Salmon with peas

This is a Spanish dish in which the salmon and peas are cooked in the steam caused by sweating lettuce leaves.  As there is no water added, the flavour of the peas is intensified.  It is quite exquisite.

Preparation Time: 20 Mins

Cooking Time: 30 Mis

Total Time: 50 Mins

Ingredients

For 2 servings…

1                    Onion  - chopped     

2 slices            Ham  - air-dried, Parma, Bayonne or Serrano - cut into 1.5 cm strips     

1½ tbs            Olive oil    

25 gms            Butter       

250 gms          Peas  - podded        

                      Salt          

6 leaves           Lettuce  - Cos         

2 fillets            Salmon     

¼                   Lemon  - juice of      

Method

Sauté the onion and ham in the oil in a large frying pan over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft.  Put in half the butter and the peas, stir and season with salt.  Cover with lettuce leaves and put on a lid so that the peas cook in the steam created by the lettuce.   Cook over a very low heat for 15 minutes.

Lift up a few of the lettuce leaves and put in the salmon fillets.  Season with salt and lay a piece of the remaining butter on each fillet.  Replace the lettuce leaves, put the lid on and cook over a low heat for a further 10 minutes.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and the lettuce as a garnish.

Wine recommendations

Should be a white wine – solid but floral.

Conventional

     Côtes du Rhône blanc

Interesting

     Chinon blanc

     Côte Chalonnaise blanc

     Graves blanc

     Riesling