September 4, 2020

Salmon with Pine-Nut Salsa

Eagerly awaiting the release of Yotam Ottolenghi’s new cookbook Flavours. Unfortunately for those of us in Canada we have to wait until October.

To whet my appetite while I wait, I made one of my favorite salmon recipes adapted from his cookbook Simple. For fans of the Bridget Jones’s Baby movie you may recognise this as the dish Patrick Dempsey’s character tells Renée Zellweger’s Bridget Jones that he would have brought her on their imaginary second date.

The pine-nut salsa simply explodes with contrasting flavours and textures. The salty-sweet notes pair beautifully with the full-flavoured, fatty salmon. You will be amazed that something that looks and tastes so good, is so simple and easy to make.

Ingredients

¾ cup currants
4 salmon fillets (about 4 ounces each), skin on and pinbones removed
7 tbsp/100 milliliters olive oil
Salt and black pepper
4 medium celery stalks (about 6 ounces/180 grams), cut into 1/2-inch/1-centimeter dice, leaves removed and reserved for garnish
¼ cup/30 grams pine nuts, roughly chopped
Scant 1/4 cup/40 grams drained capers, plus 2 tablespoons of their brine
8 large green olives, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch/1-centimeter dice
1 Generous pinch (1/4 tsp) of saffron, mixed with 1 tbsp of hot water
1 cup parsley, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preparation

Step 1

Cover the currants with boiling water and set aside to soak for 20 minutes. In a separate small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of hot water with the saffron and set aside.

Gently rub the salmon fillets with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Set aside while you make the salsa.

Step 2

Heat 5 tbsp of the olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the celery and pine nuts and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the nuts begin to brown (watch carefully as they can burn quickly). Remove from the heat and stir in the capers and their brine, the olives, saffron and its water and a pinch of salt. Drain the currants and add them as well, along with the parsley, lemon zest and juice. Mix well and set aside.

Step 3

To pan sear the salmon: Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Sear the salmon skin side down until the skin is crisp, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, flip the fillets over and cook for 2 to 4 minutes (depending on how you like your salmon to be cooked).

To grill the salmon: Lightly oil the grill and heat the burner on one side to high and the other to low. If cooking with charcoal, push the hot coals onto one-half of the grill. Place the salmon skin-side down on the hot zone until the skin is crisp, about 6 – 8 minutes. Using a spatula, gently flip the salmon over onto the lower-heat side. If it sticks, give it another minute or two. When it’s ready, it will release easily. Cook for another 2-4 minutes.

To serve, divide the salmon on 4 plates and spoon on the salsa. Scatter the celery leaves on top.