Salmon
Crusted salmon with samphire and preserved lemon sauce
The semolina on top of the salmon gives a lovely crust and the paprika adds to the flavour and colour. The sauce is bursting with sharpness and samphire is a lovely, salty, green plant that grows naturally by the marshes and on the coast.
Ingredients:
- for the salmon
- large knob butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
- 25g/1oz semolina
- 1 tsp paprika
- 4 x 125g/4�oz salmon fillets, skin removed
- small bunch flatleaf parsley, leaves and stalks separated
- 175g/6oz samphire
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- � lemon, cut into 4 wedges, to serve
- 1 large or 2 small preserved lemons, quartered and pips removed
- � lemon, juice only
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 200g/7oz cr�me fr�iche
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and grease a baking tray.
- To make the salmon, sprinkle the semolina and paprika over a large plate and season with salt and pepper. Spread the butter on top of each salmon fillet and press the fillets, buttered-side down, on to the semolina mixture to give an even crust.
- Lay the parsley stalks on the baking tray and sit the salmon fillets on top of the stalks. Bake in the oven for 15�18 minutes, until the salmon is just opaque and the top is crisp and golden. If liquid is beginning to seep out of the salmon, it is overcooked � it should be holding the juices.
- To make the sauce, place the parsley leaves in a food processor. Add the lemon and blitz until finely chopped. Add the lemon juice, mayonnaise and cr�me fr�iche and season with salt and pepper � go easy on the salt as the lemons are preserved in brine. Process until combined.
- When ready to serve, boil the samphire in a saucepan of salted water for 2 minutes, then drain. Place the lemon sauce in a saucepan and heat gently until just melted.
- Serve the salmon fillets with the samphire, sauce and lemon wedges alongside.