This dish is simple but oh so tasty. A perfectly cooked fish with the sweet, slow-cooked vegetables is hard to beat. Feel free to prepare the Piperade Basquaise a day in advance and simply reheat it on the day before serving.
Serve as part of a menu with:
-Starter: Mint Lemonade Drink
-Dessert: Vanilla-Crème Fraiche with Balsamico and Berries
Serves 4
4 x 150 g salmon filet, skin on
For the Piperade Basquaise:
2 red capsicum (bell pepper)
2 yellow capsicum (bell pepper)
4 tomatoes, blanched and peeled
olive oil
4 brown onions, peeled, halved and finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 thyme sprigs, levees picked
sea salt and pepper
150 ml quinoa
300 ml vegetable broth
50 ml grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
1. For the Piperade Basquaise: Peel the capsicum with a peeler. Thinly slice each capsicum, removing the white ribs from the inside. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, then remove the seeds and inner core and thinly slice the flesh. Fry onion, garlic and thyme (keeping some of the leaves for decoration) in oil in a pan with a pinch of sea salt to help the onions to soften. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid giving colour to the onion. Add the capsicum and cook for another 20-30 minutes, until very soft. Now add the tomato and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Mix quinoa with the vegetable broth and let boil according to instructions on the package. Once ready, remove from heat and add the cheese. Mix well, and season with salt and pepper if needed.
3. For the salmon: Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees. Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper and fry in oil in a pan with the skin-side down until it has a nice colour. Transfer to the oven for another 4-5 minutes.
4. For the plating, use a ring mold to assemble the quinoa at the bottom, followed by the Piperade Basquaise. Carefully remove the ring mold and place the fish as illustrated in the picture, with the skin-side up. Decorate with fresh thyme leaves and sprinkle some sea salt over the fish.