Wester Ross seared salmon loin, fennel pollen and sweet onion

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This delicious starter by Michelin-starred chef Lisa Allen has many elements that come together to create a striking dish, bursting with vibrant colours. To give the salmon a smoky, charred flavour the chef finishes the dish by lightly blowtorching the flesh.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Seared salmon

Kitchen tobacco

Onion oil

  • 2 onions
  • 125g of sunflower oil
  • 125g of olive oil

Shallot crisp

White onion stock

  • 250g of onion, finely sliced
  • 500g of water
  • 2g of salt

Sweet onion sauce

Silverskin onions

To garnish

Equipment

  • Dehydrator
  • Chamber sealer
  • Water bath
  • Blowtorch
  • Steam oven
  • Deep-fryer
  • Muslin cloth
  • Vacuum bags

Method

1
Preheat a water bath to 100°C
2
Skin the salmon, place the skin in a vacuum bag and seal in a chamber sealer. Cook the salmon skin for 45 minutes in the water bath, then dehydrate overnight at 50°C
3
For the kitchen tobacco, place all of the ingredients on a tray and dehydrate overnight at 50°C
4
For the onion oil, cut the onions in half and place in a very hot cast iron pan. Cook the onions over a high heat until charred on all sides. Place in a blender, add the oil and blitz to a purée. Hang in a muslin cloth suspended over a jug overnight to collect the oil that drips through
  • 125g of olive oil
  • 2 onions
  • 125g of sunflower oil
5
For the shallot crisps, thinly slice the shallots with their root left on to hold their shape. Dip the shallot slices into the stock syrup and dehydrate at 50°C for 12 hours
6
Preheat a steam oven to 100°C
7
To make the white onion stock, place the water, onions and salt in a vacuum bag and seal in a chamber sealer. Place in the steam oven and leave overnight
  • 2g of salt
  • 250g of onion, finely sliced
  • 500g of water
8
The next day, preheat a deep-fryer to 190°C
9
Deep-fry the salmon skin until puffed up and golden, then break into pieces and set aside
10
Blitz the dried kitchen tobacco ingredients into a fine powder and set aside
11
Remove the bag of onion stock ingredients and cut it open. Pass the contents through a fine sieve and reserve the stock
12
For the sweet onion sauce, melt the butter in a medium saucepan and sweat the onions without colouring until very soft. Add 70g of the onion stock and reduce slightly, then add the cream and simmer for a further 15 minutes. Blitz to a smooth, sauce-like consistency and check the seasoning
13
Preheat a steam oven to 100°C
14
For the silverskin onions, place the onions in a vacuum bag with the vinegar, water, sugar and peppercorns and seal in a chamber sealer. Cook in the steam oven for 15 minutes
15
Remove from the bag and cut the onions in half lengthways. Set 4 of the halves aside, and char the remaining 4 cut-side down in a hot frying pan until very dark
16
Preheat a water bath to 52°C
17
Rub the salmon evenly with the salt, sugar, lemon zest and juniper berries. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes. Wash the marinade off the salmon, pat dry with kitchen paper and cut into 60g pieces
18
Place the salmon in a vacuum bag with the olive oil and seal in a chamber sealer. Cook in a water bath for 15 minutes, or until opaque and just cooked
  • 20g of olive oil
19
When ready to serve, scorch the salmon flesh with a blowtorch
20
To plate, place a portion of salmon in the middle of the plate with a spoonful of the sweet onion sauce. On either side of the salmon place a shallot crisp and a piece of deep fried salmon skin
21
Pour a little of the onion oil over the salmon and add a few of the silverskin onions. Garnish with the fresh flowers, ice lettuce, kitchen tobacco and a sprinkle of fennel pollen
First published in 2015

Lisa Goodwin-Allen's cooking is playful and twists the hallmarks of Lancastrian cuisine to invoke new tradition.

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