Whoosh…it indeed has been a long, long time since I last posted. But finally, I am at it again. Been busy working on my latest project (a sustainable napkin and linen range) while keeping my supper club running (albeit on a smaller scale).
Been trying to amp up my culinary knowledge too and today, I am proud to say I have put my high school chemistry knowledge to the test by making a wasabi foam. Spoon it on top of a pan-fried crispy skin salmon and you will have one of those stunning meals you see at fine dining establishments (more or less).
I must confess, this is my first foray into the modernist world of molecular gastronomy. Granted, I expect that experimenting with espumas with take up much of my time in the ensuing few months. I must thank my friend Will who bought me an ISI gourmet whip too for my birthday.
Ingredients
- For the salmon / main dish
- 2 salmon fillets (120-150g each)
- 1 heirloom tomato (I used the browned, Spanish one)
- few sprigs of fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon of high quality EVOO
- 1 teaspoon of Pukara white wine liqueur
- Flaky sea salt and pepper to taste
- For the foam
- 60 g of water
- 15g of rice vinegar
- 2g of wasabi powder
- 0.5g of soy lecithin
Instructions
For the salmon.
- Preheat oven at 180C.
- Heat cast iron pan or skillet on medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and give it a swirl.
- Pat salmon dry. Once pan is hot, add salmon skin side down to the pan and let it sit for 3 minutes. Flip it to each of the sides, 30 seconds each and repeat for the top as well.
- Have oven tray ready and transfer salmon to the oven and cook for another 5-6 minutes depending how well done you like the salmon.
- Once salmon is done, layer the tomato salad onto a plate and top it with the salmon, skin-side up. Spoon two tablespoons of wasabi foam on top and garnish with dill. Serve while warm.
For the tomato
- Cut the tomatoes into wedges and put into a bowl.
- Combine olive oil, white wine liqueur, dill, salt and pepper. Pour into the bowl with tomatoes and give it a good toss.
For the wasabi foam
- Â Combine rice vinegar, wasabi powder and water together in a tall beaker or high edged small bowl.
- Add the lecithin powder and use the immersion blender to whisky on high speed for around a minute till you begin to see foam.
- Let the foam stablise for a minute before dolloping it on top of the salmon.
