*This blog is part of a sponsored collaboration with Harrods*
A generous slab of salmon is such a good way to feed friends. There’s something magnificent about producing a side from the oven, placing it in the middle of the table and letting everyone help themselves to the sumptuous pink flakes. Well- sourced Scottish salmon can happily be cooked almost-unadorned, except perhaps for a light rub with extra virgin olive oil, a scattering of sea salt flakes and a spritz of lemon, but the richness and meatiness of a large piece of salmon also stands up really well to eager spicing and more robust flavours. Which is why I’ve chosen to focus on salmon and spice for the next of my recipes in collaboration with Harrods, to celebrate the epic transformation of its historic food halls.
At the moment I’m favouring a low and slow roasting for large pieces of salmon, and it’s all the better when gently luxuriating in vividly red, chilli-spiked oil, which can be tossed through basmati rice, and cut through with quick, colourful pickles upon serving. A recent visit to the fish counter and a stroll amidst the pantry and spice aisle in the Roast and Bake hall at Harrods left me feeling inspired to cook the recipe below. I picked up a jar of vividly red Harrods Kashmiri chilli powder, which is made with milder dried chilies than other chilli powders, giving it fruity and smoky notes.
I also grabbed some raw extra virgin coconut oil, knowing that it was destined for a roasting spice oil for the fish, and some dried curry leaves because sizzling them into said oil infuses it with the most wonderful flavour, and I love the way they crisp up and melt on the tongue too once fried. The final addition was a jar of Harrods roasted curry powder, a warming blend of coriander, cumin, cinnamon and turmeric which are all roasted to bring out their flavours and then ground.
To cut through the richness of the oil and the warm spices I made a sharp pickled onion and cucumber salad simply using lime juice and salt and sugar, and this can be made ahead and busted out once the salmon is cooked if you want to get ahead. This is lovely served in the middle of the table with bowls of fluffy rice for everyone to dip into – making for a super relaxed, but absolutely delicious dinner.
Side of Scottish salmon cooked in spiced oil
2 tbsp Harrods extra virgin coconut oil
50ml rapeseed oil
800g side of Scottish salmon
Tsp sea salt
1 red chillies, halved
2 Tsp Harrods hot kashmiri red chilli powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp dried curry leaves
1 tbsp Harrods roasted curry powder
Lemon zest from 1 lemon
For the pickle
1 large red onion, sliced
1 baby cucumber, finely sliced
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp salt
1 tsp caster sugar
200g basmati rice
450ml boiling water
Tsp Coriander seeds
Heat the oven to 120 fan. Soak the rice in plenty of cold water. Bring the salmon out of the fridge 30 mins before you intend to cook it as it needs to be at room temperature for this recipe to work. Find a large roasting tray and lay a sheet of foil big enough to entirely wrap around the salmon inside it. Oil it with a little oil, and place the salmon skin side down in the tray. Scatter the salt all over the flesh and allow to sit for 30 mins. While that’s happening, heat the coconut oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and once crackling, add the curry leaves and cook until sizzling, then remove from the heat and stir in the rapeseed oil, chilli and curry powders. Allow to cool until it’s ambient but still pourable.
After 30 mins, wipe any excess moisture from the flesh of the fish with some clean kitchen towel. Coat the salmon in the cooled curry oil. Top with the chilli. Cover with foil and roast until the flesh is meltingly tender but warm all the way through. Ovens vary, so this could take anywhere between 20-30 mins, you can check with a cooking thermo, it should read 50 degrees when inserted into the fattest part of the fish.
While it’s roasting, make the pickle. Place the sliced onion in a bowl, cover with boiling water and let sit for 15 mins. Drain off the boiling water, whisk the lime juice with the salt, sugar and pour over the onions. Add the sliced cucumber and toss to coat. Allow to steep and pickle while the salmon continues to cook.
To cook the rice, drain it and then rinse in a sieve. Put in a pan with the salt and stir, add the coriander seeds and boiling water. Boil gently for 5 mins, without moving the rice, then remove from the heat, cover tightly with a lid and rest for 15 mins or until the steam has absorbed into the rice and it’s fluffy and cooked through.
Once the salmon is cooked, allow to rest for five mins, then spoon it onto plates with the rice and top with the pickles. Be sure to spoon some of the curry oil onto the rice too, it’s delicious. This is lovely with some steamed sprouting broccoli or wilted spinach.