grilled salmon with saffron beurre blanc & mediterranean quinoa salad
Introduction:
Grilled Salmon is a classic dish for seafood lovers and food enthusiasts. To do justice to a piece of fish is probably the hardest challenge for a chef. Basic rule- “Any seafood pairs well with anything acidic or citrus”.
In this recipe, we will combine the fillet of Salmon with Mediterranean flavours. To give it royalty we add saffron along with wine reduction and trust me it just hits the mark.
Ingredients:
Salmon fillet (200gms approx.)- 2 no.
Saffron- 200gms
Butter- 400 gms
White wine vinegar- 500ml
Bayleaf - 1 no.
Star Anise - 2no.
Whole Peppercorns- 5-6 no.
Thyme - 1 bunch
Shallots- 3 no.
Quinoa- 150gms
Curly Parsley - 1/2 bunch
Tomato- 2 no.
Onion- 1 no.
Lemon juice- 50 ml
Extra virgin olive oil- For dressing
Sumac- 5 gms
Red Sorrel- For garnish
method:
STAGE1- WINE REDUCTION
In a sauce pot, boil white wine vinegar along with roughly cut shallots, thyme, bayleaf, peppercorns & star anise.
Reduce till you are left with 200ml.
Strain the liquid and keep aside.
STAGE 2- PREPARING THE QUINOA SALAD
Preheat the oven in steam mode.
On a roasting tray, place quinoa and double the quantity of water(300ml) with a drizzle of oil.
Cook for 18-20 mins and cool down naturally.
If cooking in a pot, boil water and add quinoa with drizzle of oil. Cook on high heat till cooked (approx. 12-15mins), drain and cool naturally.
Meanwhile, finely chop onions, tomatoes(deseeded) and parsley.
STAGE 3- MAKING BEURRE BLANC
In a small saucepan, heat the wine reduction (200ml) along with saffron strands.
Meanwhile, cut small cubes of salted butter.
Using a whisk, stir the hot wine reduction and slowly add cubes of butter and create an emulsion.
The temperature of the pot will determine the consistency of beurre blanc. If it's too hot, the butter splits and too cold the butter will not emulsify.
Keep stirring as you add butter but avoid adding too much at a time. The best trick is to get the pan on and off the heat to maintain an ideal temperature.
Once emulsified, the result should be a bright yellow velvety sauce to which add 5 ml of lemon juice to give it a zing.
Keep warm and stir occasionally.
STAGE 4- ASSEMBLING THE DISH
Score the skin of salmon and do not cut too deep or else the protein shrinks during cooking.
On a medium- high, place a non stick frying pan
Season the fillet with salt, white pepper & oil.
We don’t want our pan to be too hot, but just at that point where a hint of smoke comes out.
Spray oil on the hot pan & place the salmon skin side down.
Reduce the temperature to medium heat and let the heat crisp up the skin.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl combine quinoa, tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, sumac & chopped parsley. Check seasoning and keep aside. We want to serve our salad neither hot nor cold.
Check the skin and observe the outer layer of fillet. Salmon tends to turn from bright pink to light pink as it cooks.
Avoid burning the skin as it might get too hot. Maintaining the temperature of the pan is a crucial step.
Cook it skin side down till you notice the change in colour and then turn it over.
Using a probe, check the internal temperature for 52-55 C for perfect moist texture. Take it off the heat.
Keep in mind there will be an add on of 5C as it retains the heat during cooking.
stage 5- plate up
On a flat main course plate, using a rectangular cookie cutter add quinoa mix and gently press so it holds its shape. Place Grilled Salmon across and drizzle saffron beurre blanc around. Garnish with red sorrel and serve with lemon wedge.
