Cured salmon with dashi braised salmon skin and deep fried aubergine puree

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Nuno Mendes produces a stunning mix of flavours and textures, making this salmon with aubergine dish well worth reaching out to the sous vide for.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Cured salmon

Agadashi

  • 4 tbsp of hon dashi
  • 1000ml of water
  • 100g of kombu
  • 4 tbsp of soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp of mirin
  • 2 tbsp of caster sugar

Purée

  • 1 aubergine
  • 60g of rice flour
  • grapeseed oil, for deep frying

Milk skin

  • 1000ml of whole milk

To serve

Equipment

  • Food processor or blender
  • Thermometer
  • Vacuum bag and machine
  • Baking parchment
  • Half gastro tray
  • Sous vide equipment

Method

1
To make the agadashi, bring the dashi, water and kombu to a boil. Add the soy, mirin and sugar. Remove from the heat and leave to soak for 12 hours, then remove the kombu before use
  • 4 tbsp of hon dashi
  • 1000ml of water
  • 100g of kombu
  • 4 tbsp of soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp of mirin
  • 2 tbsp of caster sugar
2
Place the salmon on a tray with the flesh side up, cover with the sugar and salt and refrigerate for 2 hours to cure. Brush off the excess salt
3
Portion the salmon into 4 x 5cm squares and place into a vacuum-sealed bag with the olive oil. Cook sous vide at 42°C for approximately 9 minutes
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
4
Remove the bag of salmon from the water bath, leave in the bag and place on a baking tray, covered with parchment paper. Place in an oven on a very low heat to keep warm
5
Peel and cube the aubergine and toss in the rice flour to coat
6
Deep fry the aubergine cubes until golden brown
  • grapeseed oil, for deep frying
7
Soak the fried aubergine in enough agadashi to cover for 2 hours before blitzing in a food processor, adding the agadashi, if necessary, until a thick, spoonable purée consistency has been achieved
8
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4
9
Take the skin from the salmon, making sure it has been scaled and any fish has been scraped off, then place the dry skin between 2 sheets of baking parchment and 2 trays and bake for 20 minutes until dry and crispy
10
Char the salmon skin in a dry hot pan. It will bubble and puff up when done. Then put the hot skin into the hot agadashi and rehydrate by soaking for approximately 1 hour
11
To make the milk skin, fill a half gastro tray 400ml deep with the milk, put it on top of the stove and bring to 110°C (use a thermometer to keep the temperature constant) when a skin will form
  • 1000ml of whole milk
12
Lift the skin off onto a tray lined with cling film and sprinkled with a few drops of milk to stop the skin sticking. Add more drops of milk and more cling film, wait for the next skin to form, and repeat
13
Cut the milk skin into 4 squares, cover with a little more milk until ready to use and reserve in the refrigerator
14
Heat the squares of milk skin in some of the agadashi
15
In a separate pot, heat some agadashi with the enoki tops
16
In 4 large serving bowls, place 1 tbsp of the aubergine purée, a piece of salmon on top and drape the braised salmon skin over
17
Garnish each serving with the ikura, the finely sliced spring onion, the shiso cress and the milk skin
18
Dress with the agadashi and enoki tops
First published in 2015

For a chef, having mentors like Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Ferran Adrià must be akin to taking music classes with Chopin and Brahms. Nuno Mendes' London restaurant demonstrates the qualities of ambition that most good protégés possess.

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