Salmon Fishing Scotland Salmon Recipe.

Salmon Fishing Scotland Salmon Recipe.
Cooking Perfect Salmon by Nick Nairn

One of the greatest attractions of salmon is how well it adapts to different cooking methods. Whether steamed, poached, grilled, baked, fried, smoked or eaten raw as sachimi, each method produces different results in terms of texture and taste.

Whichever method you choose, it is vital not to overcook it. Really, it comes down to personal preference, but I believe that salmon should be served the same way as steak: medium rare. In practice, this means that the salmon should still be pink inside when it is served. To test, give it a gentle press or squeeze. Perfectly cooked salmon will give slightly, but not too much; if it's wobbly or jelly-like, then it's undercooked. Salmon which is firm to the touch is definitely overcooked and you'll find eating it akin to chewing on cotton wool.
Quick and easy
Preparation time 5-10 minutes
Serves 4

4 x 140g (5oz) salmon fillets or steaks

freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

a squeeze of lemon juice

Baking Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Dot the fillets with butter or drizzle with olive oil, season and place them on a greased baking tray. Put them in the oven for 7-8 minutes.

Char-grilling Using a ribbed cast-iron griddle pan is the easiest way to recreate the charred smoky flavour of the barbecue. To prevent the salmon sticking to the pan, make sure you oil the salmon, not the pan and don't be tempted to fiddle with the fillets while they're cooking. To form the characteristic "stripes", cook for two to three minutes on one side, then rotate the fish through 90° and cook for a further two minutes. Repeat on the other side. Season and serve.

Grilling Preheat the grill to the highest setting. Line the grill pan with foil, dot the salmon with butter or drizzle with olive oil and grill for two to three minutes on each side. Season and serve.

Pan-frying/searing Heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot, then add a little sunflower oil. For thin cuts, fry the fillets for 2-3 minutes on each side, to get a caramelized crust; for thicker cuts, reduce to a medium heat once the salmon has been added, then cook for 5-7 minutes on one side and a further 2 minutes on the other side. Season and serve.
Poaching Fill a wide frying pan with water, just deep enough to cover the fillets. Once the water is barely simmering, poach the fish for about 5 minutes, until opaque and just set. Using flavoured stock or even some lemon juice adds an extra dimension to the taste. For cold-poached salmon, slip the salmon into the simmering water, remove from the heat and leave to cool. The salmon will poach slowly in the cooling water. Season and serve.

Steaming This is the healthiest way to cook salmon. Throw some aromatic herbs, say tarragon or thyme into the base of a steamer, add water and bring to the boil. Place the salmon, lightly oiled, into the steamer basket, put on the lid and steam for 5-8 minutes, making sure the steamer doesn't boil dry. Season and serve.

Seared Smoked Salmon, Crispy Beans and Chive Butter Sauce

Nick Nairn

I've "borrowed" this dish from my good friend and top chef Phil Vickery. He prepared something similar on a TV programme called Who'll Do the Pudding? Tucking into the remains of Phil's food, I remarked that it was an excellent and clever dish. The ever-cynical Vickery replied that he was certain to find it in one of my books in the future, and sure enough here it is - my way, of course!
Preparation time 20 minutes

Serves 4

oil, for deep frying

350g (12 oz) long beans, topped and strings removed

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

6 tablespoons Butter Sauce (see page 20 of book)

250g (9oz) smoked salmon, sliced into escalopes (see page 10 of book)



For the beer batter

250 g (9 oz) self-raising flour

300 ml (1/2 pint) lager

freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 To make the batter, whisk the flour, lager and salt and pepper together until smooth.

2 Heat the oil to 190 degrees C/ 375 F in an electric deep-fat fryer or large pan (use cooking thermometer if necessary). Dip the beans into the batter a few at a time. Plunge into the hot oil and fry for a few minutes until crisp. Lift out and drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm in the oven with the door open while you fry the rest..

3 Stir the chives into the Butter Sauce and keep warm for a few minutes while you cook the salmon (but do not let it boil or it will split).

4 Heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot and fry the salmon escalopes on one side for one minute until beginning to brown but still moist. Lift out of the pan on to a plate and keep warm..

5 To serve, place a pile of beans on each plate and set a couple of slices of salmon on top, spoon over the chive butter sauce and serve immediately.