Salmon

(All Recipes have Gluten-Free Options)

Salmon with Cajun Spices (Serves 2)

This is a recipe from the ‘Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain’ cookbook. The Cajun spices work really well with the salmon, they don’t overwhelm but instead give it a balanced ‘punch’ which is softened with a creamy, lemony sauce. The recipe is for two people but can easily be doubled!

2 salmon fillets, skin on

2 teaspoons Cajun spice blend

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

30g butter

Cajun Crème Fraîche Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 banana shallots, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely diced

½ teaspoon Cajun spice blend

150ml fish stock

150ml crème fraiche

Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Sea salt and black pepper

Lemon wedges (to serve)

Score the skin of the salmon with a sharp knife. Sprinkle both sides of the fillets with the Cajun spice mix and a little salt. Put the olive oil into a frying pan and place over a medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the salmon, skin side down, and press each fillet down with a fish slice for a few seconds. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side then take the pan off the heat. Add the butter to the pan and, as it melts, baste the salmon with it. Transfer the salmon to a warmed plate and leave to rest whilst you make the sauce.
Place the frying pan back over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Toss in the shallots and cook for 3 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and Cajun spice blend and cook, stirring, for a further 2 minutes.
Add the stock and let it bubble to reduce by half. Now stir in the crème fraiche and cook for a minute or two until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper and add lemon juice to taste. Remove from the heat and add the chopped parsley.
Spoon the sauce onto warmed serving plates and top with the salmon. Serve with lemon wedges and accompany with tenderstem broccoli.

Seared Spiced Salmon Steaks with Black Bean Salsa (Serves 4-6)

This recipe is from Delia Smith’s ‘Winter Collection Cookbook’, but trust me, this recipe is just as delicious alfresco in the summer as it is on a cold evening in the midst of winter. It’s a year-round winner! (The original recipe uses dried black beans, but to save time I use tinned – so no overnight soaking!)

4-6 Salmon steaks

3 fat cloves garlic

2 level teaspoons rock salt

4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

Grated zest of 2 limes (reserve the juice for the salsa)

A good pinch of ground cinnamon

A good pinch of ground cumin

15g pack fresh coriander leaves (reserve 6 sprigs and finely chop the remainder)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly milled black pepper

For the Salsa:

110g tinned black beans, rinsed and drained

350g ripe but firm tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

15g pack of fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

Juice of 2 limes (reserved from the salmon recipe)

½ teaspoon salt

A few hours before you want to cook the salmon, crush the garlic cloves and rock salt together with a pestle and mortar until you have a creamy purée. Then add the grated ginger, lime zest, cinnamon and cumin, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the chopped coriander and a good grind of black pepper. Mix everything together and spread a little of this mixture on each salmon steak. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for the flavours to develop and permeate the salmon.
To make the salsa simply combine the black beans with the chopped tomatoes, red onion, chilli, coriander, olive oil, lime juice and salt. Leave covered for a several hours to allow the flavours to develop.
When you’re ready to cook the salmon, preheat the grill to its highest setting. Brush a baking try with the olive oil and put it under the grill to heat up. When the grill is really hot, remove the baking tray and place the salmon steaks on it. Position the tray about 3 inches front the heat and grill them for 7 minutes exactly.
Remove them when the time is up and use a sharp knife to ease the skins off. Transfer to plates and garnish with the sprigs of coriander. Serve immediately with the black bean salsa.

Salmon with Peas, Green Beans, Lentils & Tarragon (Serves 4)

This dish has lovely fresh, clean flavours; you could use another fish, such as sea bass, the important thing is to crisp up the skin!

4 fillets of salmon, skin on

300g peas, defrosted if frozen

200g fine green beans

150g puy lentils

½ cucumber, peeled, deseeded and roughly chopped

Handful of pea shoots or rocket

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

Zest of 1 lemon

Sea salt and black pepper

4 lemon wedges (to serve)

For the dressing:

Juice of 1 lemon

A large pinch of English mustard powder

Sea salt and pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

Cook the lentils according to the instructions on the packet (in boiling water for about 20 minutes). Drain.
Season the skin of the salmon, then place in a hot oven-proof pan with a little oil, skin-side down. Cook for 3-4 minutes then season the flesh and turn over, so they are skin side up. Place in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 8-10 minutes until just cooked.
Meanwhile top and tail the green beans, then blanch in a pan of boiling water for 3-5 minutes until just tender. Drain.
Place the peas, cooked beans and lentils, cucumber and pea shoots (or rocket) in a large bowl, then scatter with the herbs and lemon zest.
Prepare the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, mustard powder and salt and pepper with the olive oil. Use this to dress the lentil and bean salad.
To serve, spoon the salad onto plates alongside the salmon with a wedge of lemon.

Salmon with Lime & Coriander Mayonnaise (Serves 4)

This is what I call a ‘cheats’ recipe as it is so simple ! It uses shop bought mayonnaise which you flavour with lime and coriander – it’s not only easy but very tasty! Serve it with Crushed Potatoes with Coriander and Lime (recipe here) – they are wonderful together!

4 salmon fillets, skinless, approx. 150g each

2 tablespoons olive oil

15g butter

100g mayonnaise (I used Hellmanns)

1 small handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

Zest of 1 lime, plus extra for sprinkling

Juice of ½ lime

Sea salt and black pepper

First make the lime and coriander mayonnaise, put the mayonnaise in a bowl with the coriander and lime zest, gradually stir in the lime juice to taste – you might not need all of it. Season with salt and pepper and mix to combine.
Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and butter together in a frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter starts to froth, add the salmon, cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until they are lightly golden and just cooked.
Put the salmon on four plates and top with a spoonful of mayonnaise and sprinkle over the extra grated lime zest.
Serve immediately with Crushed Potatoes with Coriander & Lime (recipe here)

Salmon Teriyaki, Cucumber Pickle and Rocket & Radish Salad with Japanese Dressing (Serves 4)

This is a recipe from the food editor of House & Garden magazine, Blanche Vaughan. There are many recipes for Salmon Teriyaki, but this is definitely the best that I have come across, it’s not overly sweet, it has just the right balance of flavours, I like to think that it is quite authentic. The ‘Cucumber Pickle’ and the ‘Rocket & Radish Salad with Japanese Dressing’, complete this meal – together with some Japanese rice they make a healthy, comforting meal. All the ingredients for the sauce can be kept for ages in your cupboard, so it makes a great last minute supper (I use the small bottles of cooking sake).

Salmon Teriyaki

4 salmon fillets

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

10g caster sugar

100ml sake

50ml mirin

50ml soy sauce (gluten free if required)

Sea salt

Put the caster sugar, mirin, sake and soy sauce in a small frying pan and bring to the boil. Let the sauce bubble gently and reduce by almost half, until it becomes syrupy. You can do this ahead of time and it will keep, covered, in the fridge for a week or so.
To cook the salmon, heat the oil in a frying pan. Sprinkle the salmon with salt and fry for a minute on each side to brown the skin and flesh, then add the teriyaki sauce and continue to cook until the salmon fillets are no longer translucent, basting them with the sauce.
Remove the salmon to a plate and pour over the sauce. Serve with Japanese rice, Cucumber Pickle and Rocket & Radish Salad (recipes below).

Cucumber Pickle

1 cucumber, peeled, halved and seeds scraped out

2 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten free if required)

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1-2 teaspoons sugar

3cm knob ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

Sea salt

Slice the cucumber into half-moon slices, toss together with a large pinch of salt.
Mix the other ingredients together and add the cucumber. Leave to marinate for half an hour before serving.

Rocket & Radish Salad with Japanese Dressing

100g rocket

150g radishes, halved

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce (gluten free if required)

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

Place the rocket and radishes in a serving bowl.
Whisk the rice vinegar, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil together and, just before serving, pour over the salad and toss to combine.

Grilled Salmon in Sweet, Smokey Tamarind Sauce (with Avocado Salsa) (Serves 4)

In this recipe the combination of slightly sour tamarind sauce with the smoky chipotle is a marriage made in heaven and it is brought to an addictive level with the addition of a little sugar!…It is a seriously good sauce that transforms a simple piece of salmon to an exotic supper. The recipe is from the cookbook by Thomasina Miers, founder of the Wahaca restaurant chain, ‘Mexican Food at Home’. I like to serve this with an avocado salsa (recipe here) and sticky rice.

4 fillets of salmon

For the marinade:

4 tablespoons tamarind paste

2 tablespoons soy sauce (gluten free if required)

3 tablespoons groundnut or sunflower oil

Juice of 2 limes

4 tablespoons demerara sugar

3cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed

1 teaspoon chipotle chilli flakes

Handful mint leaves, roughly chopped

Handful of coriander leaves, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A couple hours before you wish to eat, mix all marinade ingredients together. Place the salmon fillets in a shallow dish and pour over the marinade. Cover and chill for a 2 hours, turning halfway through.
When you are ready to start cooking, remove the salmon from the dish – reserving the marinade. Place a large frying pan over a high heat, when smoking hot add a drizzle of groundnut oil. When it is hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and fry for 5-6 minutes.
Remove the pan from the hob and place under a preheated grill and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour the marinade through a sieve into a small pan. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce until it becomes thick and syrupy.
To serve, place the salmon on a plate with the sauce spooned over. It is great served with sticky rice and an avocado salsa (recipe here).

Salmon with Chilli Ginger Sauce (Serves 4)

This recipe is one which my sister recommended to me, she found it in a ‘Hairy Bikers’ cookbook some years ago. I must say that it’s a fantastic recipe and it makes a great midweek treat as it is super easy; just remember to marinate the salmon for 30 minutes before cooking it. I like to serve it with Japanese Sticky Rice and Stir Fried Swiss (or Rainbow) Chard (recipe here).

4 salmon fillets, skin on (about 120-150g each)

2 balls of stem ginger in syrup (and 2 tablespoons of the syrup)

3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly slices

3 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 orange, juiced (and the grated zest of ½ an orange)

½ large red chilli, thinly sliced

Black pepper

Slice the ginger balls thinly, then slice these into matchsticks.
Place the ginger ‘matchsticks’ in a bowl, with 2 tablespoons of the stem ginger syrup, garlic, chilli, soy sauce, orange zest and juice; mix well. Add the salmon fillets to the bowl and cover with marinade, seasoning with lots of black pepper. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Line a small baking tray with baking parchment. Remove the salmon from the marinade, wiping off any excess bits of marinade. Place them on the baking tray, skin side down. Season with more black pepper.
Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 12- 15 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillets.
While the salmon is cooking prepare the sauce. Place the marinade ingredients in a small pan and bring to the boil, simmer for about 6 minutes until it has reduced and the garlic has softened – you want enough sauce to pour over the salmon but not swamp it!
Remove the salmon from the oven, carefully lift them on to plates, lifting off the skin as you do so. Spoon over the hot sauce and serve with sticky Japanese rice and stir fried swiss (or rainbow) chard (recipe here).

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