Sunday, November 2, 2014

Fresh Salmon Carpaccio

This lovely party platter of thinly sliced fresh salmon is something between ceviche and sashimi. The salmon is well dressed with lemon and fennel and shallots but still rather “uncooked” compared to full-on ceviche. The taste is fresh and light, perfect for a holiday buffet or dinner party starter.

It's all about balance.
This week my Sunday Supper group is anticipating the richness of the upcoming holiday season and bringing you some lighter dishes to offset the excess. Our host today is the lovely Kathia from Basic N Delicious. I adore smoked salmon so it’s a special treat during the holidays, but I know the salt content is ridiculously high. This fresh salmon carpaccio is a much healthier option and with the added bright flavors of fennel and shallot, I promise, you won’t miss the salt at all.

Ingredients
For the carpaccio:
About 1 1/2 lbs or 700g very fresh salmon, already skinned (The fish guy can do this for you.)
2 lemons (7 oz or 200g)
3 shallots (about 2 1/2 oz or 70g)
1 small bulb fennel with fronds (almost 4 oz or 110g)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 cup or 30ml extra-virgin olive oil

To serve:
1 tablespoon capers, drained and dried
Reserved fronds from fennel bulb
Optional: brown or soda bread

Adapted from this recipe on BBC Good Food.

Method
Cut your salmon into three or four pieces and wrap it very tightly in cling film. Freeze for at least an hour to make slicing thinly easier. A very sharp knife is a must so this is a great time to sharpen yours.

While the salmon gets slightly frozen, we can make the dressing.

Cut the root end and the hard tops off the fennel bulb and discard them but keep the green fronds for decorating the salmon later, if desired. Slice the fennel bulb as thinly as possible.



Peel then do likewise with the shallots.



Zest and juice your lemons into a medium sized mixing bowl, discarding any seeds. Add in the salt, sugar and olive oil, then whisk to combine.



Marinate the sliced fennel and shallots in the dressing until the salmon is ready for slicing.



Add a little dressing with fennel and shallots into the bottom of a deep bowl.



Remove one piece of salmon at a time from the freezer so the others don’t thaw out while you slice.

Slice your salmon thinly and lay the pieces on top of the dressing.



Keep slicing and layering with a few drizzles of dressing, fennel and shallots until all of the salmon is sliced. Pour any remaining dressing over the top.



Cover the bowl with cling film and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

After a few hours.


To serve, lay the salmon slices with fennel and shallots out in a single layer on a large platter. Scatter the salmon with the reserved chopped fennel fronds and capers.



The original recipe says to serve with brown or soda bread but I must confess that we sat outside and just ate it straight off the platter with small forks. It was superb.



Enjoy!

Are you looking for some healthy recipes to balance out your holiday excesses? Check out all the great drinks, dishes and desserts we have for you this week!

Drinks
Appetizers or starters
Main Dishes
Side Dishes
Desserts



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