Salmon wrapped in speck with charred corn puree and braised endive

The sous vide salmon wrapped in speck, the charred corn puree, and the braised endive incorporate diverse culinary influences, yet complement each other perfectly.

If you haven’t experienced salmon cooked using the sous vide method then it is time to get yourself a sous vide device. Sous vide salmon is a succulent, melt in your mouth experience. This is particularly evident in the this salmon confit with tomato consommé recipe. When enhanced with the complex smoky flavours of a cured ham we really have something special with this salmon wrapped in speck.

You could easily use a different ham. Salmon wrapped in prosciutto works very well. Searing the ham wrapped parcels in a skillet prior to serving adds those extra Maillard reaction components that only a high heat sear can.

The corn is smeared with a mixture of white miso and butter. It is then grilled until starting to char. The heat concentrates the sugars in the corn. The miso brings salt, more sweetness, and flavour enhancing umami. The char adds a hint of bitterness to balance the sweetness. The flavours are further enhanced by blending the kernels together with dashi.

Dashi is also the primary component in the the braised endive. Endives are naturally a little bitter. Braising in dashi with green onions and garlic adds new notes to moderate and complement that bitterness.

We have utilized nearly all the primary taste components in this salmon wrapped in speck with charred corn puree dish. The remaining one, a little sourness, we add with a squeeze of lemon or lime.

Salmon wrapped in speck with charred corn puree and braised endive

Servings: people

Author: Steve Paris

The sous vide salmon wrapped in speck, the charred corn puree, and the braised endive incorporate diverse culinary influences, yet complement each other perfectly.

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Ingredients

Speck wrapped salmon

500 g fresh skinless salmon in 4 equal sized pieces
50 g sliced Speck or Prosciutto, Serrano, Pancetta etc

Charred corn puree

2 cobs corn
2 Tbsp white miso
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
100 ml cream
100 ml dashi

Braised endive

2 medium sized endives
4 green onions
30 g unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic crushed
3/4 cup dashi
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground white pepper

Garnish

A squeeze of lime

Instructions

Speck wrapped salmon

Wrap the Speck (or other cured pork) around the 4 salmon fillets. Secure with cooking twine.
Place each in a zip-lock bag, expel the air and seal. Place in the refrigerator for an hour or two. This allows the salt from the ham to season the salmon.
Bring a sous vide bath up to 52 degC. Place the zip-locked bags of salmon into the water and cook for 40 minutes.
Remove the bags from the hot water bath, remove the ham wrapped salmon from the bags, remove the cooking twine, and dry with paper towels.
In a hot skillet, smeared with a little oil, sear the Speck wrapped salmon until golden and starting to crisp.
If you do not have a sous vide device, bake in a 180 degC oven for about 12 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the salmon is 52 degC. Turn once at about 6 minutes.
Remove the cooking twine.

Charred corn puree

Preheat the oven to 200 degC.
Combine the miso and butter.
Smear the miso butter mixture over the cobs of corn. Place on some aluminum foil and put in the oven, up high.
Roast until the corn is starting to char. Depending on you oven, you may need to grill/broil these to get a char.
Allow the cobs to cool, then cut the kernels from the cobs.
Add the kernels, half the cream and half the dashi to a blender. Blend until smooth. You may need to add more cream and dashi to get a reasonably smooth consistency. Don’t add too much and make it too runny.
Pass the mixture through a strainer, using a spatular to push it through. No need to use too fine a strainer. If it is too fine it will take you forever, and there is really little to be gained from such a strainer.

Braised endive

Bring a skillet to a medium heat and add the butter.
Cut the endive length ways.
Wash and trim the green onions.
Lay the endive cut side down in the skillet and cook until browned.
Turn the endives over, and add the green onions and crushed garlic.
When the garlic becomes fragrant, add the dashi.
Cover, reduce heat, and cook for 10 minutes or until the endive stalks are tender.