Salmon Steaks with Herb Sauce Recipe

Today is a slightly more 'restuaranty' and less homely recipe... but it's still quick and easy to make. Great for that Saturday night in meal with a glass of wine.

Salmon is always an excellent fish to cook at any time, but the pairing with cheese and herbs offered here makes the dish a little more interesting. Or at the very least, puts it a little out of the ordinary. Especially as the dish uses fresh chervil as one of it's main herb flavourings. Chervil is an herb used frequently in France, but which is seldom seen elsewhere but which really deserves wider recognition and use as a culinary herb.

So here is my tribute to salmon, the king of fish and chervil, a culinary herb that deserves to be much more widely known.

Salmon Steaks with Herb Sauce Recipe

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 salmon steaks (each about 175g [7 oz])
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
120g (7 oz) Wensleydale cheese, grated
1 tbsp fresh chervil, finely chopped
8 blades of chives, finely chopped
finely-grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
rocket (arugula) leaves, to accompany
torn chervil leaves, to garnish

Method:

Line a grill pan with kitchen foil and rub with butter. Sit the salmon steaks on the grill pan, place under a medium grill (broiler) and cook for about 4 minutes per side. At this point turn the heat off, but leave the salmon under the grill to keep them warm as you prepare the sauce.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, scatter over the flour and stir to form a smooth paste. Work in 6 tbsp of the milk until smooth then whisk in the remaining milk. Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly as the sauce thickens to ensure that there are no lumps.

Add the cheese and stir until melted then fold in the herbs. Take the sauce off the heat and add the lemon juice and zest. Stir until well combined.

Arrange each salmon steak on a bed of six rocket leaves. Drizzle over the sauce, decorate with the chervil sprigs and serve immediately.