Peppered Salmon With Lime

Lime and pepper are flavors made for each other. Adding salmon completes a ménage à trois made in heaven. Simply delicious.

To serve six people for a dinner party you will need:

6 salmon steaks
4tbs of dried green peppercorns
4tbs olive oil
125g butter, softened
The juice and grated zest of 1 lime
1 crushed clove of garlic

Grind the peppercorns in a pestle and mortar, or use the end of a rolling pin in a small bowl, or use a blender.

Brush the salmon with olive oil. The chef’s way of doing this is to pour a little oil into the palm of one hand, rub your palms together and then wipe them over the fish. This gives exactly the amount of coating you need.

Next sprinkle the pepper over both sides of the steaks, pressing it well into the flesh. Messy, huh? Don’t worry, it will be worth it.

The next step is to make the lime butter which you do by mixing the lime zest and juice into the softened butter. Put this mixture on to a piece of foil and shape it into a fat sausage, using the foil to help you. Roll it up in the foil and refrigerate. You could also use grease-proof paper or cling film.

Once it has chilled you will be able to slice this into medallions.

Heat the remaining oil in a large pan and pan-fry the steaks for 4 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat and allow them to cook through, which will probably take about another 2 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

To serve, place each steak on a bed of watercress and top with a slice of the lime butter.

print this smoked salmon recipe