Citrus Cured Salmon and Orange Salad with Vanilla and Baby Spinach

Healthy. Inexpensive. Bursting with Flavour.

I remember how excited he sounded after the salmon fillet was weighed, 'Look Bel, it's five dollars. Only five dollars! Should we ask for more?'

'If you want to.' I answered. I had been watching him pace between counters searching for the best fish and I was interested to hear what he planned to cook, 'What are you going to make with it?'

He eyed my basket brimming with paper parcels carefully before turning to pay for the fresh salmon, 'We do have a lot of fresh seafood already, maybe I'll just get this fillet for now. We can have sashimi for lunch but for this fillet... I think I'm going to cure it.'

My thoughts immediately envisaged cool salmon carpaccio, but Byron had another idea in mind and it made for a delicious surprise.

Citrus Cured Salmon and Orange Salad with Vanilla

1 VERY fresh salmon fillet (from the seafood market, not your local deli)
2-3 Tbs rock salt (This is a guide only and will depend on the size of your salmon fillet)
1-2 Tbs raw sugar

1 lime, zest and segments
1 lemon, zest and segments

Rocket and baby spinach, rinsed
1 Navel orange, peeled and sliced horizontally
olive oil to dress (Byron used his delicious orange and vanilla olive oil)
cracked black pepper

Coat the fillet in the rock salt and raw sugar and gently massage into both sides of the salmon fillet.

Cover the fillet and refrigerate overnight. The next day, you will notice a lot of the moisture from the salmon is in the bottom of your container. Remove the salmon from the salty liquid and carefully pat the fillet dry with paper towel. In a fresh bowl, add the zest and segments from the lime and lemon, coat the fillet well, cover and return to the refrigerator for several hours, or overnight. The longer you leave the fish, the more firm the meat will become so the length of time you leave the salmon is dependent on your personal taste. Byron left the fillet in the citrus mixture overnight and on the following night, he removed the fillet and sliced it into thin strips for the salad.

The salad:

In a bowl, add the fresh, crisp rocket and baby spinach leaves, one sliced navel orange, and as many of the cured salmon strips as your prefer. Slowly drizzle with olive oil (Byron used his orange and vanilla olive oil here) and season with black pepper.

Turn the salad over a couple of time with your fingers, then place a handful of the salad into the centre of a bowl and serve immediately with a refreshing drink, such as soda with ice and fresh lime or a crisp white wine.

The simplicity of this dish is starkly contrasted with the complex flavours and vivid colours of the bright green leaves, the glistening orange and the pink salmon slices. The salmon and citrus flavours are enhanced by the salty salmon flesh, however the sweet orange slices and faint hint of vanilla in the olive oil balance the saltiness superbly.

This salad can be served as a light meal or an entree. We enjoyed ours as a meal late one night, after a very, very long day and one of the best things about it was that the majority of the preparation had taken place over the preceding two days so it was thrown together in no time.

I love discovering new ways to prepare fish and though I originally pictured something very different when Byron first told me he was going to cure the fillet, I dare say you could also use his same method of preparing the cured salmon, then serve impossibly thin slices of salmon carpaccio arranged in a fan on a plate, adorned with sprinkled green peppercorns, capers and crumbled goats cheese. This would be a 'pretty' starter to serve before a main meal and would impress your guests if you were thinking of having a seafood-themed dinner.

In my case, Byron's cured salmon and orange salad made for the perfect meal to end a weary day after work. Sometimes the best thing to do after such a day is to sit down with your best friend, a glass of wine, and a wonderful meal to savour with a slow guitar melody softly playing in the background.

Bella xx

Now if you think this sounds like a simple dish to prepare (and of course you would be right), come back soon to see what I prepared for a lazy dessert with our leftover white wine.

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Black Quinoa and Bean Salad

Do you have a wee Hangover? Don't know what you feel like eating? Want something quick and easy? Last minute guests arriving and you don't know what to prepare?

Try something a bit different. This is a dish that can be served as a main or a side and left overs will keep for a few days in the fridge. Standby ingredients, such as a packet of quinoa, and canned vegetables can be used.

Black Quinoa and Cannellini Bean Salad with Sweet Corn and Zucchini:

3/4 cup black quinoa
2 1/4 cup water or vegetable stock
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 zucchini, sliced
1 can of sweet corn kernels
1 can of cannelleni beans
1 tomato, diced

In a wide pan, sauté onion and garlic with the olive oil, add the zucchini and cook until slightly soft. Set aside.

Rinse quinoa well before cooking. Pour 1 part black quinoa into a saucepan with 3 parts water or vegetable stock. I used 3/4 cup measurements. Bring to the boil, stirring, then reduce then heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, you will notice the quinoa has split and now looks like small dark balls and tiny broken yellow rings- It is fascinating. Drain any excess liquid from the saucepan and mix with the cooked vegetables.

Season to taste and if so desired, you can add your diced tomato before serving. I didn't have one on hand as I was expecting company at any moment so I didn't have time to race to the grocer, however I did add corn and rinsed cannellini beans, which I stirred through until just warmed.

This is a dish that will keep you full, unlike leafy green salads. That's all thanks to the quinoa. I honestly can't believe how easy this salad is to make.

Simple, yet satisfying.

Bella xx

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Poached Ocean Trout with Crispy Skin, Honey Soy Mayo Dressing and Edamame Beans

I work Sundays.

Not always, though usually.

What picks me up when I'm exhausted? Coming home and relaxing with Byron over dinner and lately he has been cooking for us.

Tonight B made me the following mouth-watering salad... This is how you turn a dreary hospital drone shift into a relaxing Sunday chill-fest.

Poached Ocean Trout with Crispy Skin, Honey Soy Mayo Dressing and Edamame Beans

One fillet of Ocean Trout (skin on)
Traditional mayonnaise
Organic Tamari Soy Sauce
Manuka honey
Edamame beans (seeds only) ~50g
Mixed leaf lettuce
One soft boiled egg

Remove skin from ocean trout. Lightly coat skin with olive oil and rub with salt. Heat non-stick frying pan without oil and cook, skin side first until golden-brown. Turn skin and brown other side. Check the crispiness before removing from heat, roughly cut the skin into pieces and set aside to cool, skin-side up.

Poach the ocean trout in shallow slightly bubbling water (slightly cooler than simmering) until cooked, but still soft in the middle.
Remove from water, flake fillet into a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

To make the dressing, mix a decent glug or two of mayo with a slow pour of Tamari soy sauce until the thick glossy mixture turns a light brown. Add honey to taste (be careful not to make it too sweet!).

Place a handful of mixed lettuce leaves into each serving bowl, top with the delicious poached trout and thinly sliced egg and then drizzle with the delectable honey soy mayo.
To finish, scatter a few glossy steamed edamame beans and pieces of crispy trout skin.

Serves 2

Mmmmm.....

Enjoy with a crisp, chilled white. We enjoyed a sem sauv blanc, but only because we had it chilling in the fridge from last night and never got around to drinking it then. That was fortunate!

Comments?

Bella
xx

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