pocketful of mumbles

My dad bought some salmon and said, “cook it”.

I’m no cook and I really have no idea what to do with salmon.

Sure, I have a pot of dill, but I’ve never used it, nor have I ever tried making a dill sauce. And I wasn’t going to find out how, knowing I’m really overdue on my last script.

So I looked through the cupboards and saw my unopened bottle of Cointreau. I’d bought it with some grand plans to make crepes with orange sauce. But as usual, I buy the booze and never get down to it.

I wondered if Cointreau and salmon went together. Really no idea. But already I was thinking of some orange sauce to go with it.

Some frantic calls to my mother who was out, frantic digging around in the fridge to salvage anything, and I had my ingredients together.

I was going to attempt Salmon with Orange Sauce, Sweet Potato and Tomato Cucumber Salad. The last one I threw in ’cause I thought there was no veg.

Salmon

• Salt, black pepper, Cointreau to marinate the salmon for about 2 hours. Chuck back in fridge.
• Fry up the salmon in olive oil, meat side down first. I had no idea when to take it out. I just knew I didn’t want it too dry. I went on instinct.

Orange Sauce

• Strips of ginger, chopped garlic, orange rind, juice of an orange, some sugar for the sauce.
• Poured in the sauce into the same pan used to fry the fish. (Take the fish out first.)
• Wanted to use more Cointreau but it was already back up in the high cupboard. Threw in some red wine. No idea if it’d work.
• Flame on low, let sauce thicken.
• Drain sauce so you’re left with only the liquid.

Sweet Potato

• Boil potatoes till a skewer slides through thickest part easily.
• De-skin, mash it. Don’t over-mash. Chunks are nice.
• Add olive oil, makes it smooth.
• Chop red onions, cherry tomatoes, Chinese celery. Not too fine.
• Mix it all up with lemon and blasamic vinegar to taste.

Now, I usually get the red sweet potato, but they were out and my mother picked up the purple. Purple sweet potato looks awful mashed up ’cause it’s almost black.

But when I poured in the balsamic vinegar, some chemical reaction happened, because it turned the blackish-purple into a red-purple and it looked lovely.

I just love the colour. Here’s another shot of it.

I’m salivating just looking at the colour!

Tomato Cucumber Salad

• Dice cucumbers and tomatoes.
• Salt, pepper, white wine vinegar, olive oil.
• Toss.

I think it turned out pretty well.

Okay, I really need to improve on my plating skills.

Salmon wasn’t overcooked at all. Lovely and pink in the middle.

Maybe too pink for some, but this is the way I like it. It’s so tender and smooth. You can see how it’s just starting to flake.

I don’t know if the Cointreau had anything to do with it, but there was absolutely no salmon smell. You know how it sometimes is.

Can do this again. Which is why I’m putting this down. So I don’t forget!