Hugo Arnold makes the case for eating wild salmon, just once in a while
The advice is to abstain from eating wild salmon, but I cannot. I'm staring at one. Its skin glistens on the icy slab, the ugly tag hanging from its mouth the first indication that there is something different about this beast.
A few feet away, its snub-nosed farmed cousins sit in abundance. Flabby and fat, their scales may shine, but I am not seduced. However, there is some good farmed salmon about, and we Irish are among the market leaders in its production. Glenarm salmon, from Co Antrim, is among the best. Its fish are reared in cages held in tidal runs, which gets them swimming actively. Just like humans, a salmon needs a bit of toning, and this particular regime helps it to build up texture and flavour.
King or queen of the ocean? I'm not arguing either way. This is a dish reminiscent of my childhood - a cold, poached salmon, my mother's wonderful wobbly mayonnaise and some new potatoes, peas from the garden, perhaps, and mint, used sparingly. When your ingredients are this good, who wants anything more?
It has become quite the thing to crisp up salmon skin. Chefs have the advantage of turbo-charged ovens, and this technique certainly renders some fine eating. Have your oven hot and don't mess about with open oven doors. The technique is simple; a lightly-oiled fillet is salted generously and pressed into a hot pan, skin side down, and transferred to a hot oven. By the time the skin turns crisp, the flesh will be almost cooked, and the resting time will finish the process. If you think resting is something only done with meat, this will convince you of its role in cooking fish. Don't try to do more than a couple of fillets at a time, or you'll end up steaming them.
Partners for salmon fall into two camps in our kitchen - plain and simple or well spiced - with little in between. The Mediterranean yields little in the way of suitable treatments for salmon. Somehow this Atlantic fish is more suited to the flavours of its own area or those from the other side of the world - ginger and soy for example, or coriander and lime. A spiced pilaf works well, as does a dahl, and I'm particularly fond of spiked greens with chilli and lemongrass, sesame oil and a splash of fish sauce for added oomph.
If you plan to poach your salmon, a fish kettle is useful. This gleaming piece of stainless steel may only get used a few times a year, but what a joy when your fish slides in without the head, or tail, poking up. For those reluctant to splash out on this equipment, tin foil and an oven tray works just as well. Well almost.
I'm still for eating wild salmon, however. It may only happen once or twice a year, but what a cause for celebration. In a world where we seem increasingly suspicious of what we eat, this really is a wild harvest of the best kind.
All recipes serve 4
FILLET OF WILD SALMON WITH BEURRE BLANC, CHIVES AND NEW POTATOES
4 tbsp finely chopped shallots
75ml white wine vinegar
220g unsalted butter, cubed
500g new potatoes, washed
4 fillets of wild salmon, each weighing about 180g
olive oil
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped chives
Place the shallot, vinegar and two tablespoons of water in a small saucepan, bring it to the boil and reduce until almost nothing is left, taking care not to let it burn toward the end. Turn the heat right down and with a wooden spoon whisk in a cube of butter at a time. Continue until all the butter is used up, removing the pan from the heat occasionally if you think it is getting too hot. Season with salt and pepper and keep close to the cooker where it should be perfectly happy for 20-30 minutes. Cook the potatoes until tender, drain and keep warm.
Rub the salmon with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan and when it is searingly hot, lightly oil and place the salmon, skin side down in the pan. Fry without disturbing the fish for four minutes. Turn over and cook for a further minute. Transfer to the four plates, skin side up. Serve with the beurre blanc, potatoes and a sprinkling of chives.
SPICED SALMON, YOGHURT AND SPINACH
1 cucumber
2 garlic cloves
200ml plain full-fat yoghurt
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped mint
olive oil
4 fillets salmon
1kg spinach, well washed
Deseed, trim and roughly chop the cucumber. Place in a sieve, scatter with salt, lightly toss and set aside for 10 minutes. Rinse thoroughly under cold water and set aside to drain. Peel, finely chop and then crush one clove of garlic with a little salt. Add to the yoghurt along with the cucumber, which should be given a gentle but firm squeeze to rid it of any excess moisture.
Heat a dry frying pan and when hot gently toast the cumin and coriander seeds for a few minutes. You will need to toss the seeds in the pan so they don't burn. The aim here is for the spices to lose their raw aroma. They should smell rich and rounded, almost sweet. Remove and grind in a pestle and mortar. Combine the ground seeds, herbs, remaining chopped garlic and enough olive oil to make thick paste.
Spread this mixture over the salmon fillets. Season and roast in a preheated oven, 200 degrees/gas six, for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked. Remove and allow the fish to rest in a warm place for five minutes.
Blanch the spinach in boiling water for one minute, or until just wilted, drain and dress with olive oil and salt and pepper. Serve with the salmon and yoghurt.
RHUBARB AND GINGER FOOL
What do you eat after salmon? Something equally delicious, simple and seasonal perhaps.
1kg rhubarb
50g caster sugar
4 thin slices fresh ginger
250ml whipping cream
finely diced preserved ginger for serving
Cut the rhubarb into four-centimetre lengths and rinse well in plenty of cold water. Place in a saucepan along with the sugar and fresh ginger. Cover the pan and simmer gently over a low heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the rhubarb is just tender. Allow it to cool and test for sweetness, you may need more sugar. Whip the cream and fold the cooled rhubarb into it, having extracted the ginger. Spoon into wine glasses and chill. Scatter the preserved ginger on top before serving.