Try roasted salmon for Christmas dinner
Lucy Waverman The Globe and Mail,Dec. 14, 2010
You can buy cooked chestnuts in vacuum-packed bags at gourmet shops. Ask the fishmonger to butterfly the salmon for you, which means removing the bones and opening up the fish like a book. Serving the dish can be tricky: Let the fish cool for 10 minutes and use a sharp thin-bladed knife to slice. (If the top falls off just plop it back on.)
Servings: 8 to 10
Ingredients
1 4-pound (2-kilogram) salmon, boned and butterflied
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons cracked fennel seeds
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon grated lime rind
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Stuffing
2 tablespoons butter
4 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and light green part only)
3 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
1 cup coarsely chopped cooked chestnuts
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
1 teaspoon cracked fennel seeds
1 teaspoon lime juice
½ cup whipping cream
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Sauce
½ cup clementine juice
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup chopped shallots
2 cups chicken or fish stock
1 cup whipping cream
Method
Place salmon in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Combine fennel seeds, herbes de Provence and grated lime rind with oil and brush or spoon marinade all over inside and outside of salmon. Marinate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 F.
stuffing
Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and napa cabbage and sauté for 6 minutes or until everything is soft. Add chestnuts, tarragon, fennel seeds and lime juice, and cook for 2 minutes or until flavours are combined. Stir in cream and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in bread crumbs. Season well with salt and pepper.
Season inside of salmon with salt and pepper and spread a thin layer of stuffing inside. Place remaining stuffing in a small oiled baking dish and bake alongside salmon.
Place salmon on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 300 F and bake another 10 to 15 minutes or until salmon is just cooked through. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
sauce
Combine clementine juice, lime juice and shallots in a skillet over medium heat and boil for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add stock and boil until reduced by half. Add cream and boil until thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Transfer salmon to a serving platter and remove top layer of skin to make the fish easier to slice. Use a sharp carving knife to cut into portions.
Drizzle sauce over fish.
Video: Lucy Waverman demonstrates how to make an impressive main dish
