Weave a Thousand Flavors

Sourdough Crostinis with Balsamic Roasted Red Peppers and Goat Cheese

I deeply appreciate the outpouring of sympathy and the wonderful thoughts and heartwarming words that you have all left us. Mr. Hubby read your words and was deeply moved as was our family. Thank You.

The events that rocked our world this fortnight brought home a singular point - as a people we are so largely influenced by all the persons who come and go through our lives.

Though it is often hard to attribute a certain thought or an idea to one single person, sometimes, even though we've moved on, one can actually remember quite such moments with crystal clarity.

The friendship that gave me my first taste of  goat cheese with balsamic soaked red peppers on a perfectly crusty french bread, has long gone. The memory and the perfect medley of flavors, hasn't.

So when a quick perusal of my refrigerator revealed some fresh goat cheese, red peppers and a loaf of crusty sourdough bread, I knew this moment was as good as any to ponder a good friendship that was and a bite that always will be.

Mind you, I have no idea what the original recipe is so I rely on my good old taste buds and am confident that we stand an excellent chance of pulling this off.

 

Fennel & Tangerine Salad with Asian Style Salmon Ceviche

The Gods of blogging have been aloof today.

This is my third attempt to write this post because the first two times I lost all my writing. Mr. Hubby of course has no sympathy with me on such 'techy' matters because he thinks I have a lazy index finger that simply won't click on 'save'. Mr. Hubby you see, never seems  to have any such issues, ever...Ugh... In fact, he and his computer are always in perfect sync!

Do you have any idea how frustrating that is for me?

Now that I've vented, I should get back to main point here and that is that perhaps I should completely stop planning my meals. I mean on days such as this it seems I'm better off just fixing meals based on impromptu refrigerator raids.

I've been off to a late start this morning. In fact when the noonish hour rolled in I was still in my jammies cuddled on the couch with a book. But no amount of literary bliss was going to feed the three hungry mouths, one of which is my own. And so it is that I grudgingly waddled to the refrigerator and since leftovers were meager pickings the only thing left to do was to shake the fridge tree per se and see what falls out.

Just so happens I was delighted to see the fresh salmon that I had purchased the earlier evening along with a bulb of fresh fennel, tangerines and some rather lonely olives in my Rubbermaid container.

Its been a warm day today and so I thought of fixing some ceviche but no tomatoes at hand. Did that stop me? Heck no! Because the whole concept behind ceviche is allowing the enzyme & acidity of the tomatoes & citrus to work & 'chemically cook' the fish. The same can be said for oranges & honestly I'd much rather on this particular occasion go for the sweet flavor of the tangerines over the tartness of the tomatoes.

To that,  add the makings of a tangy Asian style dressing and a devilishly delicious plot is afoot!

The main ingredients for today's impromptu creation are - fresh fennel bulb, honey tangerines, lemon, black olives, fresh cilantro, Thai red chilly, serrano chile, lemon, green onion,  skinless fresh Atlantic salmon of course, soy sauce, olive oil, garlic cloves, sesame oil, sugar, salt & freshly ground black pepper.

Pull out the mandolin slicer.

 

 

 Prepare the ingredients -

  

Fennel - Cut away the stalks and root & leave only bulb. Halve & using a mandolin on its second thinnest setting, slice the fennel halves. Go slow & be very careful of your fingers as you get towards the last bits. Set aside. Also reserve a few fronds for garnish.

  

Honey tangerines - Cut off the top and bottom & holding a very sharp paring knife run from top to bottom along the shape of the tangerine to completely take off the skin & pith.

Cut into cross-sections, 1/4" thick. Pick out the seeds as they come within reach as you keep cutting all the way to the bottom. Place the orange circles with the fennel in a mixing bowl. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

Juice 2  honey tangerines & set aside the juice.

Lemon - Juice 1/2 a lemon & set the juice aside

      

Serrano chile - Cut off the top & discard. Have. Set aside one half for future use. Thinly slice into lengths & then finely chop.

Thai red chilly - Cut off the top & discard. Cut into thin circles & set aside with the other chile.

 

Green onion - Cut off the root tip & discard. Slice lengthwise & finely slice at a diagonal. Use white & light green parts but not the green leaves.

Cilantro - Separate leaves & finely chop

Garlic cloves - Peel & finely chop

Black olives - Halve & set aside.

Salmon - Place on a plate & into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to chill.

Dressing -

 

Place the tangerine & lemon juice in a bowl. To this add olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, salt & pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside 3 tbs of this for the fennel & orange salad as dressing.

To the remaining dressing add the chopped chillies, chopped garlic, chopped onions & cilantro. Stir. Use this as the marinade for the salmon.

   

Remove the chilled salmon from the freezer. Use a very sharp chef's knife or slicer & cut into 1/8" thick slices along the grain.

 

Place the salmon slices on a plate in a single layer. Pour the marinade all over the fish & refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour.

 

Just before serving, remove the fennel & orange salad from the refrigerator & lightly toss with the salad dressing.

To assemble, place the salad at the bottom of the plate & place folded layers of salmon on the top. Pour some of the marinade from the ceviche onto the salmon. Place some of the  onion-cilantro mixture on top.

The flavors of the sesame soy salad dressing pairs really well with the anise flavors in the fennel. The slightly pungent tart flavors of the black olives balance the sweetness from the tangerines really well.

The salmon with the sweet & citrus flavors from the orange segments, the marinade with its rich flavors from the garlic, fresh ingredients & sesame oil, the heat from the chillies come together in a harmony that is truly outstanding.

 

This couldn't turn out better even if it was planned and carefully worked out in advance. This is such a wonderful, light & easy to put together salad that is a perfect introduction to spring as the scent of orange blossoms & flowers fill the air!

 

 

 

Recipe for

Fennel & Tangerine Salad topped with Asian Style Salmon Ceviche

Preparation time - 20 minutes

Chilling time - 45 minutes - 1 hour

Serves 4

1 lb fresh skinless Atlantic salmon

1 bulb fresh fennel

4 honey tangerines

1/2 lemon

4 black olives

1 tbs olive oil

1 tsp sesame oil

2 garlic cloves

4-5 sprigs cilantro

2 green onions

1/2 Serrano chile

1 Thai red chilly

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Fresh cracked black pepper on top

Preparation - 

Fennel - Cut away the stalks and root & leave only bulb. Halve & using a mandolin on its second thinnest setting, slice the fennel halves. Go slow & be very careful of your fingers as you get towards the last bits. Set aside. Also reserve a few fronds for garnish.

Honey tangerines slices - Cut off the top and bottom & holding a very sharp paring knife run from top to bottom along the shape of the tangerine to completely take off the skin & pith.

Cut into cross-sections, 1/4" thick. Pick out the seeds as they come within reach as you keep cutting all the way to the bottom. Place the orange circles with the fennel in a mixing bowl. Place in the refrigerator to chill.

Honey tangerines juice - Juice 2  honey tangerines & set aside the juice.

Lemon - Juice 1/2 a lemon & set aside.

Serrano chile - Cut off the top & discard. Have. Set aside one half for future use. Thinly slice into lengths & then finely chop.

Thai red chilly - Cut off the top & discard. Cut into thin circles & set aside with the other chile.

Green onion - Cut off the root tip & discard. Slice lengthwise & finely slice at a diagonal. Use white & light green parts but not the green leaves.

Garlic cloves - Peel & finely chop cloves. Discard skin.

Cilantro - Separate leaves & finely chop

Black olives - Halve & set aside.

Salmon - Place on a plate & into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to chill. After which place on a plate & into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to chill.Use a very sharp chef's knife or slicer & cut into 1/8" thick slices along the grain.

Dressing -  Place the tangerine & lemon juice in a bowl. To this add olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, salt & pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside 3 tbs of this for the fennel & orange salad as dressing.

To the remaining dressing add the chopped chillies, chopped garlic, chopped onions & cilantro. Stir. Use this as the marinade for the salmon.

Salad -  

Place the salmon slices on a plate in a single layer. Pour the marinade all over the fish & refrigerate for 45 minutes to an hour.

Just before serving, remove the fennel & orange salad from the refrigerator & lightly toss with the salad dressing.

To assemble, place the salad at the bottom of the plate & place folded layers of salmon on the top. Pour some of the marinade from the ceviche onto the salmon. Place some of the  onion-cilantro mixture on top. You can serve the extra marinade on the side if you wish.

Enjoy chilled!