Confit Salmon – salmon delicately cooked in olive oil with hints of lavender. When I say; melt-in-the-mouth; I mean melt-in-the-mouth! Succulent and delicate salmon flesh.

My confit salmon with lavender is aromatic with accents of spice, citrus and flora. The sophistication of flavours belies the simplicity of the execution.

Your confit salmon will let you know when it’s ready when your kitchen suddenly fills with the scent of something that just says; EAT ME! And savour every bite…

The slow delicate cooking of confit salmon coupled with the aromatics give this a very rich flavour so I usually serve this as a little taster to whet the appetite.

Love salmon? Then check these salmon recipes out!

Stick it on a chopping board with a knife and put it in the middle of the table and let the famished descend on it.. It’ll be gone in minutes.

I like to lightly brine my salmon first as it holds it’s texture better and also brings out the flavour. You don’t have to do this bit but if you have time then go for it. If not, just miss out the brining stage (I’ve done it both and the difference is marginal – I’m just being a perfectionist about it!).

Confit Salmon – Ingredients:

1 Salmon fillet skin on

1/4 cup salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 litre cold water

Extra virgin olive oil – enough to completely cover the salmon when in a saucepan.

10 black pepper corns

Strip of lemon peel

2 cloves garlic

1 small sprig of rosemary

1 bay leaves

1/2 teapsoon coriander seeds

2 lavender flowers (please note – with every other ingredient you can add as little / as much as you want. Not this one. Too much will kill your dish.)

Confit Salmon – Method:

1. First the brine – add the sugar, salt and cold water to large bowl and stir until dissolved.
2. Add the salmon and leave for 30 minutes before removing, rinsing and drying on a towel (you want it very dry – water and oil and don’t mix).
3. Now for the confit – add the olive oil to a saucepan (one just big enough to fit the salmon in), add all the ingredients then the salmon fillet skin side down. Shuffle around if needed so it isn’t sitting on all the flavourings and ensure it is completely covered in oil.
4. Put into a pre-heated oven (65c degrees) pop on a shelf uncovered and leave for 40 mins.
5. Remove from heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes before removing from the oil (gently!) and placing on a chopping board for everyone to help themselves.

This is the timing for a fan assisted oven and one piece of salmon; if adding more than one fillet increase the time by circ. 5-10minutes. Remove salmon from olive oil and let drain for a moment before putting it out to serve. Store this in your fridge covered in the oil.

Done!

Goes well with rustic bread, dollop of mustard-mayonaisse, a bottle of dry white wine and the obligatory intellectual gossip.