Pan Fried Salmon

1. 
   
   
   "So difficult to cook!! Always overcook then so tough and no taste!" That's something we hear when people talk about cooking fish. And thats what we thought as well until a chef friend, M, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu dispelled that myth.
   
   
   Cost: $8
   Costs outside: $25-$35

   Feeds: 1

   Time: 30 minutes

   Difficulty: Low

   Shiokness: 7.5/10

   
   

   Ingredients

   300g Salmon fillet

   Fresh dill and oregano

   1 small slice of butter

   Olive oil

   Lemon

   Salt
   
   
   Here are the instructions he gave, complete with step by step pictures we took on our 2nd attempt. 1st attempt was phénoménal, because we never knew home cooked fish could taste so good. 2nd was just as good but we knew what to expect - just like the feeling you get when you return to an excellent hatted (or starred) restaurant. It never tastes as good as the first time, unless there is a significant change of menu or chef of course.
   
   
   If you are in Sydney, the Fish market at Pymont is an excellent place for the freshest seafood. Today we bought 2 piece for dinner and we paid about $15 for it. The current price is about $24 per kg. Your salmon should be of a very bright pinky colour and smell watery and not fishy; this is a sign of freshness.
   
   
   If required, descale the fish using a knife or a de-scaler. The next part is a simple but important step to cooking your fish right.
   
   
   Slice the fish skin in the middle and at the sides. This prevents the skin from pulling and curling the fish fillet which will then make it difficult for each side of the fish to maintain maximum contact with the pan.
   
   
   
   Next, season with just salt and a little mixed herbs. Of course fresh oregano and dill would be great, but if you dont have them at hand, the ones you see in the picture will do. Now, thats the beauty of really fresh fish, there is no need for much fancy seasoning. Alternative for your next attempt: Try rubbing white Japanese Miso paste over it.
   
   Leave it for about 5 minutes, and drizzle some olive oil & fresh lemon juice on it and let rest for another 5 minutes.
   
   
   Heat up a non-stick pan with a small slice of butter. When the pan is hot, turn down the fire to low-medium and place the fish skin side down. When doing so, do not let the sides of the fish fillet touch the hot surface of the pan, as this will be your "done-ness indicator". Do not touch the fish at all, just leave them to cook. At this point, start a stopwatch!
   
   
   
   If you observe the sides of the fish right after putting the fish on the pan, you'll see that they'll look uncooked and still look orange in colour.
   
   
   After about 4 minutes, the sides of the fish will slowly turn pinkish, when the whole of the sides have turned pinkish (pinkiness have reached all the way to the top), it's time to flip the fillet. What you see in the picture below is at about 2 and a half minutes. Remember the stop watch? At this point, take note of how long you have cooked the fish for. (lets say 4 minutes in this case)
   
   
   
   
   
   After flipping the fish, cook for the same time as you did for the other side - another 3 minutes. But if you like your fish slightly medium like me, cook for 75% of that time.
   
   
   
   
   
   For today, we did a fillet that was well done (left pic) and one that was closer to medium (right pic). As you can see, the fish is so fresh that it flakes apart when i pressed it with my fork.
   
   
   
   Serve with your favorite white wine. Riesling was our choice.

Red Chicken Curry

Regrettably, my camera man was not available to help me out with pictures, and we all know how difficult it can be to cook and take pictures at the same time. Nonetheless, I'd like to share my dinner with you.

Its Red curry with fresh chicken thigh, ripened tomatoes, pineapple and potatoes. On the sides, you have hard boiled eggs and pork floss with sweet kachap manis and dark soy sauce.

I though it was quite a clean tasting curry and surprisingly the ramdom egg dish complementated the curry. Of course, we had a beatiful bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from Tempus Two to go with the meal. I think a crisp Riesling will be great with this as well.

Potato Dill Salad

Ever since I tried the Potato Dill Salad at my colleague's house, I've been longing for it ever since. Today, I'd like to share with you how wonderful this dish can be. Its refreshing, light and (seems but not exactly) healthy. You can store them in the fridge and bring them for lunch for several days.

Cost: <$10

Feeds: 4

Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Low

Shiokness: 6.5/10

Ingredients
5 large chopped potatoes (skin on)
1 cup sour cream
1 bunch of fresh dill
1 bunch of spring onion
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
5 teaspoon of mayonnaise
salt & pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook for approximately 15 mins until tender. Drain and cool in cold water.

Grab a bunch of fresh dill.

Chop them into small bits.

Chop the spring onions.

In a small bowl, combine with the sour cream, Mayonaise, Dijon mustard, dill and spring onions.

Stir gently mixing the dressing thoroughly.
Add the salt and pepper to taste.

Pour dressing over chilled potatoes and toss gently.

Refrigerate the potato salad for 20 - 30 mins before serving. Enjoy!
P.S: For more crunch, add some fresh chopped celery.