Easy to prepare and accommodate, salmon, with its fatty and generous flesh, is perfect for stocking up on omega 3. This is also the case for any other fatty fish! Retina, brain, nervous system, all need these precious fatty acids – which must be obtained from food – to function properly.
And at Christmas time and the end-of-year holidays, salmon could well overshadow the divine roast poultry, whether capon, turkey, or guinea fowl.
Why do we love it so much? For its generosity obviously, but also for its simplicity of preparation. In fact, you just need to remove the bones and skin from the steaks to be able to prepare this fish as a carpaccio or gravlax. In the cooked version, it’s even simpler, since we mostly leave the skin in place to offer a seared, perfectly caramelized version. When tasting, the skin will come off by itself!
What flavors should you combine with salmon at Christmas?
Among all the flavors that can be added to divine salmon, two seem inseparable. This is of course lemon, which we prefer with fresh salmon, in carpaccio or cooked. The thing to remember with lemon is that it cooks the flesh of the fish. We therefore add it as a finish. The icing on the cake!
Another intoxicating flavor: dill. Powerful and fragrant, dill is not a shy herb. When she’s in the room, everyone in the room knows it. We therefore use it sparingly, so as not to let its aura invade the entire plate and cover the other flavors.
To inspire you, here are three festive recipes, ideal for Christmas.
Recipe no. 1: Gravlax salmon, beetroot and lemon whipped cream
© Valéry Guedes
I find the color of this salmon intoxicating thanks to the presence of beetroot. It is truly a party starter, which captivates at first glance.
How to do it? Two days before, remove the bones from 1 fairly thick piece of 500 g salmon. For the marinade, grate 1 cooked red beet, then add 30 g of fine salt, 15 g of fleur de sel, 30 g of brown sugar, the zest and juice of 1 organic lemon, 5 cl of vodka, 1 tsp . teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 stalk of lemongrass, 1 small bunch of chopped coriander, and 2 cm of chopped fresh ginger. We mix well.
Line a dish with cling film, pour half of the marinade, place the fish and sprinkle with the rest of the marinade. We close the film and refrigerate for 48 hours, turning the salmon after 24 hours. Once this time has elapsed, remove the film and rinse the fish.
The same day, whip 150 g of liquid cream with 35% fat into a whipped cream, then add the zest and juice of 1 organic lemon. Adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Serve the salmon cut into thin slices with lemon whipped cream.
For 4 people
Discover the recipe for Salmon in gravlax, beetroot and lemon whipped cream
Recipe no. 2: Salmon carpaccio with pink berries by Cyril Lignac
© Aude Rambour
The simplicity of this recipe from Cyril Lignac makes it a perfect idea for the end of year celebrations. To get ahead, you can cut and arrange the fish in the dish and reserve it in the fridge. At the last minute, cover it with lemon juice and olive oil before seasoning. This way, the salmon does not marinate for too long and the lemon juice does not have time to cook the flesh.
How to do it? We delicately cut 1 piece of salmon weighing 600 g without the skin into thin slices. Arrange them harmoniously in a large dish.
Rinse, dry and chop 1 bunch of chives, set aside.
Top the salmon with the juice of 2 untreated lemons and olive oil. The fish must be well coated to be well seasoned. We sprinkle with fleur de sel, 1 tbsp. teaspoon of powdered pink berries, chives and a few sprigs of fresh dill.
We serve immediately.
For 4 people
Discover the recipe for Salmon Carpaccio with Pink Berries by Cyril Lignac
Recipe no. 3: Warm smoked salmon, bottarga
© Yann Deret
The sauce is important, even essential, in a dish. If you are afraid of embarking on complex preparations, this suggestion of butter, thyme and lemon juice sauce, perfect to accompany salmon, is very easy to make and adopt.
How to do it? Cut four escalopines from a 320g piece of smoked salmon and place them on a baking tray.
Finely cut 40 g of bottarga into petals.
Using a Parisian apple spoon, take balls from 1/2 cucumber, 1 carrot and 1/2 small celery ball. Cook them in boiling salted water (the cucumber should be just boiled) and set aside.
Bring 5 cl of water to the boil in a saucepan with 4 sprigs of stripped thyme, then add 80 g of butter and whisk. Filter through a strainer, add the juice of 1/2 lemon and season with salt and pepper.
Add the vegetable balls and 1 tbsp. of salmon roe in the whipped butter.
Quickly warm the salmon escalopines under the grill.
Arrange the salmon on plates, spread the butter sauce around with the vegetable balls and the salmon roe. Sprinkle with bottarga petals and 1/2 bunch of chopped dill. We serve immediately.
For 4 people
Discover the recipe for warm smoked salmon, bottarga
