When Stephanie sent me this recipe to try, I giggled. And then I knew I had to make it. Pea puree! I decided to make this on my next day off. It’s a perfect Thursday night dinner, in my opinion, and since I already had all the ingredients, except for the salmon, wouldn’t take much thinking (Yes, you should always have peas in your freezer). Also, good thing I live pretty close to a fish store. If I didn’t, who knows if this would have ended up on the menu. We loved this. The broth was lemony and fresh, and really added a nice flavor to the salmon. The pea puree was just delicious, and oh-so-easy. I love peas. They are delicious in a puree. The salmon was great dipped in the puree. Just a good combination altogether.
Does anyone else have the problem of a fishy smelling apartment for a few days after searing salmon? Because of this, I brought my skillet out to the barbecue and cooked it outside. It turned out pretty well, actually. Just hopefully next time it won’t be as cold.
The original recipe called for shallots. And while I love shallots, I just happened to have a bunch of leeks in my fridge, so I used those. Mild onion flavor is the purpose, and I got that through leeks. I’m sure it would work with any type of onion. Use whatever you have, it’s not a finicky recipe.
I know, it’s fuzzy. But you get the point. Throw things in a food processor and you’ll have a delicious puree. Just make sure the peas are defrosted, or the pea puree won’t end up smooth enough.
I definitely think I should make this next time I have company. Using a deep plate or shallow bowl, just spread the puree, use am entire side of salmon instead of pieces, and just pour the broth on top from a pretty silver bowl after bringing it to the table. Now that’s a dinner party.
Salmon in Lemon Broth with Pea Puree, adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
Serves 2, and can easily be multiplied
For the Lemon Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 leek, diced
- The juice of a lemon
- The zest of 1/2 lemon (zest before you juice!
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon dried mint leaves
For the Pea Puree:
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed (1/2 a box)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 pink kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ΒΌ cup olive oil
For the Salmon:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 (4 to 6-ounce) pieces salmon
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Make the lemon sauce: Add the oil and leeks into a small saucepan over medium heat. Saute until tender, about 7 minutes.
- Add the lemon zest, juice, and broth.
- Bring sauce to a simmer and cover, keeping warm over low heat.
- Make the pea puree: In a food processor, combine the peas, mint, garlic, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth and combined.
- With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream.
- Move to serving plate or onto individual plates and set aside.
- Make the salmon: warm the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat.
- Season the salmon with salt and pepper.
- Place salmon skin side down in the pan and sear until a crust forms, about 4 minutes.
- Flip the salmon and continue cooking for about 3 more minutes (more or less depending on the thickness of the dish)
- Assemble: Put the pea puree on the bottom of shallow dishes or plates. Place salmon on top of the pea puree and top with the lemon sauce
