The BFD Food Column: Nicoise With Steamed Norwegian Salmon

Here I am racking my brains as to what I am going to cook for myself and my lovely wife this Sabbath Eve. After a busy week satisfying the needs and palates of others there is a dearth of personal vitality and energy and whatever I choose to cook has to be tasty, satisfying and super simple.

So this week I am going to go fishing at my local fishmonger as there is precious little to catch in these waters. The Mediterranean is surrounded by dozens of second and budding third world nations (most of them dealing with massive poverty and with little time or inclination for sustainability and the protection of the environment) all sucking whatever they can from the Meds. ebbing bounty of wealth as it’s free you know.

Most local fish varieties in Israel today are farmed as the natural option has been exhausted and is either too expensive or too hard to come by.

Up to Norway then, which is one of the worlds success stories, everyone points to it all the time as such, full of Petroleum Oil and its revenues (don’t tell anyone) and fish varieties that will send you spinning. Their most famous fish that swims both ways up and down the fjord is the Norwegian Salmon. 

So Salmon it will be.

As a balanced meal should have Protein, Carbohydrates and green stuff, I like to serve my Salmon as the significant part of a Salad, something in the general direction of the Nicoise Salad a Southern Frankish local Mediterranean summer staple hailing from Nice. A colourful Nicoise Salad is something you can all look forward to down there (in Mahi land) once the nine-month winter passes (it never used to be like that!).

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Niscoise Salad with steamed Norwegian Salmon

This is one of my favourites, you can have seconds and even thirds without feeling full, like magic.

Ingredients: feeds two

Lettuce, tasters choice

Tomato

Lebanese Cucumber

Asparagus spears or fresh Green Beans

Sweet peppers

Greek Kalamata olives (pitted)

Sunflower sprouts (Jerusalem Sprouts)

8 minute hard boiled egg

Finely sliced Radish

Roast Potato or starch of some kind

Fresh Salmon 250 gram

Zest of 1 Lemon and Juice

Ground Black Pepper

Coarse Sea Salt

Method:

Wash and dry lettuce, wash all vegetables, cut as you see fit, take the stones out of the kalamata olives, steam beans or asparagus for four minutes, cool in a bowl of iced water. Boil 8-minute egg so that the yellow is still softish (the French do 5-minute eggs, but we all know what the French are!). Potato, sweet potato, Jerusalem artichoke (your choice), I prefer to bake/Roast rather than boil. To the fish, then, lemon juice and zest of lemon on salmon, ground black pepper and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt, ready for steaming. Salmon has a tendency to ooze fat, as you fry or bake it, as a cold climate fish it has plenty of blubber to keep itself warm amongst the ice flows, now if you steam it, the fat melts into the water and you are left with a lovely fat-free piece of steamed Salmon. I do it for Eight minutes exactly and it comes out soft, succulent and a real delight to the palate.

Now every self respecting salad needs a dressing to emphasise this or that. I find an Italian Red wine vinegar Vinaigrette is enough to accentuate what ever you want to highlight. 

Italian Red wine vinegar Vinaigrette

(This is a variation of the Vinaigrette of Chef CMRH Daniel Levy from Jerusalem)

Olive oil 40 gram

Vegetable oil 40 gram

Red wine Vinegar 130 gram

Sugar 30 gram

Salt 15 gram

Black pepper a pinch

Method:

Everything into a small saucepan, on a very low light heat until sugar and salt are dissolved, remove from heat, leave to cool before using.

Well there you are, a lovely tasty, visually aesthetic meal full of everything you need and not shy on the taste buds or your good palate.

Next week I might travel to Italy (in my dreams as we are in a Wuhan Corona lockdown) and offer up some of Tuscany’s pasta delights.

Until then, a happy new year from the centre of the world to little Ol NZ/Aotearoa.