Salmon can be cooked in many interesting ways and it really also depends on what goes in the marinade. For this dish, I added zest using paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic to bring the dish to a whole new level. I’ll let you in on a little secret. This dish is inspired by the swordfish with white bean puree served at the Tea Gardens Boatshed in Hawks Nest, 2 and 1/2 hours away from Sydney. The dish is divine – the swordfish is cooked to perfection and is served with creamy smooth and mild white bean puree with vegetables on the side. I vowed to try the white bean puree at home as I have been looking for an ideal accompaniment for my fish dishes. This one proves to be the one I was looking for. So, last night, I prepared a fish and vegetable dish using my own recipe and tried my hands at the white bean puree, giving it a bit of a twist. My advice is to roast the garlic before blending them with the beans to mute the strong and sharp garlic taste.
Ingredients
cooking oil
1 slab fresh salmon
Fish marinade
1 tbsp. tumeric
1 tbsp. chilli powder
1 tbsp. soy
White bean puree
1 large onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can Cannellini beans
1 tbsp. olive oil
juice from half lemon
50g vegetable stock
Vegetables
half onion, sliced
1 cup baby spinach
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
pepper
2 tsp Worchester sauce
1 carrot, sliced
peas
1 tsp. sweet paprika
crushed walnuts
Method
1. Marinade the fish by coating it with turmeric, chilli powder and soy sauce. Leave aside for about an hour.
2. Fry the fish in hot cooking oil and remove when cooked.
3. Heat oil in pan and cook onions till caramelised. Remove and place onions in a food processor.
4. Add garlic and lightly roast them. Remove and add them to the food processor.
5. Add Cannellini beans, olive oil, lemon juice and vegetable stock to the mixture and blend well till smooth. Stir in mixture repeatedly till all ingredients blend well.
6. Scoop the puree out and set aside.
7. Cook carrots and peas in microwave and set aside.
8. Add remainder of onions in hot cooking oil and cook till caramelised.
9. Add spinach and season with pepper and Worchester sauce.
10. Remove and set aside.
11. Sautee mushrooms in hot oil.
12. Let mushrooms sweat and add paprika and crushed walnuts. Remove and set aside.
Serve the dish by placing the mushrooms in the middle of the plate first. Then, place the spinach on top of the mushrooms. Gently place the fish on top most layer. Add carrots and peas on one side. Then, add a generous dollop of puree on the other. The result is a colourful, scrumptious dish with a lot of zing. It is a dish to prepare on weekends for something different yet flavoursome and satisfying.