By Frederic Faucheux, executive chef of Ku De Ta Singapore
Photo: Coordination CHERYL LEONG Photography WINSTON CHUANG Art Direction & Styling NIKKI HO
POACHED SALMON NOODLE BROTH
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
500g soba
A pinch of salt
12 baby bok choy (Chinese cabbage), washed and cut
12 asparagus, tips only
8 Shiitake mushrooms, soaked for half an hour
8g bean sprouts
For the broth:
1 litre dashi stock
4 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tbsp cooking sake
2 tbsp mirin
A pinch of salt
480g salmon fillet, skinned and sliced
4 stalks spring onions, chopped into 3cm-long pieces
DIRECTIONS
1 Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the soba and salt, and boil until cooked. Remove from heat and run the soba under running water. Set aside.
2 Blanch the bok choy, asparagus tips, mushrooms and bean sprouts for 5 sec. Drain and set aside.
3 Simmer the dashi stock until it comes to the boil. Add the rest of the ingredients for the broth and mix well.
4 Poach the salmon in the broth for 2min. Remove from heat.
5 Transfer the soba into serving bowls. Add the vegetables and salmon, and pour the broth over it. Garnish with spring onions.
Photo: Coordination CHERYL LEONG Photography WINSTON CHUANG Art Direction & Styling NIKKI HO
OVEN-BAKED SALMON IN ORANGE BUTTER SOYA SAUCE
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the salmon marinade:
200ml cooking sake
200ml mirin
60g Chinese dates
200ml light soya sauce
1 lime
360g salmon, quartered
2 tbsp cooking oil
For the orange butter soya sauce:
1 cup orange juice
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp light soya sauce
Potato flour, for thickening
Bottled pickled daikon or Japanese pickled ginger*
*Find bottled pickled daikon and Japanese pickled ginger at Japanese supermarkets like Medi-ya and Isetan Scotts supermarket.
DIRECTIONS
1 Combine all the ingredients for the salmon marinade in a bowl, and marinate the salmon for 2 hours.
2 Preheat the oven to 190 deg C.
3 Pan-sear the salmon skin-side down over high heat for 50sec. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 7min.
4 In a pan, bring the orange juice to a boil. Add the butter, soya sauce and potato flour. Stir until the liquid thickens, and remove from heat.
5 When the salmon is done, portion it into four plates and drizzle with orange butter soya sauce. Garnish with pickled daikon and serve.
Photo: Coordination CHERYL LEONG Photography WINSTON CHUANG Art Direction & Styling NIKKI HO
BLACK PEPPER-CRUSTED SEARED SALMON WITH FENNEL
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
For the fennel seasoning:
120ml grape seed oil
25ml light soya sauce
45ml yuzu juice
1 tbsp garlic puree
A dash of black pepper
50g fennel, thinly sliced and soaked in ice water for 1 hour
For the ponzu dressing:
65ml rice vinegar
35ml light soya sauce
10ml lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
150g salmon, sliced and seasoned with salt and black pepper
1 small red capsicum, julienned
1 red radish, thinly sliced
DIRECTIONS
1 To make the fennel seasoning, combine the grapeseed oil, soya sauce, yuzu juice, garlic puree and black pepper in a mixing bowl. Stir in the fennel and set aside.
2 Combine the ingredients for the ponzu dressing. Mix well and set aside.
3 Heat the oil in a pan. Sear the salmon’s outer edges, turning it every 5sec. Remove from heat.
4 Transfer the salmon onto a serving plate and top with fennel seasoning.
5 Drizzle the ponzu dressing, garnish with capsicums and red radish, and serve.
This article was originally published in Simply Her May 2015.