Poach it, grill it, bake it, eat it

nce we used to gawp in wonder at a whole salmon as a centrepiece on a lavish buffet table. That was a real luxury. Something we could never afford to eat at home.

Well, yes, we did once. My Mum cooked some salmon steaks and I didn't like them. They were dry and chewy, but Mum overcooked everything. After that I stuck to tinned salmon for years.

That was in the days when you could only get wild salmon. With a total catch of about 1,000 tons a year, no wonder it was so expensive to buy for the average housewife. The discovery that salmon could be successfully farmed changed all that. Last year around 50,000 tons was farmed in cages along the Scottish coast alone. Norway produced five or six times as much.

Now salmon are piled high in the shops. It is becoming a cheap eat - the broiler chicken of the Nineties - as farming becomes more efficient. It is getting more popular as people cut back on meat. Last year we ate 52,000 tons - about a fifth more than in 1994.

In fish shops and supermarkets throughout the country it costs somewhere between the price of cod and sole. At about pounds 3.50 a pound for fillets, it is cheaper than most prime cuts of meat, and healthier too. The first wild salmon of the year, available in the shops now, will set you back about pounds 15 a pound. But I doubt if you could tell the difference.

"Bloody marvellous," is how Nick Nairn, one of Scotland's top chefs, describes farmed salmon. A fine early season wild salmon might be better but, he says, there is a lot of poor wild salmon around.

"For consistency, good Scottish farmed salmon wins every time. And when it is cooked my customers could not tell them apart," says Nick of the Braeval Old Mill, north of Glasgow, who is currently presenting Wild Harvest on BBC2 Scotland.

Offshore farmed salmon from Antrim, Northern Ireland, comes between wild and farmed salmon. It is claimed the stronger currents make the fish swim harder and taste better. Try it for about pounds 7.75 a pound from Marks & Spencer, who sell it as Prime Salmon.

The truth is that the way you cook salmon makes far more difference than where the fish came from. The golden rule is: do not overcook. Salmon is ready as soon as a knife will go in smoothly and the flakes of fish can be easily separated.

Salmon is extremely versatile when cooking and works well with Eastern flavourings, as in our recipe for Parcels of Salmon with Ginger, or equally with the traditional sauces such as our delicious cream sauce recipe. Or simply brush with oil and grill - or use it as a meat alternative for kebabs.

PARCELS OF SALMON WITH

GINGER

1 heaped dsp root ginger, finely chopped

Two sprigs fresh coriander, chopped

1 tbsp dry sherry

1 dsp soy sauce

Pinch of sugar

4 salmon fillets or steaks, about 110g-140g (4oz-5oz) each

Black pepper Lemon juice

Pour boiling water on to the chopped ginger and leave for a few minutes before draining. Add chopped coriander, sherry and soy sauce and a pinch of sugar to the ginger. Place each piece of fish on a square of tin foil large enough to fold up to make a loose parcel. Share out the ginger mixture, spreading it on each portion. Add a little black pepper and a squeeze of lemon before folding the parcels. Cook in a preheated oven Gas 6/400F/200C for 10 to 15 minutes.

SALMON IN CREAM SAUCE

150ml (1/4 pt) dry white wine 150 ml (1/4 pt) water

1 carrot, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

Bay leaf

Salt and pepper

4 salmon steaks 1/4 pt double cream

Put the wine and water into a pan with the carrot, onion, bay leaf, pinch of salt and a shake of black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Put the salmon into another pan (the fish should cover the base of the pan as closely as possible) and strain the liquid on to them. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer with the lid on until the fish is cooked (about 10 minutes). Put the cooked fish into a dish and keep warm in the oven. Boil the liquid rapidly to reduce by a half. Add the cream, stir and boil until the sauce thickens. Season if needed, pour over the fish and serve.

Copyright 1996 MGN LTD
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