“Inspired by the gorgeous pink colour of Leopard’s Leap Chardonnay Pinot Noir, I decided to do something fun-filled with Norwegian Salmon”, says popular food blogger, Carey Erasmus, the creative force behind BitsofCarey. “My fancy pants (yet rather easy) take on fish and chips. There are quite a few techniques involved here, nothing too scary though. The best part is, this dish is best served at room temperature, so no worrying about making sure everything comes out hot all at once. There’s a lot going on, but all these elements play together nicely and combine simply delish with a glass of chilled Leopard’s Leap Chardonnay Pinot Noir!”

Confit Salmon| Pea Puree| Crispy Parsnips |Truffle Aioli | Bacon Crumbs

Serves 4

Confit Salmon

• 4 x 70 g Norwegian salmon fillet, cut into even pieces (4 cm thick and ±5 cm x 5 cm in size)
• 250 ml clarified butter, cooled
• 250 ml olive oil or grape-seed oil
• 1 leek, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, squashed
• 4 sprigs thyme
• zest of 1 lemon
• 4 fresh bay leaves
• 5 ml peppercorns
• 5 ml of coarse salt

Place the salmon in a shallow oven-proof glass or ceramic dish (7 cm deep). Cover the fish with the clarified butter and oil. Add the sliced leek, squashed garlic, thyme, zest, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt. Chill in the fridge for up to 2 hours, if possible.
Before cooking, allow to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat a fan-assisted oven to 90 °C.
Confit for 12 minutes, then remove from the oven and rest in the oil for 12 – 15 minutes.
Gently remove with an egg lifter and peel off the salmon skins. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Pea Puree

• 250 g frozen peas, cooked in boiling water for 3 minutes
• 1 clove garlic
• zest of ½ lemon
• 5 ml chopped dill
• 15 ml finely chopped chives
• 10 g butter
• 5 ml crème fraiche
• salt and pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend into a bright green thick, chunky puree. Pass through a fine-meshed sieve to get a silky smooth puree. Season to taste.
Discard the remaining fibrous bits in the sieve.

Bacon Crumbs
Preheat oven to 200 °C.
Place 4 rashers of streaky bacon onto a rack of a roasting tray and roast for 15 – 20 minutes or until crispy on both sides (turn halfway through).
Remove from tray and allow to cool. Use a sharp chopping knife to chop the bacon into fine crumbs.

Fried Parsnips
4 medium parsnips, thinly sliced down the length, using a veggie peeler or mandolin slicer (if no parsnips are available, use potato).
Cooking oil for deep-frying.
Malden salt for sprinkling.

Fry parsnips in moderately hot oil until golden and crispy.
Drain on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Season with salt.

Truffle Aioli

• 1 egg yolk
• 5 ml Dijon mustard
• pinch of dried tarragon
• ± 60 ml sunflower or grape-seed oil
• 5 ml truffle-flavoured oil to taste
• a squeeze of lemon juice to taste
• pinch of salt

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, mustard and tarragon until creamy and viscous, slowly add the oil bit by bit, whisking continuously until all the oil is incorporated and you have a thick, silky smooth aioli (adding the oil too fast will make the mixture split).

Garnish
Micro leaves, lightly dressed in lemon juice and?? a little olive oil
4 baby radish, thinly sliced and pickled in white wine vinegar

To plate
Spread pea puree onto serving plates. Sprinkle with a few bacon crumbs. Top with confit salmon and garnish with dressed micro leaves and a few slices of pickled radish. Sprinkle the plate with more bacon crumbs and arrange the crisps beside the fish, together with a small bowl of truffle aioli.
Best served at room temperature.