SALMON AND CAULIFLOWER PAELLA

It is rare to see a paella cooked with salmon but as it’s such a popular fish in our home, I decided to try a version with cauliflower – it was sensational. What I will point out is that salmon can easily be overcooked as it dries out quickly, so follow my timings carefully.

SERVES 4

PREP 20 minutes COOK 35 minutes

H 2 litres fish stock

H 0.4g saffron (see tip, opposite)

H 120ml extra virgin olive oil

H 2 salmon fillets, cut into large pieces

H 300g cauliflower, broken into florets, core finely chopped

H 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

H 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika

H 2 tomatoes, blended to a paste with a blender or food processor

H 440g Spanish paella rice

H 1 sprig of rosemary

H salt, to taste

H Heat the fish stock in a saucepan over a low heat and crumble in the saffron. Keep warm over the lowest setting.

H Heat half the olive oil in a paella pan over a medium heat, add the salmon fillets, skin-side down, and shallow-fry for 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

H Add the remaining oil to the pan, then fry the cauliflower florets over a low heat for

4-5 minutes. Season, remove from the pan and set aside.

H Add the chopped cauliflower core to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes before adding the garlic, paprika and the tomato paste. Cook for about 2 minutes until the oil starts to separate from the tomato paste. Add the rice and stir, making sure all the rice gets coated with the oil.

H Add the hot stock to the pan and give it a good stir to distribute the rice evenly. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Cook over a high heat for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 3 minutes, without stirring.

Place the reserved salmon (skin-side up), cauliflower florets and the rosemary on top of the rice and cook for a final 4 minutes. Let it rest off the heat for 5 minutes before serving.