to individual warmed plates and keep them warm. Take out the asparagus spears and trim off the tips; chop the remainder of the spears finely. Keep both the tips and dice warm.

In a small pan, reduce the salmon cooking liquor from the baking dish to about a third of it's original volume.

To make the Hollandaise, in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water - the bowl should only be in contact with the steam - whisk the egg yolks and vinegar to a frothy consistency. Be very careful not to overcook. If necessary, remove from the heat so the eggs do not scramble with overheating. Whisking continuously, take off the heat and slowly drizzle in the clarified butter. If the sauce cracks or starts to curdle, add about a teaspoon of cold water to bring it back. To complete the sauce, add the reduced cooking liquor, seasoning, the chopped herbs and diced asparagus and blend through the sauce.

To serve, spoon the sauce over the fish steaks and top the fish with a little of the tomato dice. Garnish each steak with asparagus tips and serve immediately.

Roast Salmon with Dill Mustard Sauce and Pickled Vegetables

This spicy fish recipe is perfect for a dinner party.

Serve with a crisp dry white wine.

Ingredients:

For the salmon

8 x 75g pieces of salmon fillet

20ml vegetable oil

15ml ginger and garlic paste

2ml sea salt

30ml Greek-style yoghurt

30ml wholegrain mustard

2 ling thin green chillies, finely chopped

5ml sugar

5ml finely chopped fresh dill herb

20-30ml mustard oil, for drizzling

For the pickled vegetables

150ml white wine vinegar

75g caster sugar

3 radishes, finely sliced

1 golden beetroot, very finely sliced

1 carrot, very finely sliced

½ cucumber very finely sliced and cut into dice

150ml sparkling water

Method:

For the salmon, pat the fish dry using kitchen paper.

Mix together one teaspoon of the vegetable oil, the ginger-garlic paste and the salt in a small bowl. Rub this mixture over the fish and set aside for five minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together a second marinade in a small bowl with the yoghurt, wholegrain mustard, chillies, sugar and dill.

Mix the fish with the second marinade and set aside until you are ready to cook the fish.

For the pickled vegetables, place the vinegar and sugar into a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved.

Place all the vegetables, except the diced cucumber, into a bowl and pour over the hot vinegar. Stir well then leave for at least five minutes.

Place the diced cucumber into a bowl with the sparkling water, then cover and place in the microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove and drain.

To cook the salmon, crank up your grill to maximum power and put the fish skin-side up to cook for 3-4 minutes. Serve the fish immediately drizzled with mustard oil and the diced cucumber alongside. Serve a portion of the pickled vegetables in a small bowl for each guest.

Gravad Lax

Gravad Lax

(or Gravelax as some erroneously call it)

is a traditional Scandinavian dish served in the festive season.

Basically it is a sweet pickle made with salmon,

but the dill used in the pickling gives it an amazing flavour.

Served as a starter with a special mustard sauce,

it's a dish to impress.

This needs to be made about three days before you want to serve it.

.

Ingredients:
750g salmon fillet
50ml sea salt, the flakes variety is the best to use
50ml Demerara sugar
10ml prepared English mustard
30ml brandy freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 large handful of fresh dill, roughly chopped

.

Method:
Place the salmon fillet, skin-side down, into a wide, shallow dish that fits the salmon snugly.
Place the salt, sugar, English mustard and brandy into a clean bowl and mix well until the ingredients have combined to form a smooth yellow mixture.
Spread the mixture over the salmon's pink flesh to cover completely.
Grind over black pepper to taste and sprinkle the dill onto the paste-covered salmon, patting down to press the dill onto the flesh. No pink flesh from the salmon should be visible.
Turn the fish over in the dish so that the skin is facing upwards.
Cover the dish with one layer of cling film. Press the cling film down onto the edges of the fish to exclude as much air as possible before wrapping the film around the sides of the dish. Once this has been completed repeat the process with another layer of cling film.
Apply weights to the top of the fish to press it down into the dish (use a dish or board that sits nicely within the salmon dish, weighed down evenly by tins from your store cupboard or any other suitable weights).
Transfer the fish to the fridge and leave for 2-3 days.
When you are ready to prepare for your meal, unwrap the cling film from the dish and remove the salmon fillet. Brush the dill off the salmon.
Place the salmon fillet on a carving board flesh-side up. With a long, sharp knife, carefully carve very thin diagonal slivers of the pink flesh off the salmon.
Rewrap the fish in cling film and keep in the fridge if it's not all used in one go.
To serve, place on a clean plate and garnish with chopped fresh dill. Serve with buttered rye bread and a separate bowl of Mustard sauce.

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Mustard Sauce:
Ingredients:
30ml Dijon mustard
20ml sugar
1 egg yolk
100ml olive oil
30ml white wine vinegar
10ml fresh chopped fresh dill
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

.

Method:
Beat the mustard with the sugar and egg yolk until smooth. Whisk together the oil and vinegar, then gradually add to the mustard mixture, whisking thoroughly between each addition. Add the chopped dill and season with salt and black pepper, mixing well to ensure even distribution of the seasoning.

Pumpkin and Seafood Curry

In keeping with "National Curry Week"

I have another curry for you,

one with a Thai influence.

I don't get to make this very often

as my husband does not eat pumpkin and,

I confess, I'm not crazy about sea food,

so this is a bit of a 'Jack Sprat and His Wife' dish for us.

I eat the pumpkin and he eats the fish.

If you don't like it hot, vary the amount of curry paste.

The recipe for my

"Yellow Thai Curry Paste"

can be found in my e-book,

"Herbs and Spices",

Which will be available soon.

Ingredients:

1 can of coconut milk

30ml Yellow Thai Curry Paste

250ml fish stock

20ml Thai fish sauce

10ml white or light brown granulated sugar

5ml turmeric

3-4 lime leaves, snipped into strips

1 stem of lemongrass, bruised

1 kg pumpkin (or butternut), peeled and chopped into large chunks

500g salmon, or other firm fish like cod or monkfish, cut into 1 inch cubes

100-200g prepared raw prawns

2 small pak choy, chopped

Juice of 1 lime

Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

.

Method:

Put the creamy top half of the can of coconut milk into a large saucepan with the curry paste and mix well.

Add the rest of the coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, sugar, turmeric, lime leaves and lemongrass into the broth and bring to the boil. Reduce to simmer.

Add the pumpkin chunks and cook until tender.

Add the fish and prawns and cook for about 5 minutes before adding the pak choy and lime juice. Simmer for a few more minutes to just wilt the greens.

Serve with rice or noodles, garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

.

If you are making this for a special dinner,

prepare the broth up till the pumpkin is cooked.

The broth can then be set aside

and warmed again when ready to add the fish.

To make a vegetarian version,

omit the fish and add a tin of chick peas or beans of your choice.

These will need to be cooked in the broth

for about 15 minutes to absorb the flavours.

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Salmon and Polenta Muffins

These are great served hot for breakfast or brunch.

Ingredients:
250ml cup polenta meal
125ml self-raising flour
30ml castor sugar
1 egg
250ml buttermilk
2 eggs, extra
125ml double cream
210g can salmon, drained and flaked
130g can corn kernels, drained
2ml paprika

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
Combine polenta meal, flour and sugar in a bowl.
Combine buttermilk and 1 egg in a jug and whisk.
Mix buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula.
Whisk extra eggs and double cream in another bowl until combined.
Stir in salmon, corn kernels and paprika.
Line a muffin pan with paper cases.
Spoon 1 tablespoonful of cornmeal mixture into each paper-case and top with 1 tablespoonful of salmon mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until muffins are lightly browned.
Serve hot, or cool and cut open and fill with cream whipped with a pinch of paprika.