Now that summer’s here, I’m always looking for fresh and inventive ways to tickle the old taste buds. So, I came up with a delicious twist on a seasoned favourite.
I’ve noticed recently that in the cool-display near to the fresh fish counter at Spanish supermarket, Mercadona, they now have what they call “Plancha de Salmon, sin espinas” – larger pieces of salmon fillet (without bones), usually weighing around one kilo. At €12.50 per kilo, it’s not only a saving of a few euros over the smaller pieces, but no fish bones to contend with either. Result!
I cut the salmon into portions, sprinkled some lemon juice over them, and put them onto a plate in the microwave on a low setting for a few minutes, until they were well on the way to being ready.
In the meantime, after peeling some potatoes to make the mash, I put them on to boil and, in a separate pan, gently fried some leeks in butter – until they had just softened.
For the zingy topping, I didn’t want to use breadcrumbs so I mixed together some grated coconut (coco rallado), finely chopped one of these lovely little chilli peppers I grew in the garden last summer (which has been in the freezer ever since), half a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, a dessertspoon of mayonnaise, freshly-chopped coriander (cilantro) straight from the herb garden, a twist of black pepper and enough milk to ease the mixture so it was spreadable.
All I had to do then was carefully transfer the salmon fillets onto a baking tray, spread the zingy topping mixture over the salmon and pop them under a medium grill.
Whilst keeping an eye on the salmon, I mashed the potatoes and added a little milk and butter then gently stirred in the softened leeks.
After three or four minutes, the crust on the salmon was just starting to brown nicely, so it was time to serve the leeky mash into bowls and drape the salmon artistically on top!
This crust topping will work equally well on any white fish or chicken.
Why not give it a try? Let me know how you get on, won’t you?