Salt Crusted Salmon With Collard Green Salsa Verde Recipes

SALT-CRUSTED SALMON WITH COLLARD GREEN SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Mix the salt and egg whites in a medium bowl with your hands and incorporate until the mixture feels like wet sand.
• Spread 1 1/2 cups of the salt mixture into a thin layer, in the shape of the salmon, on a baking sheet. (You may need to spread the mixture diagonally on the baking sheet.)
• Arrange the lemongrass, ginger, chile, and cilantro over the bed of salt. Place the fish, skin side up, on the bed of salt and aromatics and pack the remaining salt mixture over and around the fish, molding it to the shape of the fillet, sealing the fish and aromatics inside.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The salt crust should have a warm golden color almost like sand and be rock hard. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Present the fish at the table within its salt crust, then, using a wooden spoon, strike the crust to crack it. Carefully lift pieces of the salt crust from the fish in large chunks. Peel back the skin, exposing the juicy, perfectly cooked fish. Divide the fish among plates. Discard the salt and aromatics.
• Serve with the salsa verde.
• In a food processor, pulse the collard greens, Brazil nuts, garlic, parsley and olive oil until thoroughly combined. You can use a flexible rubber spatula to scrape down the ingredients in the food processor to make sure everything mixes evenly.
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the lemon zest and salt to taste (I use about 1 1/2 teaspoons). Stir in the vinegar just before serving.
• Adapted and excerpted from "Between Harlem and Heaven: Afro-Asian-American Cooking for Big Nights, Weeknights, and Every Day" by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers. Copyright © 2018 by JJ Johnson and Alexander Smalls with Veronica Chambers. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Beatriz da Costa.

SALSA VERDE SALMON WITH SMASHED CHICKPEA SALAD

Steps:

• Heat the grill to high. Whisk 1 tsp of the oil with the orange zest, a splash of the juice, lots of black pepper and a small pinch of salt. Put the salmon, skin-side down, on a non-stick baking tray and pour over the marinade. Leave to marinate at room temperature while you make the salsa.
• Put the parsley, mustard, half the shallot, the vinegar, 1 tsp oil, and the remaining orange juice in a small food processor and blitz to a thick sauce, adding a splash of water to loosen if needed.
• Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the remaining shallot for 5 mins. Stir in the chickpeas and some seasoning, turn up the heat and stir until the chickpeas are just starting to crisp. Mash roughly with a potato masher and stir in the roasted peppers and kale. Add a splash of water and cover with a lid until the kale is wilted. Keep warm over a low heat.
• Grill the salmon for 4-6 mins, or until cooked to your liking. Spoon half the chickpeas onto a plate, top with a salmon fillet (leaving the skin behind if you like), and spoon over some of the salsa verde. Leave the remaining salmon fillet to cool to use in the lunchbox, see tip below.

FRESH GREEN SALSA (SALSA VERDE CRUDA)

Steps:

• Put the tomatillos in a blender first, then add the remaining ingredients. Pulse a few times, then blend until the salsa is very smooth, at least 1 minute. Season to taste with additional chile and salt, and blend again.

ROASTED SALMON WITH SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• For salmon: Preheat oven to 350°F. Pat salmon dry inside and out with paper towels. Sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper. Center 36x18-inch heavy-duty foil sheet over heavy large baking sheet. Spray foil with oil spray. Place salmon diagonally on foil. Stuff with lemon and herb sprigs. Close salmon opening. Drizzle oil over salmon. Spray another sheet of foil with oil spray. Place foil sprayed side down over salmon. Crimp foil sheet edges together to seal salmon completely.
• Bake salmon until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of salmon registers 150°F, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove top sheet of foil. Spoon all juices from salmon into small saucepan. Peel off skin from top of salmon. Scrape off any dark salmon meat. Let salmon cool 1 hour at room temperature. Boil reserved salmon juice until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 4 minutes. Cool. Cover salmon and reduced salmon juice separately and refrigerate overnight.
• Place platter atop salmon. Invert salmon onto platter. Remove foil. Peel off skin. Scrape off any dark meat. Garnish with dill and lemon. Serve with salsa verde.

SALMON WITH SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. To make the salsa verde, put the herbs, mustard, capers, pine nuts, olives and the juice of the 1 ½ lemons in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.
• Put the salmon fillets on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Squeeze over the juice of the remaining half lemon and season with freshly ground black pepper. Cook in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until cooked through.
• If serving with the rice, cook the rice according to the packet instructions. Mix together the olives, pine nuts and red pepper. Once the rice is cooked, stir through the olive mix.
• Pile the salsa verde on top of the salmon fillets. Serve with the rice.