How to cook the perfect Salmon dish - Recipe and Wine Pairing

Salmon is a wonderfully versatile fish. Simple to cook, with soft flesh and a fragrant flavour, it’s a firm favourite all over the world. Many people are put off by the ‘fishiness’ of fish, but salmon has a subtle taste that is suitable for even the fussiest of palates.

Make sure you’re buying the best quality salmon fillets or steaks you can afford - for the best results, it needs to be fresh and wild, as intensively farmed specimens can be a little dull and muddy in flavour.

This dish is a beautiful example of how salmon is regularly cooked in South-East Asia, with a bouquet of spices lifting - yet not overpowering - the gentle, aromatic meat beneath. It’s quick and simple to prepare, and very healthy, too.

What you’ll need:

• One ball of preserved stem ginger (available at most Asian supermarkets)
• One tablespoon of ginger syrup
• Two small cloves of garlic
• One and a half tablespoons of dark soy
• The finely grated zest of a quarter of an orange
• The juice from half an orange
• Half a long, red chilli pepper, sliced finely
• Two fresh, wild salmon fillets with the skin still on
• Freshly cracked black pepper
  

Method:

First

To start with, finely slice the ginger ball into matchstick shaped strips. Stick these into a large bowl, and mix with the syrup.

Second

Thinly slice the garlic, and stir into the ginger mix with the orange zest and juice, the soy and the red chilli. It should look and smell fantastic!

Third

Preheat your oven to 220C. Place a sheet of baking paper into a smallish baking tray, and put your salmon onto the paper, with the skin facing down. This can now be baked for 15 minutes non-stick until the flesh has become opaque but not too firm or tough.

Fourth

During this time, you can knock out your quick, spicy sauce. Boil the marinade for six minutes or so in a non-stick pan, until the garlic has softened up - it’s that simple, and it’ll taste superb.

Last

Serve with the sauce lightly poured over the fish, with a heap of sticky rice on the side, or with a fresh green salad.

Wine pairing for Salmon with Chilli and Ginger

Salmon pairs beautifully with lots of different white wines, but this dish needs something special and highly aromatic, full of strong, floral flavours that will bring out the best qualities of the dish.

Sancerre, from France’s world-famous Loire Valley, does this perfectly - the punchy Sauvignon Blanc grapes cut through the spice, while bringing touches of soft fruit and a flinty minerality that goes really well with the tangy sauce and delicate fish.

White Sancerre with salmon is a winning combination at any time, but especially so with this flavourful and spicy meal.

And there you have it; the perfect Salmon Recipe and the wine pairing.

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