The aroma of dill brings back happy memories for me of working in the kitchen with the team at Mustard Catering when I was in my late 20's. Smells and taste, two things that are created when food is cooked, have the power to evoke real feelings. That's magic.
Dill and Salmon are great friends and baking them together with rice is a simple technique. Adding briefly cooked green veggies, cuts through the richness of the fish and its sweet and spicy seasoning.
INGREDIENTS FOR FOUR
275gm Basmati rice
salt
30gm fresh dill
500ml vegetable stock
4 x pieces fresh salmon fillet
3 x medium garlic cloves
2 tsp grated lemon zest
3tsp lemon juice
2tsp Krunchilli or Chinese Crispy Chilli
1Tbsp honey
½ tsp turmeric
30gm mayonnaise
Green vegetables of your choice
METHOD
- Pre-heat oven to 200°C.
- Set aside a few dill fronds to finish the dish on serving. Chop remaining fronds and tender stems. Mix dill with rice and about 3gm salt (less if using mass-made stock) in baking tray. Pour over hot stock. Cover tray with foil and bake for 15 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Meanwhile remove salmon from the fridge to loose its chill.
- Crush garlic and mix with lemon zest, juice, crunchy chilli, honey and turmeric. Stir in mayonnaise a little at a time to make a coating consistency sauce.
- Season salmon with salt then brush with sauce.
- Bring saucepan of water to a rolling boil to cook your chosen vegetables.
- When rice has cooked, remove foil and place salmon on top, leaving space between each piece. Drizzle any remaining sauce over fish and replace back in oven.
- Cook for 8 to 14 minutes, depending on the size of the salmon pieces. Test with your finger tips to see if cooked; if springy to touch it is ready. Ideally salmon should be pink in the middle. Rest under foil while vegetables complete cooking.
- Boil vegetables for 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender. Drain and add to pan, tucking in between the fish pieces into the rice (or serve separately if preferred).
COOKS NOTES
- Sella Basmati is a really great rice, nutrition-wise as well as ease of cooking. The fragrant flavour is a bonus as well as fluffy grains that aren't gluggy or sticking together.
- Use plain water to cook rice if vegetable stock not available.
- MoT Providore offers super-fresh Tasmanian Salmon, filleted to order. It's stunning, you should give it a try!
- All ingredients are available from MoT Providore.
- Choose quick cooking vegetables such as snow peas, sugar snap peas, frozen baby peas, broccoli, thinly sliced leek, broccoli or broccolini.
- Dreamfarm utensils used on video are available from MoT Providore leading up to Christmas only.