Crispy skin salmon with beans braised in a creamy tomato sauce

So I was going to write a post about my Asian inspired beef and vegetable casserole, but it was so hot  in Melbourne last week (4 days of over 40 degrees Celcius!) that when I looked at the photos of this dish, I was getting even hotter! I couldn’t bring myself to do it! Stay posted though, it will be coming in the next couple of weeks! I also had internet troubles due to the hot weather and couldn’t post or do anything!

Salmon, who loves it? Who hates it? What is it about salmon you love or hate? I am not really a big fan of salmon, it’s not my favourite fish out there. Don’t get me wrong, I love all seafood, I just prefer a white fish that’s not so oily. The way chefs cook it on TV and in restaurants, isn’t to my liking either – raw in the middle and fried a couple of minutes each side! Don’t get me wrong, I can eat salmon sushimi forever – just love raw fish! But if fish is to be cooked, to me it must be cooked! Not half raw and half cooked. Does anyone else feel the same or is it just me?

My husband was feeling like fish and specifically requested salmon. Time to look for a recipe as I’m not a big expert on cooking salmon. I could poach it, I suppose, Asian style – now I think of that! All I had in my mind was cooking the salmon thoroughly!

I came across Neil Perry’s crispy skin salmon with braised beans recipe. Neil Perry is a well renowned chef in Australia with a couple of world class restaurants in Australia – Rockpool Bar & Grill and Spice Temple. I’ve always wanted to try a Neil Perry recipe and I’m so glad I got the chance to! (Thank you Neil for sharing and some great inspiration!) I got the best crispy skin on a piece of fish ever! There’s a small tip in the method that I’ve never seen or heard anyone talk about ever before! (I can’t tell you about it just yet! 😉 You’ll have to keep reading!)

I would never have thought that fish and beans work together! I see a lot of recipes with fish and beans for healthy eating, but I’ve never been enticed to try any of them. The possibility of having cooked beans not cold was the thing that won me over with this recipe. Hope you all give this a try. It will convert a non-salmon or bean person into someone who’ll definitely cook this again – the flavours work perfectly together.

PREP: 15 minutes  COOKING: 30-35 minutes   SERVES: 2

INGREDIENTS:

YOGHURT:
100 grams Greek low fat yoghurt
1/2 cucumber, grated
1/2 lemon, juice only
Sea salt to taste (optional)

BRAISED BEANS:
Olive oil 1 can (400 grams) 4 bean mix, drained
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (400 grams) whole roma tomatoes
1/4 cup milk Salt and pepper to taste
8 sprigs fresh parsley, roughly chopped
6 sprigs fresh mint, roughly chopped

CRISPY SKIN SALMON:
2 pieces fresh salmon
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Lemon slices to serve

METHOD:
In a small bowl, add all yoghurt ingredients and mix well. Set aside until ready to serve.

On a medium-high heat, add oil into a saucepan/skillet. Once heated, add the beans, garlic and tomatoes. Season to taste and simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes until thickened. Turn heat off and stir through herbs.

Neil Perry’s Tip – Scrape the skin of the salmon a couple of times, with a butter knife to remove any excess moisture. Season with sea salt and drizzle with oil.

In another frypan/skillet, heat pan on medium-high heat. Add the salmon skin side down and cook for 5 minutes or until the skin is crispy and golden coloured and the salmon is cooked three-quaters through. Turn the salmon over and cook for another 3 minutes or until cooked to your liking. Remove from the pan and allow to rest before serving.

To serve, place half the beans on two dinner plates. Place the salmon, crispy skin up, on top. Drizzle a small amount of oil all over the plate (optional) and sprinkle sea salt on the crispy skin. Add a small amount of yoghurt and slice of lemon on the side.

Bon appetite