Salmon With Pink Peppercorn Sauce

The sauce for this salmon recipe is a very simple reduction of good quality fish stock, crushed peppercorns and some cream to finish it off. The basic receipe is so easy, you could vary it for any number of dishes, using similar ingredients.

Allow yourself plenty of time to reduce the sauce, because the texture and consistency is what makes this dish special. It's also foolproof. Here's what you need:

• 4 salmon fillets, skin on
• 375mls (1.5 cups) fish stock
• 200mls (roughly 1 cup) cream
• 2 tbs pink peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 1 wine glass of vermouth or dry white wine
• 1 tbs avocado or almond oil
• 1 small pat clarified butter (ghee)

Put the fish stock, vermouth (or wine) and peppercorns in a pan, bring to the boil and reduce by two thirds. Stir in the cream and reduce until the sauce will lightly coat the back of a spoon. Cover with a cartouche and keep warm.

Heat the oil and butter together in a suitable skillet. Salt the skin of the salmon fillets liberally and drop them, skin side down, into the pan. Fry briskly, shaking the pan from time to time, until the flesh is cooked two-thirds of the way up. Flip the fillets over and remove from the heat. Leave for two to three minutes while you arrange the plates.

Serve the salmon skin side down with the sauce spooned over the fish.

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