Seared Salmon with Soy-Mayonnaise and Shaved Cucumber Apple Salad

As the sun starts to rear it’s lovely head in our fair city once again, why not take advantage of the sunny weather to rejuvinate your pallet. So put down the hearty broths and stuffing stews and treat yourself to a tasty, fresh, and light dish that will perpare you for the sunny days to come.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

For the salmon:

• 2 fresh raw salmon filets (around 300g each)
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp black sesame seeds and/or 1 tsp sesame oil

For the shaved cucumber salad:

• 1 cucumber, washed
• 1 Granny Smith apple, washed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tsp soy sauce
• 4 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds
• 8 basil leaves, washed and roughly chopped

For the soy Mayonnaise:

• 5 tbsp Mayonnaise
• 1-2 tsp soy sauce

Preparation:

1. In a bowl mix soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame for the marinade. Put salmon filets in a big bowl, add the marinade and cover the fish with it, so it’s well covered. Cover with clingfilm and put in fridge for 4 – 24 hours.

2. With a peeler, cut off ribbons/ long stripes lengthwise from the cucumber. Cut apple in half, remove seeds and then cut the apple into semi-small cubes. Set aside. For the dressing mix olive oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and black sesame seeds, set aside.

3. For the Mayonnaise mix Mayonnaise with soy sauce and set aside.

4. Heat a pan on high heat, once hot add around 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Place the salmon in the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes from each side, or until golden brown from the outside and still a bit raw on the inside (only if your salmon is very fresh, otherwise fry for a minute or so more).

5. Place salmon on a plate. Arrange apples and cucumber ribbons next to it, put basil on top and drizzle with the dressing. Put a splash of Mayonnaise on the other side of the salmon.