Salmon with Thai flavours

Tucking a piece of salmon into it's own bed of fennel has become something of a trademark for me. Wanting to change things up a bit, I experimented with different flavour combinations. Thai always hits the right buttons for me and salmon absorbs strong flavours well, so I thought this would be a winning dish.

The idea of creating a fennel bed in which to cook the salmon came about through a friend's backyard profusion of wild fennel. It's not even their back yard really, just the side of their town house, but such a large plant grows there every year, it seems a shame to waste it.

Recipe : Salmon with Thai flavours

1 large piece of salmon

1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced

2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

4 oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 handful fresh mint leaves and Thai basil leaves

1/4 cup coconut milk mixed with 2 tsp either red, green or yellow Thai curry paste

2 tsp fish sauce

Lay the salmon on a large piece of tin foil, lightly oiled and top with the onions, shallots, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and mushrooms. Pour the curry / coconut milk over everything, top with the herbs and sprinkle over the fish sauce. 

Wrap the foil around the fish and bake in a preheated 375oF oven for about 30 minutes. Unwrap at the table and serve with cucumber as a garnish. Either let guests help themselves from the packet or plate individually ensuring everyone gets a little of everything, including some of the sauce spooned over.