4 small fillets of Atlantic salmon (or ocean trout), skin off
12–16 large English spinach leaves, washed and stalks removed
lemon wedges, to serve
Chermoula
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp freshly ground cumin seeds
2 tsp freshly ground coriander seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
6 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon or lime juice
1 small red chilli, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup (25 g) finely chopped coriander
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
Tomato Salad
4–5 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and sliced
1/2 small red onion, very finely sliced
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground cumin seeds
good pinch of smoked paprika (you could use sumac instead)
1 tbsp lemon juice, or more to taste
sea salt flakes, to taste
handful of small black olives
tiny coriander leaves, to garnish
1. For the chermoula, put all the ingredients into a bowl and thoroughly mix them together. Set the bowl aside in a cool spot while you prepare the salmon.
2. Trim the fillets up a bit, removing the thinner ‘tail’ if necessary, so they are roughly log-shaped (hang on to the trimmings as you can make extra rolls from these). Pop all the fish onto a plate and into the fridge.
3. Now lay a sheet of foil large enough to comfortably enclose one fillet on your work surface, then put a slightly smaller sheet of baking paper over this. Overlap two to three large leaves of English spinach, shiny-side down, in the middle of the baking paper. Now, thoroughly coat one piece of salmon in the chermoula and sit it in the middle of the leaves. Using the paper to help you, wrap the leaves completely around the fish (use some extra leaves if the salmon isn’t covered) then wrap the paper around it too, to form a log. Roll this up snugly in the foil. Secure the ends of the foil by twisting them tightly in opposite directions so the whole package resembles a neat bonbon. Pop it in the fridge and repeat the rolling and wrapping with the remaining fillets. (At this stage, I mix the trimmings with some of the remaining chermoula then bundle them together into one or two rolls as well – they don’t slice quite as neatly as the rolls made with the whole fillets, but I usually chill them once they’re cooked and have them cold the next day, by which time they cut beautifully.) Chill all the rolls for a couple of hours.
4. Preheat your oven to 200°C.
5. Sit the salmon bonbons on a baking sheet, then put them in the oven and bake for 15 minutes – if the fillets are very thick, allow an extra couple of minutes. Remove them from the oven and leave the rolls in their wrappings for at least 20 minutes to settle and firm up a bit – the foil will keep them warm. (You can also chill them and serve them cool if it’s a really hot day.)
6. While the rolls are settling, put the tomato, onion, olive oil, cumin, paprika, lemon juice and salt into a bowl and gently stir them together.
7. To serve the salmon, put a good spoonful of salad onto each plate, then scatter some olives and tiny coriander leaves on top. Unwrap the logs. Using a sharp knife, slice the salmon into thick rounds. Overlap these on the plate beside the salad and serve with lemon wedges.
Recipe by Belinda Jeffery from 'The Country Cookbook' (Penguin Aus, 2010).
www.penguin.com.au
