Salmon in a Nest

As far as I know, Aussie/French cookery writer and broadcaster Gabriel Gaté is the absolute originator of this recipe, which combines Atlantic salmon with an Asian-style vegetable accompaniment.

I’ve adapted it slightly because I prefer my greens underdone and in this case practically raw. If that doesn’t suit you, cook the spinach separately and add it at the final stage. You’ll need to squeeze the water out of it though.

Assemble:

2 salmon fillets
Oil for frying

Plus:

150g of bean shoots
Juice and zest of a lemon
1 teaspoon of soy sauce
2-3 drops of sesame oil
1tbs grape seed or similar oil
1 crushed garlic clove
300g baby spinach

Prepare the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, soy sauce and sesame oil

Gabriel cooks his salmon for two minutes on each side and then keeps it warm while he prepares the rest of the dish. It will continue to cook but you still get a fairly rare result and you may prefer my method.

Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat and add the salmon skin-side down. Cook for four minutes, then flip the fillets over, remove from the heat, and let them cook for a further  minute but no longer. Remove to a warm dish, cover and keep warm.

Heat the grape-seed and sesame oils in a wok, add the garlic, toss briefly and immediately add the bean shoots. Toss these in the wok for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the baby spinach leaves.. Serve at once, without cooking any further. The spinach will wilt slightly but still look like leaves.

Make a nest of the vegetables in the center of each plate and place the salmon fillets on top. Spoon the dressing in little pools round the outside of the ‘nests’. Finish off by giving each plate a few twists from a black pepper mill.

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