steamed irish salmon with whipped pea and garlic purée and saffron roasted peppers
_ RECIPE BY Derry Clarke L’ECRIVAIN Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2

Ask your fishmonger for a skinned and boneless piece of fillet. Fresh salmon should
have no odour and look translucent with nice firmflakes. If buying pre-packed fish
check that the flesh is soft and springs back when pressed.

Preparation time: 15 minutes . Cooking time: 40 minutes . Serves 4

what you need
For the saffron roasted peppers
2 red peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
2.5cm (1in) fresh root ginger, peeled
and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon saffron strands, soaked in
a little hot water
2 teaspoons fresh mixed herb (such as
flat-leaf parsley, tarragon and chervil),
chopped
For the salmon
150ml (¼ pint) dry white wine
1 carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 fresh rosemary sprig
4 lemongrass stalks
4 x 150g (5oz) salmon fillets,
skinned and boned
For the whipped pea and garlic purée
450g (1lb) frozen peas
knob of butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 tablespoons low-fat milk
freshly ground black pepper

what you do
Preheat the grill to hot. Arrange the peppers on a grill rack and grill for 20-30
minutes until charred and blistered, turning regularly. Transfer to a large bowl and
cover with clingfilm. Leave the peppers to cool completely, then peel, discarding
the cores and seeds. Cut the flesh into slices.

Heat the olive oil and sunflower oil in a frying-pan. Add the shallots, ginger and
garlic and cook for a couple ofminutes until softened but not browned. Stir in the
saffron mixture and cook for another minute or so, then season lightly with
pepper. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the peppers and herbs. Cover with clingfilm
and set aside at room temperature until needed.

To prepare the salmon, pour 600ml (1 pint) of water into the bottom half of a
steamer and add the wine, carrot, onion, celery and rosemary. Bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, peel off the tough outer stalk from each stick of lemongrass and
then use one stick as a skewer for the each piece of salmon. Arrange above the
simmering vegetables in the steamer and cook gently for 5-7 minutes or until the
salmon is just cooked through and tender.

Meanwhile, make the whipped pea and garlic purée. Cook the peas in a pan of
boiling water for 3-4 minutes until tender. Heat the butter in a separate pan and
sauté the garlic for 20 seconds without browning. Drain the peas and add to the
garlic mixture with the milk. Using a hand-blender, blend to a smooth purée.
Season lightly with pepper.

Divide the whipped pea and garlic purée between warmed plates and arrange
the salmon skewers on top. Spoon around the saffron roasted peppers to serve.

typical nutritional content – per portion
Energy Kcal (Calories) 480
Fat (g) 25.1
of which saturates (g) 5.0
Salt (g) 0.3
Sugars (g) 11.4