Fish – Page 11 – Myfrenchkitchen

This salad looks probably more like a meal for summer than midwinter, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that it is healthy and delicious. Some of the ingredients can be served warm on the salad, a poached egg can be added, some crispy warm croûtons. You can serve it on a warm “pain perdu“, or on a bed of warm pasta, or a bed of warm lentils of your choice. Serve it with a warm vinaigrette or a creamier vinaigrette for more substance. I served it here as is with a pungent vinaigrette and a homebaked wholewheat bread, of which I’ll share the recipe later.

Smoked salmon salad.

A variety of salad leaves of your choice, sliced celery, available herbs(parsley, chervil, fennel), grated carrot, green beans(steamed until just tender), capers, strips of smoked salmon.

Mix the salad leaves in a big platter and top with the carrots and celery. Tear the salmon into strips and arrange on the salad. Finish off with the warm steamed beans, herbs and capers. Serve with the vinaigrette on the side and a dark, hearty wholewheat bread.

Vinaigrette: Mix together a chopped shallot with olive oil, a dash of pumpkin oil, sherry wine vinegar and some lemon juice to you taste. I don’t believe in the basic rule of 1 part acid :3 parts oil…I find it too oily for me. I prefer to taste it as I go along, starting with a pinch of salt and my chosen acids and then adding the oil, whisking all the time and tasting. Adding a spoonful of dijon mustard, will quickly turn it into a delicious creamy emulsion. Season with salt and pepper.

I am back home from 2 months in SC, USA and I’m still slowing back into routine. It has been very quiet here on Myfrenckitchen front, but I hope that will change from now on…

It is rugby world cup time here in France. We watched the France/Ireland match last weekend with friends after sharing a simple dinner. Nothing gets you more in the mood than sharing a meal before moving on to some sports where, hopefully everybody won’t be cheering the same team!

I have to begin a meal with a starter, it enhances my appetite for the rest of the meal, it heightens the expectation around the table and it elates my tastebuds. Not forgetting that it stretches out a meal, gets everybody relaxed…it simply just sets the mood! It can be extravagant with truffels or simple with bread, I love it all ways and I enjoy making it. For this meal I made a simple polenta with wonderful wild mushrooms that fill our markets right now. I will do that in a next post.

And dessert I have to have too. It gives an exciting ending to any meal, much like an exclamation mark does to a sentence. I chose to end our meal with a simple, easy dessert as well. I don’t really know what to call it…maybe something like ” Caramelized apples with vanilla cream and pomegranate”….which will be presented in a next post too. Until then, here goes with the..

Salmon with brown rice and oven baked tomatoes.

4 salmon steaks
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice
coconut oil
knob of butter
6 tomatoes, handful of cherry tomatoes, handful of grape tomatoes..or any kind of your choice, mix and match.
balsamic vinegar, sjerry vinegar, spoonful of Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper
2 cup brown rice cooked in 4 cups of water
handful of rocket leaves(arugula)

Sautée the salmon steaks in the coconut oil: Place the salmon skin side down in the hot oil and sautee for 3 to5 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and the flesh has turned light pink from the bottom upwards, halfway through. Don’t cook on the other side. (Saumon à l’unilatéral) Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper and some lemon juice. Top with the knob of butter. If you want your salmon more cooked, you can place it in the oven for a few minutes after sauteeing.
Cook the brown rice until just tender.
Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange in an oven dish, cut sides up. Season with salt and pepper.
Make a vinaigrette of the balsamic and sjerry vinegar, mustard, and olive oil. Pour over the tomatoes and bake for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees C.
Add all the smaller tomatoes whole and bake for 15 minutes longer at 200 degrees C, or until all the tomatoes are nice and caramelized and the small tomatoes have broken open.
To serve: Place a helping of brown rice in 4 bowls. Place a salmon steak on the rice. Top with a generous helping of tomatoes and drizzle the juice from the tomatoes over. Finish off with some rocket(arugula) and a twirl of fresh pepper.