Pan Fried Salmon with Fennel Salad
Serves: 2
Time: approx 20 minutes
Salmon is one of my easy go-to dinners, as you will have noticed we eat it pretty regularly I love the flavour and texture from salmon but it is also the familiarity that I have with it that makes it one of my fav, when you cook something so often you get pretty good at it and then dinner becomes super easy and really quick. I think that is why it’s one of my favourites. Tonight I just felt like greens so a few boiled beans and kale with some shaved fennel and poof easy peasy delicious dinner is done.
Lunch Tomorrow
If you like fish cold then you could have this as a salad the next day, but I am a heck no to leftover fish so this is not a leftovers dinner for us.
What you'll need
2 portions of salmon skin on bone out
1 small bunch of kale
100g fresh green beans
1 large fennel
1 lemon
Micro radish for garnish
From the pantry
30g butter
olive oil
salt and pepper
Feeding Four
To turn this into dinner for four I have doubled all the ingredients so there is xtra of everything in your list.
Prep and Cook
Prep Veggies
Put a large pot of water on to boil with a pinch of salt and a splash of oil.
Strip the kale leaves off the stalks and wash under cold water.
Slice your beans lengthways on the diagonal into about 3 pieces.
Shaved Fennel
Chop the tops off the fennel but reserve a few of the nicer looking green sprigs (the part that looks similar to dill) and roughly chop, pop into a bowl.
Cut the fennel in half and chop out the core. I slice my core out in a triangle shape.
Cut the fennel really fine or use a mandolin to get a nice shave. Add to your bowl and squeeze over the juice of 1 lemon then toss with some salt and set aside.
Cook Salmon
Turn your element onto a medium to high heat. In a heavy based non stick pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil (you want the entire pan to be coated but not swimming).
Pat the skin of your salmon dry with a paper towel, then sprinkle with a little salt.
Before you place the fish in the pan make sure that it is hot enough, it should sizzle when you drop in a flake of salt in.
Lay your fish skin side down into the pan applying pressure to the fish with your hands so that the skin is nice and flat against the pan surface, do this for 5-10 seconds. Leave the fish to cook skin side down for 2 minutes and try not to touch the fish.
After 2 minutes have a check to see if your fish pulls away from the pan easily, if not leave for another half minute.
When your fish does slide away flip it over onto the flesh and check the skin by giving it a tap with your fingernail you want it to sound almost hollow all over.
Cook flesh side for one minute. (if your fish is particularly fat I would also cook the two sides as well for about 20 seconds each).
If you want to add some butter to the pan now is a perfect time.
Flip your fish back onto the skin, add about 30g butter and the juice of half the lemon to the pan swirling it around the pan so that it melts quickly and once it has bubbled, tip the pan and use a spoon to ladle that butter over the fish a good few times.
Remove from heat.
Plate it Pretty
Drop the kale into your pot of boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the beans and cook for another 30 seconds and remove from the heat and drain straight away.
Place two large portions of the greens onto each plate. keeping them in a circle but don’t fill the whole plate, you want more of a pile. Lay the fish across the top section of the veg.
Micro Herbs
Micro herbs a re a great garnish for some pop of colour as well as a little xtra yum, they aren't always easy to find but Harris farm do generally have some if not in a small pot then in a little plastic tub.
Crack some pepper over your fennel and drizzle with a little oil (if you want a touch of fancy then some truffle oil would be delish) check the flavours if you find it lacking add more salt.
Top the fish with fennel allowing it to cascade down one side.
I have scattered over the top with some micro herbs but if you don’t have any some
Enjoy!
Lunch Tomorrow
It’s Friday so I haven’t added anything into your lunch list but if you need lunch then you can always go with one of my fav’s and have stuffed avocado.