This weekend was my last chance to prepare a meal for the Maille Culinary Challenge, using the ingredients I had chosen from their extensive range of mustards, vinegars and oils.
The two ingredients I chose were Aged Balsamic Vinegar and Walnut Oil. I put my thinking cap on and decided I would make fillet steaks in a balsamic and red wine glaze, served with sweet potato and walnut mash and asparagus. I was all set, and with my shopping list written I headed out to the shops, only to find the butcher’s closed. Aaaah! So I had to quickly come up with a plan B, using what ingredients I could find in the supermarket, which was open. So here it is:
Salmon with Chipotle Balsamic Glaze, served with a Sweet Potato, Coconut and Walnut Mash
Serves 4
Ingredients
Four fresh salmon fillets, and:
For the Balsamic Glaze:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 shallots, very finely chopped
1/2 cup Maille Aged Balsamic Vinegar
2 tablespoons Maille Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
1 teaspoon Tabasco chipotle sauce
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
For the Sweet Potato and Walnut Mash:
4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 can of full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons Maille Walnut Oil
1/2 cup walnut pieces, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. Line a baking tray with foil and brush with butter. Season the skin side of the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and place the fillets, skin side down on the foil.
2. Prepare the glaze. Saute the chopped shallots in the olive oil until translucent and soft. Then add the balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, chipotle sauce and honey or agave to the pan, whisking all the time over a high heat till just beginning to boil, then turn the heat to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes till the glaze thickens. Remove from heat and add the oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Brush the salmon fillets with the glaze and leave to marinate while you prepare the mash.
4. Cook the sweet potato cubes in boiling salted water until soft – about 12-15 mins.
5. While the potatoes are cooking, dry fry the walnut pieces till toasted, then sprinkle with cinnamon.
6. Drain the cooked potatoes and return to the pan, adding the walnut oil and coconut milk. Mash till smooth, season to taste, then turn into a buttered ovenproof dish and top with the toasted walnut pieces.
7. Both dishes are now ready to go into the oven – preheated to 200ºC. You might want to brush a little more of the glaze on the salmon before you put it in.
8. Cook for around 15 minutes, until the salmon flakes easily. Use this time to steam some accompanying vegetables – I cooked carrots with lemon and parsley, and buttered green beans .
7. Serve, and enjoy!
Even though this was not my intended dish, it was very tasty, and I loved the subtle walnut flavour that the walnut oil gave to the sweet potato mash, enhanced of course by the crunchy walnut topping, with this and the coconut milk taking away enough of the sweetness of the sweet potatoes for this to complement the smoky-sweet balsamic glaze on the salmon nicely.
It’s an easy dish to prepare with everything going in to the oven at the same time, and while I would have served it with different vegetables if they had been available at the time (purple sprouting broccoli or asparagus for sure), this was still very tasty, and there were clean plates in Topsham Towers.
Disclaimer: Maille sent me two products to use as part of this culinary challenge, but no payment was received. Please check out all of the other entrants into the Maille Culinary Challenge by searching on Twitter using the #mailleculinarychallenge hashtag.
Twitter:
on May 6, 2014 at 11:13 am
Sounds and looks lovely, although I am still looking forward to hearing about that steak (our Bank Holiday Weekend Treat was steak in a brandy and blue cheese sauce, but love the sound of your glaze).
sarah hill wheeler ( recently posted…
ooh that sounds nice! I used the rest of this glaze to marinade homemade burgers in the following night, and that worked well too. Still want to make the steak though, you know when you get something in your head … 😉
Twitter:
on May 6, 2014 at 2:23 pm
Oh wow! That looks and sounds delicious. I am not a fan of steak so this looks and sounds a lot nicer than what you had planned!! I am very jealous that you got your hands on such yummy ingredients…as you saw from my post I got two pots of mustard…which were yummy, but I was after these two ingredients too! 😉
Vicki recently posted…Gluten-free, Dairy-free Raw Date and Ginger Bars
Thanks Vicki – it’s all a bit orange on the plate though! but tasted yummy. Sorry I got the best ingredients, but I did end up going out and buying mustard too, if that’s any consolation 😉
Twitter:
on May 10, 2014 at 11:48 am
This looks like such a great recipe! I cooked fish for the Maille challenge, too (sadly, they did not keep my recipe as the final 10, bouhou! That prize looked amazing). I really want to try your exotic mash! Pinning now. x Mel
Mel recently posted…What I love about Lazy Day Foods (and a Giveaway!)
I did not expect to be anywhere near the final ten with my last minute thrown together job – I had great intentions though! Thanks for popping by x
Molly recently posted…Wahaca Sauces: A Taste of Mexican Street Food, At Home