HAVE a crack at this. It may be as an alternative to the normal turkey, or maybe as something special during the week.
It's pretty easy to whip up and salmon isn't expensive at all, really.
Salmon used to be considered upmarket because it was freshly caught but now it is mostly farmed, so that has brought the price down.
Cod is more expensive than salmon, surprisingly.
Fish goes horrid and dry if overcooked and loses masses of flavour. Chefs in good places often baste it in cooking liquor several times during cooking to keep it moist and flavoursome.
Many folk overcook veg too. Why? You should not be able to suck veg through a straw. So if you cook fresh veggies, take maybe a bit longer and get them nice. I always toss sprouts in butter and seasoning and top with grilled almonds.
I love roasted parsnip with brown sugar and honey. Mash with a little butter, cream and good seasoning. Cauliflower should be cooked but firm - lemon juice in the water keeps them bright and white.
I always cook carrots with butter, salt and sugar and pepper and the juice and peel of one orange to give them a tang; and if cooking mange tout or French beans I only cook them for 30-45 seconds in rapidly boiling water. Nice veg makes a massive difference.
Ingredients
4 Salmon fillets (7-8 oz each, skin off) 8 floz Champagne ( or sparkling wine) 2 floz white wine vinegar 8 oz butter ( diced) 4 floz double cream 1 onion, finely diced Salt and white pepper
Method
Sweat the onion in a pan over a medium heat for five minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the champagne and vinegar and reduce by half to intensify the flavour, add the cream and reduce again slightly, add the butter slowly, a small dice at a time until it is all added and melted in, season. This sauce is a variation of a classic called Beurre Blanc.
Melt a nob of butter into a frying pan and let it get hot on a medium flame. Non-stick pans are really the best but if you haven't got one, you can lightly flour the fish to protect the skin and the flour crisps up more too. Turn it only once and fry for around five minutes each side - the inside should be cooked but ever-soslightly more pinky than the outside, it's really good at this stage. Enjoy!
