Serving fish with a beurre blanc is a classic French combination for a reason; offering a rich and velvety mouthfeel that brings out the natural delicate flavour and textures of fish – in this case salmon. BAP-certified Hiddenfjord's salmon is pan-fried slowly in a cold pan to gently render the fat out from under the skin – resulting in a fantastically crispy skin. Served with fresh, crushed minted peas and a parsley oil that bring herbaceous notes that complement all that richness.
To make the parsley oil, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Blanch the parsley for 15 seconds, then immediately plunge it into iced water (keep the hot water for cooking the peas later). Once cold, drain the parsley, squeezing out the excess water, then pat dry with kitchen paper
Place the parsley and vegetable oil into a blender or food processor with a pinch of salt and blend until very smooth and bright green – this will take a few minutes. Leave to strain through a muslin cloth or coffee filter (in the fridge overnight if you prefer). This will make more than you need and keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, although it will start losing its colour after 3 days
Preheat the oven to 200°C
For the crushed peas, bring the water back up to the boil and blanch the peas for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold, running water until cool, then drain
For the beurre blanc, combine the white wine, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan. Reduce the liquid to about 2 tablespoons over a medium heat
Turn the heat down to low and gradually whisk in the cold butter, a few cubes at a time, allowing them to emulsify in before adding more – do not let it boil
Season with salt and finish with a small squeeze of lemon juice. Keep warm
Season the salmon fillets generously with salt and place them skin-side down in a cold frying pan with the olive oil. Place on a medium-low heat and cook slowly for 10 minutes until the skin is deeply golden and crisp. Flip the fillets over and transfer to the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Remove and rest the fillets for 2 minutes
To serve, spoon warm crushed peas onto each plate. Place a salmon fillet on top, skin-side up. Spoon the beurre blanc on the side and drizzle with the parsley oil. Garnish with the reserved little mint leaves and extra lemon zest


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