This was a really fantastic dish to cook, and to eat. Why fantastic to cook? Well, my old stove was pretty crappy and would never get a saute pan hot enough to reduce down the water level properly when glazing vegetables. It was hot enough to give a half decent sear though, but nothing… nothing compared to how well the new Bluestar range does the job. It is crazy how just one piece of equipment can completely change the way you cook, and your enjoyment, but I guess if anything can a range can!

So this dish.. If I was photographing this for a book I would certainly have changed proportions. The amount of veg that people should eat in a meal is certainly different to what looks good in a photograph. The leeks would be reduced, and sitting on top of a far neater stack of celeriac. The salmon would be trimmed down perfectly and sitting on top. All very neat. We don’t eat that way however. I enjoy decent sized veg portions, and tend not to trim down fish that much, unless the belly flap is rather thin, then it is just going to burn anyway.

I normally cook celeriac by softening it in some stock, adding some butter, and then processing into a puree. All very tasty. I wanted something with a little more bite though. I have never glazed celeriac before, and though it might be a giggle to give it a go. A decent test for the new range too! The celeriac is cut into ribbons using a Japanese slicer (one of my favorite kitchen tools) and placed in a saute pan. This gets just covered with water, and a small knob of butter goes in. Grate in some nutmeg, and get it boiling. The idea here is that the water reduces, leaving a buttery glaze over the vegetables. If you get it right then the veg have just cooked through when you have no more water left.

The leeks are dead simple. Cut into rounds and caramelized with some olive oil and butter, deglazed with white wine, then some prosciutto is thrown in.

And on to the salmon…. Some butter and olive oil into a hot pan, cooked skin side down for about 5 minutes until crisp, then flipped for a couple of minutes to brown the top. I often just cook it skin side down for longer, and that way you get a varied amount of “doneness’ through the fish – going from completely cooked by the skin to almost raw on top. Not this time through, I fancied a sear on the flesh side too.

Crispy skin Steelhead Salmon, glazed Celeriac, caramelized leeks with prosciutto

1lb of Salmon fillets, skin still on cut into two fillets

1 celeriac (celery root) bulb

3 medium leeks

1 nutmeg clove (please, don’t buy pre-grated nutmeg)

3 slices of prosciutto – cut into small pieces.

1 tablespoon of thyme leaves, chopped

butter

1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice

Start by filling a large saute pan half full with cold water, and add in the lemon juice. Working fast to help stop the celeriac turning brown, peal the bulb using a sharp knife. Cut this into 1/2″ thick slices. Take these slices and run them through your Japanese slicer (or mandolin) to make thin 1/2″ wide slices. As soon as you have done some, throw them into the water, and toss to coat. Celeriac turns brown pretty quickly when exposed to air. Adding a bit of acidity (lemon juice) to the water helps prevent this – and the water obviously helps prevent air contact. Add a small knob (thumbnail sized) of butter to the pan, and season with a little salt.

Get this pan onto a high heat, and get it boiling. These are most likely going to take 10 to 15 minutes to glaze. Once boiling reduce the heat slightly so still boiling, but not really hard. The aim is to have all the water reduce away precisely when the vegetables are cooked through. It is an art form I can tell ya. Once boiling grate in half a nutmeg clove using a fine grater. Gently stir to combine. If you find that your water reduces away before the veg is cooked, add a little more. If the water level is still pretty high when the celeriac is almost done, tip some out.

Top and tail the leeks. Cut a slice lengthwise down the whole leek, going through to the center (not all the way through – we aren’t cutting them in half!). Now remove the outer layer of leek (discard it, it will be tough). Cut the leeks into 1/2″ slices. We did the slice down the center of the leek so that each round can open up.

In a medium saute pan add a small knob of butter (teaspoon) and a splash of olive oil. Get the butter just melted on a medium heat, and add the leeks and thyme. I like to use a stainless steel pan for this, you will find that it will brown the leeks far better than a non-stick pan. Saute these until they are starting to go brown on the edges. Turn up the heat, and add a splash of white wine – just enough to deglaze the pan. When the leeks are almost done, throw in the prosciutto to cook through.

Whilst the leeks are cooking – about 6 minutes before they are done, heat a medium non-stick pan over a medium-high heat. Add some olive oil (1 tblspoon), and a tiny amount of butter. When the butter has melted, add the fish skin side down. Let this cook for about 5 minutes, until the skin in nicely browned and crispy. Turn the fish over, and cook flesh side down for just a minute or two.

That is it. A rather simple hearty dish that packs a real punch. The celeriac has a rich texture and flavor, which is somewhat mirrored by the leeks. I like leeks with salmon – they seem like a rich tasting vegetable, but really aren’t – they are much lighter than you might think.