Pan-fried salmon with wild garlic salsa verde

Frying skin-side-down and then baking is the perfect way of cooking salmon steaks so that the skip is crispy and the flesh cooked to perfection.

In this dish, the salmon is accompanied by a salsa made from wild garlic.  A delight of natural spring fare.

Preparation Time: 15 Mins

Cooking Time: 5 Mins

Total Time: 25 Mins

Ingredients

For 4 servings…

2 tbs               Olive oil    

4 steaks           Salmon  - skin on      

                     Pepper      

                     Salt          

For the salsa

100 gms           Wild garlic

6 leaves            Sorrel       

100 gms           Parsley  - flat leaved  

1 tbs               Capers      

5                    Anchovy fillets        

1 tsp               Mustard  - Dijon      

4 tbs               Olive oil    

To serve

4 wedges          Lemon      

Method

To make the salsa verde…

Put the wild garlic, sorrel and parsley a food processor or blender.  Add the capers, anchovies, mustard and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Blend to coarsely chop, then pour in the remaining olive oil and process to a rough purée.  Season to taste.  Decant the sauce into a serving bowl and set aside.

To cook the salmon…

Heat an oven to 200°C

Put the olive oil into an oven-proof frying pan and set over medium heat.  Pat the salmon fillets dry with kitchen paper and season generously on the skin side.  When a slight haze is wavering over the pan, add the salmon fillets - skin-side down.  Season the flesh side lightly.  Cook the skin side for 3 minutes without turning them - until the skin is golden and crisp.  Turn over the fillets, put the frying pan into the oven and cook for two minutes.

Serve the fillets with wedges of lemon and a good dollop of the salsa verde.

Wine recommendations

          A robust white wine.

  Conventional

           Côtes du Rhône blanc

  Interesting

           Côtes du Luberon blanc

           Hermitage blanc

           Saint Joseph blanc