Tag: salmon

Spicy fish and fennel soup

I bought a bag of fennel that was reduced, an impulse buy as I had been planning to cook a cauliflower and potato curry. I’d remembered that I had a large piece of poached salmon in the freezer, and I made this delicious stew. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 shallots, finely chopped (or use an onion)
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 3 small fennel bulbs, finely chopped
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes
  • 3 tbsp pureed red peppers
  • salt and pepper
  • a dash of hot chilli sauce
  • a pinch of saffron
  • 1.3 litres of fish stock 
  • around 400g fish, off the bone (could be salmon, could be any fish, including shellfish)
  • a piece of orange peel
  • Grated cheese, to serve (optional)

METHOD:

  • Heat the oil in a large pan, and gently fry the onion. After a few minutes add the garlic, and then the fennel, and cook together for around five minutes. 
  • Add the tomatoes, orange peel, a good pinch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper, 3 tbsp red pepper puree, and a splash of chilli sauce. Simmer for five minutes
  • Add the stock, then bring the soup to a simmer, reducing slightly. Meanwhile, steep the saffron in a little hot water.
  • Once the soup looks to be a good consistency, slip in the fish and the saffron, and bring back to a simmer. 
  • When the fish is just cooked, and hot through, give the soup a good stir to mix everything up. If you can, retrieve the orange peel from the soup. 
  • Serve in large bowls with grated cheese on top. We tried it with cheddar, parmesan, it was good with gruyere as well. 

Salmon fishcakes

This is a relatively straightforward recipe with local ingredients. It was a bit of a breakthrough for me, as I finally got to grips with poaching salmon in the microwave. The original recipe includes details of a super-fancy sauce that I might post later. The sauce is a bit of work, TBH but it was tasty. 

Anyway, on to the fishcakes. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 300g raw salmon
  • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
  • Squeeze of lemon juice
  • water
  • 350g cooked potatoes, masked
  • 1 egg white
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • plain flour
  • 1 egg yolk and 1 egg, beaten together
  • breadcrumbs (I used panko breadcrumbs)

METHOD:

  • Poach the salmon. If you are doing this in a saucepan, put the salmon and onion and the lemon juice in the pan, just cover with water and then simmer for a few minutes until just cooked. Remove the fish from the pan, and allow to cool. Strain and reserve the stock. This can be used to make a fancy sauce (separate recipe).
  • If you are poaching the salmon in the microwave, put the salmon in a shallow dish with the onion and lemon juice, and 150ml boiling water. Cover and microwave on high for three minutes. Remove the salmon from the water and set aside to cool. 
  • When cool skin the salmon and remove any bones. Flake the flesh into a bowl, and add the potatoes, egg white, seasoning and parsley. Mix well. 
  • Divide the mixture into around 18 cakes. I made mine about the size of a pingpong ball, and then flattened them slightly. 
  • Dip each fish cake in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Chill until required. 
  • When you are ready, fry the fishcakes in hot oil. These are good with a green salad and a little tartare sauce. 

Salmon in a tomato cream curry sauce

I’ve been reading ‘Curry Easy’ again. I had some salmon fillet from the reduced section in the co-op and Madhur Jaffrey’s recipe book had several very good ideas. I picked this one, but now I want to go and buy more salmon so I can try the other recipes too. I did tweak it a bit so I didn’t have to go to the shops again. 

This is very easy to prepare the sauce and fish in the morning, ready to cook when you get in after work. I served this with rice, and stir-fried chard.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 600 to 700g salmon fillet
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp turmeric
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 can of chopped tomatoes
  • 250ml single cream (approx.)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1tsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tbsp coriander leaves
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil 
  • 1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds

METHOD:

  • Start by dividing the salmon into 8 pieces. Season with a little salt and black pepper, turmeric and cayenne, and leave to marinade in the fridge. I used a plastic container with a lid, but a plastic bag would do. 
  • Combine the tomatoes, cream salt sugar, garam masala, ground cumin, cayenne pepper and coriander leaves. Use a soup wand to make the sauce smooth. Just before using, stir in the lemon juice. 
  • To cook the fish, heat some oil in a pan, and when it is hot, add the cumin seeds, and cook for 10 seconds. 
  • Pour in the sauce and bring to a simmer before adding the salmon pieces. Spoon the sauce over the top of the fish, and continue this way for another 4 minutes, until the fish is cooked through. 

 

Salar smoked salmon frittata

I’m home alone this week, Mr Bolton is checking up on family members in the south, sleeping in his van and stocking up on essentials. I have a lot of eggs, and a lot of potatoes, so frittata was inevitable. I also had a box of Salar off-cuts from a local supermarket, so I made this. I had half last night and half tonight. 

salmon frittata

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 medium potatoes, cooked with the skins on and cooled. (left-over potatoes are the best)
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • black pepper
  • flaky smoked salmon
  • Olive oil
  • Garnish – choose from chive flowers, chopped parsley, or dukkha spice mix

METHOD:

  • Heat the grill
  • Cut the potatoes into thick slices, and fry in the olive oil until crisp and golden brown on both sides
  • Season the eggs with the pepper, and pour over the potatoes, and scatter the salmon and garnish over the top. Stir a little to allow raw egg to the bottom of the pan. 
  • When it is nearly cooked, pop it under the grill so that the top begins to set. 

That is all – ready to eat. 

 

 

Salmon and mash

Our fridge went on the blink, so we are making our way through a selection of ingredients that need eaten up. At the same time, we have got a lot of vegetables, mostly home-grown. Tonight’s triumph sorted out the massive bit of smoked salmon, a jar of capers and a lemon that needed used, plus some of the potatoes. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 500g potatoes (a variety good for mashing)
  • 500g sliced leeks
  • 250g shredded cabbage
  • 125g butter
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp capers
  • 500g smoked salmon (or a mixture of salmon, prawns and scallops)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Chopped parsley

METHOD:

  • Peel the potatoes, and boil in salted water for 15 minutes until cooked. Drain when cooked. 
  • Meanwhile chop the leeks and boil in salted water for 10 minutes. 
  • After around 5 minutes, add the shredded cabbage to the leeks, so that the cabbage cooks as well, and is ready at the same time. 
  • Melt half the butter in a pan, and roughly mask the potatoes. Add the cabbage and leeks, salt and pepper. 
  • Quickly fry any raw shellfish in the rest of the butter, if you are using these. Add the lemon juice, capers and the salmon, and season with salt and pepper, heat until warm. 
  • Serve each scoop of mashed potato with a scoop of the salmon, garnished with chopped parsley