Episode 114: Fish

Tea-Smoked Baby Salmon with Melon & Lime Sauce
Tempura-Fried Baby Red Mullet with a Warm Tomato Viniagrette
Stuffed Red Snapper with a Port Glaze Sauce
Peppercorn Crusted Salmon with Pernod
Salmon en Papillotte

TEA-SMOKED BABY SALMON WITH A MELON AND LIME SAUCE
Preparation is easy

4 baby salmon
2 limes, sliced thinly
12 sorrel leaves
Olive oil
Black pepper
3 tablespoons jasmine or earl grey tea

For the sauce:
1 cantaloupe melon
3 limes, juiced
½ cup honey (125 millilitres)
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt

Preparation time is 45 minutes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Stuff the cavity of each small salmon with lime slices and sorrel leaves. Then place the fish in a baking dish, making sure that they are not too cramped for space. Drizzle the fish with olive oil and pepper and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the salmon from the oven and drain them on paper towels to remove any oil. Put the tea in the bottom of a wok and put a wire rack over the top. Heat the tea until it begins to smoke, then place the salmon on the rack and cover it with a lid or a large piece of tin foil. Smoke the salmon for 10 minutes and turn on your kitchen fan to dissipate any smoke. Remove the salmon and set aside.

Remove the flesh from the melon and put it in a blender to puree. Strain the resulting liquid through a fine sieve and discard the pulp. Put the juice in a small saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the limejuice and the honey and reduce the liquid for 10 minutes, or until it becomes a syrupy consistency. Cool the sauce over an ice bath and adjust the seasoning with salt if necessary.

Serve the salmon with the melon and lime sauce.

Yield: 4 servings
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TEMPURA-FRIED BABY RED MULLET WITH A WARM TOMATO VINIAGRETTE
Preparation is moderate


8 baby red mullet
1 whole egg
¾ cup very cold water (175 millilitres)
125 grams flour (4 ounces)
Vegetable oil for frying

For the vinaigrette:
3 ripe yellow tomatoes
3 ripe red plum tomatoes
½ cup rice vinegar (125 millilitres)
Salt
1-cup olive oil (250 millilitres)

Preheat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Preparation time is 25 minutes

Puree the yellow tomatoes in a blender. Add the rice vinegar and then the olive oil. Season the mixture and then pass it through a fine sieve. De-seed and dice the plum tomatoes and add the dice to the yellow tomato dressing. Put the dressing in a small saucepan and reheat over a low heat when ready to serve.

To make the tempura batter, beat the egg in a glass and add the cold water to make one full glass full of liquid. Add the flour and mix until it is incorporated but be careful not to overwork the mixture. There should still be lumps in the batter.

Trim the fins from the red mullet. Holding them by their tails, dip them in the tempura batter and then drop them immediately into the hot oil to fry for about 4 minutes, or until golden. Retrieve the fish with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Serve immediately with the warm tomato vinaigrette with a couscous salad.

Yield: 4 servings
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STUFFED RED SNAPPER WITH A PORT GLAZE SAUCE
Preparation is easy

4 red snapper weighing 6 to 8 ounces each (175 to 250 grams)
4 large sprigs oregano
4 large sprigs thyme
4 pieces lemongrass
4 inches fresh ginger
6 apricots
Sea salt and pepper
8 large pieces of Nori seaweed
2 tablespoons olive oil (30 millilitres)

For the glaze:
1 cup Port wine (250 millilitres)
½ cup tarragon vinegar (125 millilitres)
2 tablespoons sugar (30 grams)

Preparation time is 45 minutes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

De-scale each fish. Using a sharp knife, scrape the skin in the opposite direction to the scales and they should flick away from the skin. Open each red snapper and either de-bone it through the back leaving the stomach cavity closed, or stuff the cavity with the herbs. If you choose to stuff the stomach cavity, place the fish skin side down and season the inside with salt and pepper. Lay a sprig of oregano and thyme inside the cavity of each fish. Add a lemongrass stalk. Peel and chop the ginger into small pieces. Add a quarter of the ginger to the middle of each fish. Cut up the apricots with kitchen scissors and add them to the cavity of each fish. Drizzle with a very small amount of olive oil. Lightly score the fish on each side. Brush the Nori seaweed with water to soften it, and then wrap the fish from head to tail in the seaweed.

Warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over a medium heat. Once hot, slide the fish into the pan, turning as needed until almost cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes. Move the pan to the oven to finish cooked for 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the port, vinegar and sugar in a small saucepan over a medium-low heat to reduce. Reduce to a glaze that coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Retrieve the fish from the oven and serve them with plain boiled new potatoes and the port glaze drizzled over the top.

Yield: 4 servings
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PEPPERCORN CRUSTED SALMON WITH PERNOD
Preparation is easy

4 salmon tournedos or steaks, deboned and tied
1 tablespoon pink peppercorns
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon green peppercorns
1 tablespoon schezuan pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, chopped
1-cup fresh corn kernels
1-cup Pernod
1-cup cream
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon balm, chopped

Preparation time is 30 minutes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Smash the peppercorns together with a rolling pin in a plastic bag. Crust the outside of the salmon with the peppercorns and sear in a cast iron skillet over a high heat. Transfer the salmon to the oven to cook for a further 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the shallots over a medium heat until they are translucent and soft. Add the fresh corn kernels and toss and sauté for a minute. Deglaze the pan with the Pernod, reduce for a minute before adding the cream. Stir well and heat the cream. Boil for 30 seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add the tarragon.

Retrieve the salmon from the oven and serve with the Pernod cream sauce around. Dress the plate with the lemon balm.

Yield: 4 servings
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SALMON EN PAPILLOTTE
Preparation is easy


1 4-pound salmon (2 kilograms)
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 bulb fennel, finely sliced
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1/2-cup olive oil (125 millilitres)
¼ cup white wine
Salt and pepper
1 egg white

Preparation time is 40 minutes
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Trim the fins of the salmon so that they are neat. Open the salmon and stuff the cavity with the lemon slices, fennel and ginger, season with salt and pepper. Tie the salmon closed with kitchen string at three places down its body. Tie its mouth closed so that it does not gape open during cooking.

Place the fish on a large piece of parchment paper. Drizzle the olive oil over it. Then brush one edge of the paper with egg white and fold the other over on top. Brush it again and fold it over once again. Repeat until the parcel is sealed.

Put the salmon on a baking tray and cook for 15 minutes or until the bag is completely puffed up. Cut the bag open with scissors and lay the salmon a serving dish and spoon any juices round it. Serve with lemon wedges.

Yield: 4 servings
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Recipe courtesy of Chef Caroline McCann-Bizjak