The ingredients in this recipe are so achingly in season that even the food glitterati would be impressed.
I actually ate this at the Royal Opera House (me and my sisters took my mum for her 80th birthday!) and thought it would be another brilliant fish recipe to have on hand. I’ve changed it slightly by adding the juice of a lemon and then fried/steamed the salmon in that juice. I find that salmon can almost be too rich (I suppose it is an oily fish after all) and the lemon juice cuts so well through it. The capers make it with a kick of herbal saltiness.
This recipe is lovely served with creamy mash potatoes. Or if you’re on a permanent weight management thing like me, eat it without any carbs.
Miraculous ingredient: salmon fillets, non pareille capers
Salmon fillets with leeks, capers and lemons
Ingredients
4 salmon fillets (I like skinless)
25g butter
4 leeks, cut lengthwise and very finely sliced
50g capers, I use nonpareille capers in brine
the juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Method
Trim the leeks, cut them lengthwise, rinse between the leaves with cold water and finely slice.
Heat a medium size frying pan on a low heat and melt all the butter. Add the finely sliced leeks and gently fry for 10 minutes until the leeks are very soft. Remove the leeks to a warm plate.
Wipe the frying pan with some kitchen paper, turn the heat to medium and add the olive oil. Place the salmon fillets in the pan skin side down or the side that had the skin and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the juice of one lemon and shake the pan to loosen the fillets (they will probably be stuck to the bottom). Once the fillets move easily, use 2 spatulas to turn the fillets over and place a lid on the frying pan. Fry this side for another 5 minutes until the fish is just cooked through. If you prefer your salmon pink in the middle, only fry for 2 minutes on this side.
Drain the capers and add to the pan. Warm through for 1 minute. Portion the leeks onto 4 plates and place a salmon fillet on top with a couple of spoonfuls of the capers and lemon sauce.
I don’t season with salt as there is a lot of salt on the capers from the brine so you might want to have a little taste first before seasoning.
Preparation 5 minutes, cooking 10 minutes, 2 adult portions, 2 children portions