Poached Salmon Salad with Asparagus with
Herb and Lime Sauce
Poached Salmon Salad with Asparagus
with Herb and Lime Sauce
Serves 4
I was excited to find this Nigel Slater recipe as I am trying all the time to find new and exciting dishes to try. However, I decided that I would put my own slant on his original idea, but it was a great success and absolutely delicious. Also a new combination of flavours that were just a delight.
This took a little longer to prepare than anticipated (truthfully, I was somewhat distracted and multi-tasking at the time!) and therefore, I would suggest making the dressing a good 2 hours in advance and leave, covered, in the fridge.
Another even better addition to the salad, optional, is to liberally sprinkle sautéed fresh breadcrumbs, garlic and Parmesan on to the top of this salad - divine!
This is such a tasty and pretty salad, that it would be perfect to serve for a luncheon or supper party.
Ingredients
To poach the fish
4 Atlantic Sock Eyed Salmon fillets
A tablespoon of olive oil to grease a lidded dish, large enough to lay the fillets side by side
4 knobs of butter
Salt and pepper
4 slices of lemon
1-2 tablespoons dried tarragon, sprigs of fresh is even better
For the salad
2 x bags of mixed baby salad leaves or you could substitute with watercress or rocket
2 x avocado pears, de-seeded and flesh removed from skins (I use an avocado slicer to get neat slices)
1 bunch of radishes, washed and thinly sliced
1 bunch of asparagus, trim about an inch off the thick ends
1 pack of cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 cucumber, peeled, de-seeded and cut into either short pieces lengthwise (like fat match sticks) or half moons
Handful fresh basil leaves
Handful fresh coriander leaves
For the dressing
150ml olive oil
Juice of half a lime (you may need more)
1 tablespoon iced water
Handful of fresh basil leaves
Handful of fresh coriander leaves
1-2 tablespoons sugar/honey/maple syrup, or other (Optional)
Topping (optional)
Four generous slices of fresh bread cut from a crusty loaf
4 -6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 heaped tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
Handful of chopped fresh parsley
Drizzle of olive oil and generous chunk of butter.
To serve
New Jersey Royals (when in season) or baby salad potatoes
Butter
Fresh chopped parsley to garnish
AND THIS IS WHAT YOU DO.....
- Make the dressing: combine all ingredients into a small food processor and whizz to a thick, freckled consistency ready to pour over the fish and salad. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.
- To cook the salmon: Oil the base of a large ovenproof dish, place the fillets side by side and season well with salt and pepper.
- Place a generous knob of butter on top of each fillet together with a slice of lemon.
- Finally, sprinkle the dried tarragon on to the top of the fillets, or place fresh sprigs if available. Tarragon can always be substituted with a different herb or dried mixed herbs, if preferred.
- Cover and microwave on a gentle heat until the fish is cooked through, (making sure it has turned opaque all the way through) alternatively, place in a pre-heated oven 180C for ten minutes and turn off the heat and leave to continue heating through. Cooking the fish this way ensures it remains juicy and full of flavour. The fish can be left to cool and served warm as well as hot from the oven.
- To cook the asparagus: the best way is to use a steamer and time no more than 6 minutes. Alternatively, you can cook the asparagus in boiling, salted water for about 3-4 minutes, drain and plunge into iced water with ice cubes as asparagus is at its best when just cooked.
- To cook the potatoes: Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the potatoes, make sure any larger ones are cut into a smaller size - for 10-15 minutes. Check with a sharp knife and when pierced easily, these will be done.
Drain the potatoes, transfer into a bowl with knobs of butter and some chopped fresh parsley - keep warm. - To prepare the Topping (optional):
Whizz the breadcrumbs and place in a hot pan with the Parmesan, garlic and parsley and sauté in the oil and butter, stirring constantly and breaking up clumps with a spatula, transfer to a dish and set aside.
- To prepare the salad: Take a large serving platter and empty the packs of leaves and arrange evenly.
- Arrange the avocado slices and asparagus spears, which you can cut into threes, if desired, followed by the radishes and quartered cherry tomatoes.
- To serve: Place the salmon fillets onto the top of the salad and you can drizzle the dressing on to the salad and fish, as desired, keeping some to add to each serving as required. Sprinkle the cheese and garlic crumbs on top for extra added flavour.
- Serve with the hot salad potatoes - a relatively simple but incredibly tasty dish.