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Jerk salmon fillets

Ingredients

Serves 4

  • 1 small onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch chives, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2tsp fresh thyme, leaves picked
  • 1 hot chilli, roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 3tsp salt
  • 2tsp allspice
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 4 x 175g/6oz boneless skinless salmon fillets
  • 570ml/1pt cockles
  • Splash dry white wine
  • 2tbsp double cream
  • 150g/5oz butter
  • 2 leeks, shredded
  • 150ml/¼ pt chicken stock
  • 2tbsp laver bread

Method

  1. Make the jerk dressing by placing the onions, chives, garlic, thyme and chilli into a small food processor or pestle and mortar and blitzing to a paste.
  2. Add the sugar, salt, allspice, nutmeg and pepper and blitz once more with one tbsp of the rapeseed oil to form a paste.
  3. Place the salmon onto a plate and cover with the paste on all sides then cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours.
  4. Remove the fish from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature while you cook the cockles.
  5. Heat a large sauté pan until hot, add the cockles and white wine and cover with a lid. Cook for 2-3 minutes until all the cockles have opened then strain the cockles through a fine sieve into a clean pan.
  6. Place the pan of cooking juices onto a medium heat and cook until reduced by half, then whisk in the double cream and when it stars to thicken, add 100g/4oz of the butter, a little at a time, until the sauce has thickened.
  7. Pick the cockles from the shells then add to the pan of butter sauce. Set aside until ready to serve.
  8. Heat a sauté pan until hot, add half the remaining butter and the leeks and sweat for a minute then add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 4-5 minutes until soft, then stir in the laver bread and heat through and check the seasoning.
  9. Heat a frying pan until medium hot, add the last of the rapeseed oil and butter and fry the salmon gently on each side for 1-2 minutes until just cooked through.
  10. Gently reheat the cockle butter sauce if needed then serve the leeks in the centre of the plate.
  11. Pour a little cockle sauce over then top with the salmon and finish with some more cockle sauce.

Colin Jackson