Fillet of Salmon with Fleur de Sel Recipe
A Classic French Dish
You will need: (serves 4)
- 800g fillet of salmon steak with skin on
- 40g Fleur de Sel
- 15 crushed pepper grains
- 1 tbsp oil
- 100ml Muscadet
- 160g unsalted butter
- 2 lemons
- Flat-leaved parsley
- Thyme flowers (optional)
Culinary Club tip: Muscadet is a French white
wine. You can substitute it with any good
quality light crisp white wine
Method
- Ask your fishmonger to cut 4 good-sized salmon steaks from the thickest part of the fillet.
- Mix the Fleur de Sel and the freshly crushed black pepper. Season the salmon steaks well with this mixture (and the thyme flowers, if you are using them). Lightly brush the salmon steaks with oil on the skin side. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan, or a grill, and arrange the steaks carefully (with skin side down). Cook gently at a moderate temperature for 12 to 15 mins.
- Meanwhile, reduce the Muscadet by two thirds in a pan, add the butter in small lumps, beating well. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the steaks in a very hot oven for 15 seconds.
- Assembly: place the steaks on kitchen paper, then transfer to hot plates with half a lemon. Decorate with flat-leaved parsley. Serve the butter Muscadet sauce separately in a jug, along with the remainder of the Fleur de Sel. This can also be served with a jacket potato cooked in foil in the oven or in the embers of a wood fire.
- Note: in this recipe the effect of the cooking should be that the salmon is cooked in layers, cooked underneath, soft in the centre and slightly raw, but hot, on the top.
Recipe by Jean-Pierre RABALLAND – Restaurant l’Océanide – Nantes , France
