Seared salmon with cauliflower puree and salad of shaved fennel, currants and pinenuts

Tamara West

Ingredients

4 Tbsp	Currants (Main)
3 Tbsp	Red wine vinegar, good quality
4 fillets	Salmon, 180g each, skin on and pin-boned (Main)
60 ml	Olive oil
1 small	Fennel bulb, shaved (Main)
1 large	Jerusalem artichoke, peeled and finely sliced
½ cup	Flat leaf (Italian) parsley, picked
1 cup	Salad leaves
¼	Red onions, finely sliced
4 Tbsp	Pine nuts, lightly toasted (Main)

Cauliflower puree

1 head	Cauliflower, small (Main)
1 Ltr	Milk
300 ml	Cream

Directions

1. Soak currants in vinegar overnight.
2. Season salmon fillets with a little salt and pepper on both sides. Heat half of the olive oil in a large heavy based frying pan over a high heat. When oil starts to smoke add salmon fillets and fry, skin side down, for 3 minutes. When salmon is two-thirds cooked, turn and cook for a further minute. Remove from the pan and rest in a warm place.
3. Mix currants, vinegar, pine nuts and remaining olive oil together in a small bowl. Divide cauliflower puree between 4 plates and place salmon fillets on top. Toss fennel, jerusalem artichoke, parsley, salad leaves and red onion together and place on top of salmon. Spoon currant and pine nut dressing over the top and serve immediately.

Cauliflower puree

Remove outer leaves and roughly chop cauliflower into small pieces. Place cauliflower in a medium sized pot with milk. Cover with a cartouche and bring to a simmer over a gentle heat. Cook until tender, drain and reserve milk. Place cauliflower in a food processor and blend until smooth. Place cream in a small pot and bring to the boil. Add to cauliflower and pulse to combine. Adjust consistency of the cooking liquor if required. Season to taste with salt and pepper and reserve for later use.

To make a cartouche

A cartouche is a paper lid that sits directly on top of food or liquid to prevent it drying out or forming a skin. To make a simple cartouche, take a square piece of baking paper, fold it in half, then in half again. Fold again to form a triangle and then fold once more, in the same direction to form another triangle. (The second triangle will resemble a paper dart and the sides will not meet. Don’t worry!) Place the longest point of the triangle to the centre of the pot and cut the cartouche where it meets the rim. The trimmed cartouche will now fit snugly inside the pot.