Pan-fried salmon with parsnip puree

Serves:

Ingredients

• 4 x 200g salmon fillets
• 4 (500g) parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• lemon or lime wedges, to serve

Method

Place parsnips in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes or until parsnips are tender. Drain parsnips, reserving 2 tablespoons cooking water. Use a stab mixer to puree the parsnips (or mash) until smooth. Add the oil and just enough of the reserved water to make a mash consistency. Season with salt and pepper (optional). Keep warm.

Heat a frying pan to high heat and place salmon portions in, skin side up. Cook for 5 minutes until nicely golden, turn the portions over and cook for another 5 minutes until salmon is still just pink in the middle (longer if you prefer it cooked all the way through).

Serve the salmon on a pile of parsnip puree with a lemon or lime wedge.

Notes:

• Many people have a very low opinion of parsnips, but do give this puree a try. The olive oil and a bit of salt add a hint of richness, a great accompaniment to the salmon.
• If you are confident juggling pans in the kitchen, you can make the parsnip puree while the salmon is cooking.
• I manoeuvre the skin off with a spatula as I am serving, but leave the crunchy skin on if that suits your family/guests.
• Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot.

Serving Suggestions

Note