Crisp skin salmon with sauce vierge

A sauce vierge is a simple sauce made of olive oil, tomato, basil and lemon juice, and this recipe adds parsley, diced anchovy fillets and minced garlic, to create a fresh side for a seared salmon fillet.

Crisp skin salmon with sauce vierge Credit: Food Lab

• serves

  1

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 salmon fillet with skin on 
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 4 anchovy fillets, diced 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup cherry tomatoes
• 2 lemon cheeks
• ¼ bunch parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• ¼ bunch basil leaves, torn
• Micro herbs to serve (optional)

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a pan over high heat and place salmon skin down. Press down on the salmon for the first minute to prevent it from curling. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the fillet is around 80 per cent cooked, then turn and cook for a further 30 seconds. Once the salmon is cooked, transfer to the plate and allow to rest.

Meanwhile, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, along with the garlic and anchovies, to the pan and stir. Add the cherry tomatoes, lemon juice and the remaining oil to the pan and toss through. Finish the sauce by mixing through chopped parsley and basil 

To serve, place sauce on the plate beside the salmon to prevent the crispy skin from going soggy. Garnish with micro herbs, if desired.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.