Salmon has become hugely popular in the last five or so years, and we can eat it with a clear conscience because we know it is farmed. It is a versatile fish that takes well to being grilled, pan-fried, steamed or smoked, and it is readily available.
This week's recipe partners it with cherry tomatoes and pasta and swathes it in a light, creamy sauce.
Italians almost invariably serve pasta as a starter and, if you want to emulate this admirable practice, cut down on the ingredient quantities. Otherwise, enjoy it as a one-course lunch or supper.
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tbsps salt
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
400g dried spaghetti
2 Tbsps vegetable oil
400g piece thick salmon loin, skin on
4 Tbsps creme fraiche
handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped (around 2 Tbsps)
grated rind 1 lemon
sea salt and fresh-ground
black pepper
In a bowl toss the tomato halves with one tablespoon of the salt and the olive oil. Leave to stand for an hour or more, then drain (this process intensifies their flavour).
Bring a large amount of water to the boil, add remaining salt, then spaghetti. Stir and cook 10-12 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a frypan and cook the salmon, skin side down, for 4 minutes. Turn over and cook a further 2 minutes, remove from the pan, discard the skin and cut the flesh into bite-sized pieces (it should be quite rare).
Drain the pasta as soon as it is cooked. Reheat the fish-cooking pan, add the creme fraiche, chopped parsley and lemon rind, then stir the salmon pieces through to reheat. Season to taste.
Carefully fold the creamy salmon and tomatoes through the spaghetti and serve in warmed bowls.
Serves 4
Wine match
Salmon is one fish that can be served with a low-tannin red such as pinot noir, but when it is coated in a creamy sauce it is better with an equally creamy chardonnay.
Go to a good wine shop for advice, and ask for a chardonnay that has gone through full or partial malolactic fermentation, a natural process that converts sharp malic (fruit) acids to their softer lactic cousins. Lactic acids, as their name suggests, are found in milk, making such a wine a natural partner for cream-based sauces.
The evocatively named Marisco The King's Bastard Chardonnay 2009 ($22-$25) had 70 per cent of its juice put through the process while it sat in oak barrels. As a result the suggestions of roasted nuts and ripe peaches in the bouquet lead to the creamy flavour that we need. Nicely integrated acids ensure vivacity on the finish and emphasise the herbaceousness of the parsley.
The name, for the curious, relates to one of winery owner Brent Marris's ancestors, William de Marisco, who, apparently, was one of King Henry I's 35 illegitimate children!