“The confit and the sauce vierge are classic elements of French cuisine, and the watermelon is the pièce de résistance – it adds a refreshing summer element.” Jérôme Trémoulet, The Hotel Windsor
Confit salmon with watermelon, labne and sauce vierge
Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Confit salmon with watermelon, labne and sauce vierge
- 1 hr 15 mins preparation
- 10 mins cooking plus cooling
- Serves 10
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Ingredients
- 400 ml vegetable oil
- 400 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 2 white peppercorns
- 800 gm piece New Zealand king salmon, pin-boned, cut widthways into 10 pieces
- 300 gm seedless watermelon, cut into 2cm-thick batons
- 100 gm labne, coarsely broken
- To serve: toasted slivered almonds (optional)
Sauce vierge
- 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, scored
- 150 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 100 ml lemon juice
- ½ cup each chervil and flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (loosely packed)
- ⅓ cup chives, finely chopped (loosely packed)
- ¼ cup basil, thinly sliced (loosely packed)
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Method
Main
- 1Line the base of a large saucepan large enough to fit salmon in a single layer with baking paper. Add oils, bay leaves, peppercorns and 3 tsp sea salt flakes and heat to 80C. Season salmon to taste, place skin-side down in pan and cook until medium rare (4-5 minutes). Remove from oil with a slotted spoon, carefully remove skin (discard) and cool to room temperature (15-20 minutes).
- 2For sauce vierge, blanch tomato until skins split, refresh, peel, remove seeds. Finely chop, combine with remaining ingredients in a bowl, season to taste.
- 3Divide salmon, watermelon and labne between plates, drizzle with sauce vierge, season to taste, serve scattered with almonds.
Notes
This recipe is from the January 2011 issue of .
Drink Suggestion: 2010 Yering Station Fumé Blanc Drink suggestion by Jérôme Trémoulet