Crispy-Skin Salmon with Champagne Beurre Blanc

Ingredients

• 4 Salmon fillets — skin on, about 180 g each, pin bones removed
• 1 tbspNeutral oil — rapeseed or sunflower
• 1 tbspButter — for basting the salmon
• 1 tspFlaky sea salt — plus more to taste
• 600 gNew potatoes — scrubbed
• 30 gButter — for the potatoes
• 3 tbspFresh dill — chopped, plus a few fronds to garnish
• 400 gGreen asparagus — woody ends snapped off
• 1 tbspOlive oil — for the asparagus
• 1 Shallot — very finely chopped
• 150 mlChampagne or dry sparkling wine — a dry white wine also works
• 2 tbspWhite wine vinegar
• 3 tbspDouble cream — helps keep the sauce stable
• 150 gCold unsalted butter — cut into small cubes, kept in the fridge
• 1 tbspLemon juice — plus lemon wedges to serve
• 2 tbspChives — finely snipped
• 2 tbspTrout or salmon roe — optional, for finishing
• White pepper — a pinch

1. 1

   Take the salmon out of the fridge, pat the skin completely dry with kitchen paper and season the skin side with flaky salt. Leave it uncovered at room temperature while you prepare everything else; dry skin is what makes it crisp.

   20 min

2. 2

   Boil the new potatoes in well-salted water until a knife slides in easily. Drain and leave them to steam dry in the pan with the lid off.

   18 min

3. 3

   Start the beurre blanc: put the shallot, Champagne and vinegar in a small saucepan and simmer until only about 2 tablespoons of syrupy liquid remain.

   8 min

4. 4

   Stir the cream into the reduction and let it bubble for a few seconds, then turn the heat to its lowest setting. Whisk in the cold butter a few cubes at a time, adding more only once the last has melted. Do not let it boil or it will split. Season with the lemon juice, a pinch of salt and white pepper, then keep it warm off the heat.

   5 min

5. 5

   Toss the asparagus with the olive oil and a pinch of salt. Cook in a very hot griddle or frying pan, turning now and then, until bright green and lightly charred. Set aside somewhere warm.

   4 min

6. 6

   Heat the neutral oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Lay the salmon in skin-side down, away from you, and press each fillet flat with a spatula for 10 seconds so the skin stays in contact with the pan. Cook without moving until the skin is deep golden and the flesh has turned opaque two-thirds of the way up.

   5 min

7. 7

   Turn the fillets, add the tablespoon of butter and spoon it over the fish as it foams. Take the salmon off the heat while the centre is still blushing, about 50°C if you have a thermometer, and rest it skin-side up.

   1 min

8. 8

   Lightly crush the potatoes with a fork so they crack but hold together, then fold through the 30 g of butter and the chopped dill. Taste and season.

9. 9

   Stir the chives into the warm sauce. Divide the potatoes and asparagus between warm plates, set the salmon on top skin-side up, and spoon the beurre blanc around the fish rather than over it so the skin stays crisp. Finish the sauce with the roe, add a few dill fronds and serve with lemon wedges.