Salmon, curried cauliflower, almonds, coriander

  • medium
  • 4
  • 2 hours 15 minutes
Not yet rated

Nigel Mendham's salmon with curried cauliflower recipe achieves a lovely balance of spice and earthiness, matching the sweet cauliflower with a curry gel and oil. Nigel prepares the cauliflower three ways - as 'couscous' infused with brown butter, cooked sous vide with curry oil and as a silky-smooth purée.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Salmon fillets

Tomato water

Cauliflower couscous

Curry gel

Curry oil

Sous vide cauliflower

Cauliflower purée

Equipment

  • Blender
  • Sous vide equipment
  • Fine chinois

Method

1
Begin by preparing a tomato water for the curry gel. Bring all of the ingredients to a simmer, remove from the heat and allow to infuse for 4 hours. Pour into a strainer lined with muslin and strain slowly to produce a clear tomato water. Measure out 250g for the next step
2
Roast all of the spices in a dry pan over a medium-high heat until aromatic, then grind to form a fine powder. Mix together the 250g of tomato water, the cream, saffron, glucose, agar agar and rock salt in a pan, then whisk in the spices and bring to the boil
3
Boil for 5 minutes, whisking continuously, then pass through a sieve and allow to cool. Set the mix in the fridge, then blitz in a blender to form a gel. Set aside in a squeezy bottle until required
4
To begin the cauliflower couscous, chop both types of cauliflower finely and set aside. To prepare the brown butter, melt the butter in a pan and simmer until it turns a walnut-brown colour. Place the thyme, garlic and lime leaf in a muslin cloth, pass the butter through the cloth and set aside for later steps
5
To prepare the curry oil, measure out 200ml of corn oil and add to a pan. Sweat off the shallot and apple in the oil until soft but not coloured
6
Add the spices and the rest of the oil, bring back to a simmer. Add the lime leaves, remove from the heat and allow to infuse for 20 minutes. Pass through muslin cloth and set aside in a squeezy bottle
  • 2 tbsp of baharat powder
  • 1 tbsp of curry powder
  • 2 lime leaves
  • 200ml of corn oil
7
Preheat a water bath to 85°C
8
For the sous vide cauliflower, remove the florets from the cauliflowers and cut any larger florets in half. Season with 3 tablespoons of the reserved brown butter, 3 tablespoons of curry oil and 2 shredded lime leaves
9
Place into sous vide bags, seal, then cook in the water bath for 25 minutes. Once cooked, submerge the bags in iced water to chill
10
To prepare the cauliflower purée, add the butter to a heavy-based pan and heat until foaming. Add the cauliflower and a pinch of salt, then cover and cook until the cauliflower is soft. Add the vegetable stock and reduce by 1/3
11
Add the cream, bring back to the boil then tip into the blender. Blitz until smooth, then season with salt and lemon juice. Set aside until required
12
To finish the cauliflower couscous, add the remaining brown butter to a non-stick pan and warm through. Add the cauliflower, sauté for 20 seconds and season
13
To cook the salmon, add a dash of corn oil to a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot, season the salmon with salt and add to the pan skin-side down, pressing gently on the flesh to evenly sear the skin
14
Once the skin is crispy and lightly golden, add a knob of butter to the pan and baste the fish in the butter for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside somewhere warm
15
To finish the sous vide cauliflower, remove the florets from the bags and pan-roast until golden brown. There should be enough residual oil on the cauliflower, so avoid adding additional oil to the pan
16
Meanwhile, gently reheat the purée on the stove until warmed through
17
Arrange the purée onto plates with the couscous and curry gel. Add the salmon and dress with the curry oil, almonds and micro cress before serving

Nigel Mendham has proved himself to be as adaptable as he is talented, prospering in restaurants all over Britain and winning great acclaim for his deftly classical cuisine.

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