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Confit Salmon, Petit Pois à la Française…

Confit Salmon, Petit Pois à la Française and Smoked Salmon Choux Bun

Brought to you by:

M&S Food

4 serving

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 1 hr 45 mins

Serves: 4

Celebrate French week on TV cooking competition Cooking With The Stars, brought to you by M&S Food, with the ultimate French side dish – petit pois à la Française, served here with salmon two-ways and crushed potatoes. Confit is a method of cooking in oil or fat and here chef April Jackson has infused the olive oil with aromatic herbs and chilli to gently flavour the salmon as it cooks, while keeping the fish meltingly tender and delicate. Short of time? You could swap the salmon for bass fillets and fry them for a few minutes instead and use 1 x 180g tub M&S hollandaise sauce.

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 litre olive oil
1 scotch bonnet pepper
25g thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves, (2 crushed, 2 chopped)
100g plain flour
215g unsalted butter, at room temperature, diced, plus 3 tbsp extra
70g smoked salmon
140g cream cheese
1 tbsp dill, chopped
1 lemon, juice only
2 tbsp brown onion, chopped
300g frozen petit pois
50ml double cream, plus 4 tbsp
50g smoked pancetta, chopped
1 little gem lettuce, chopped
750g new potatoes, quartered
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
25g flat leaf parsley, chopped
4 (125g) salmon fillets

Method

Step 1

Heat the oven to 200°C/ 180°C fan/ gas 6. Start the confit: put the olive oil, scotch bonnet, thyme and 2 crushed garlic cloves into a medium baking dish and heat in the oven for 20 mins. Set aside.

Step 2

Meanwhile, make the choux pastry: Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Tip the flour into a sieve set over a bowl with a pinch of fine salt and repeat twice more, to sift 3 times.

Step 3

Tip 85g butter into a heavy-based pan, pour over 200ml cold water and set over a medium heat until the butter melts. Bring to the boil then quickly tip in the flour and beat with a wooden spoon over the heat for about 2 mins until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Step 4

Transfer the choux to a free-standing electric mixer and whisk until room temperature. With the motor running, add the 3 whole eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large plain nozzle.

Step 5

Pipe golf ball-sized mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 25-30 mins or until golden and crisp (set on a shelf above the infusing olive oil is fine). Cool on a wire rack.

Step 6

To make the choux bun filling: put the smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill and juice ½ lemon into a food processor and blend until smooth. Season to taste and spoon into a clean piping bag with a plain medium nozzle.

Step 7

To make the peas: set a frying pan over a medium heat, melt 30g butter and fry the chopped onions with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper for 4-5 mins until softened. Scrape into a bowl and set aside.

Step 8

Put the peas into a heatproof bowl and cover with freshly boiled water. Leave for 1 min, then drain and transfer to iced water to keep their colour. Drain and add one third to the onions along with 50ml cream then purée the mixture with a stick blender.

Step 9

Add the pancetta to the frying pan and fry over medium heat until crisp and golden. Add to the purée mixture along with the chopped lettuce and the remaining drained peas, cover and set aside to keep warm.

Step 10

Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 15 mins, or until tender. Drain well, return to the pan and shake to break up the potatoes.

Step 11

Heat 3 tbsp butter in a small frying pan and sauté the remaining 2 chopped garlic cloves for about 1-2 mins until golden. Add to the potatoes, with the remaining 4 tbsp cream and mustard. Taste for seasoning and stir in the chopped parsley.

Step 12

Now back to the salmon confit: Warm the infused olive oil to 37°C - check the temperature using a digital thermometer. Add the salmon fillets and leave to sit for 10 mins. Remove the fillets from the oil and set on a clean kitchen towel to drain. Season with a pinch of salt.

Step 13

To make the hollandaise sauce: set a large glass bowl over a small saucepan – it should sit comfortably without the bottom touching the water. Add the 2 egg yolks, 2 tbsp warm water and 2 tsp lemon juice and whisk until the yolks double in volume. Cube the remaining 100g butter then add one cube at the bowl at a time, continually whisking until the eggs are thick, pale and fluffy. Continue with each knob of butter, one at a time (this can take up to 10 mins). Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and add extra lemon juice if necessary. Turn off the heat but keep the bowl on the pan to stay warm - this will stop the sauce from splitting, too.

Step 14

Slice the top third off the cooled choux buns, spoon in the smoked salmon cream then top with the lid.

Step 15

To serve, plate the salmon, a choux bun, peas and potatoes then pour over the hollandaise sauce.

Tips or serving suggestions

If you don’t have a free-standing mixer, beat the choux pastry with an electric hand-whisk. Transfer the egg whites to a freezer-proof container and freeze for up to 1 month, defrost and use to make meringue. Leftover choux buns will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container.