Poached Pink Salmon on Fennel

This is a luxurious tasting but really easy recipe for a special meal. Serve it to guests and you will be sure to receive compliments. When raw, fennel is crunchy and reminiscent of aniseed or liquorice. It also makes a great snack! Upon cooking it turns into a sweet and delicate tasting vegetable, which complements the salmon perfectly.

Ingredients

  • 1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 bulbs fennel
  • ½ Massel vegetable stock cube, crumbled
  • 4 x 200 g salmon fillets
  • ½ cup white wine for cooking
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Dried oregano

Method

  1. Cut off the green stalks from the fennel and trim the base. Reserve the fronds for garnish. Remove any tough or really yellow outer ‘leaves’. Wash off the dirt and cut each fennel in half, then slice into 1 inch pieces.
  2. Heat oil in a large non-stick casserole dish e.g. enamelled cast iron and add the fennel pieces. Stir with a wooden spoon, cover with lid, and turn down the heat to medium high. Cook for approximately 10 minutes until the fennel turns golden and softens, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick. Keep the lid on so it cooks in its own juices.
  3. Dissolve the stock cube in half a cup of warm water and pour over the fennel. Note: you may need to add slightly more water if the fennel bulbs are very large. Continue cooking for a minute until the broth is hot.
  4. Wash the salmon fillets and place on top of the bed of fennel in broth. Drizzle with the wine and season with pepper and oregano. Cover with lid and poach the fish for 10-12 minutes until just cooked and tender.
  5. Serve each portion of salmon in a deep dinner plate piling it on top of some of the fennel and drizzling with the broth. Garnish with the fennel fronds.

Serves 4

Tip

  • Most salmon fillets from the fishmonger tend to be too large for a single portion i.e. 300-400 grams! Simply slice each fillet in half, diagonally, to create 200 gram serves.

Per serve: energy 1571 kJ (374 Cal); protein 40 g; fat 19 g; saturated fat 4 g; cholesterol 104 mg; carbohydrate 5 g; fibre 4 g; calcium 60 mg; iron 1 mg