Pan-Seared Brined Salmon Fillets

Ingredients

• 350 g white fish bones (for stock)
• 800 g salmon fillet (preferably wild salmon with skin)
• 0.5 tsp mustard seeds
• 16 white peppercorns
• 0.5 lime
• 40 g salt
• 30 g sugar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 sprigs Parsley
• 4 sprigs dill
• 1 bundle vegetable stock vegetables
• 250 g onions (3 onions)
• 40 g butter (2 tbsp)
• 500 ml red wine (or fish stock)
• 250 ml classic vegetable broth
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 Bay leaves
• 500 g parsnips (5 parsnips)
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 40 g fresh horseradish (1 piece)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Soak the bones for about 12 hours in a bowl with cold water.

2. 2.

   Remove any remaining small bones from the fillet with tweezers if necessary. Rinse the fillet cold, pat dry with paper towels and place skin-side down in a shallow baking dish.

3. 3.

   Crush mustard seeds and half of the peppercorns in a mortar. Squeeze lime juice. Mix crushed grains with salt, sugar, honey, 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp lime juice and spread over the fish.

4. 4.

   Wash parsley and dill, shake dry, pluck leaves or stems, roughly chop and distribute over the fillet. Cover and let marinate for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator (brine).

5. 5.

   Clean and peel vegetable stock vegetables. Peel onions. Cut everything into 1 cm cubes.

6. 6.

   Drain bones, rinse cold and let drain.

7. 7.

   Melt butter in a pot, sauté bones in butter for 45 seconds.

8. 8.

   Add vegetables to the bones, pour in red wine and broth, bring to a boil. Wash thyme, add with bay leaves and remaining peppercorns to the stock and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes.

9. 9.

   Strain the stock through a sieve and reduce by about two-thirds. This takes 30-40 minutes. Set aside. The dish can be prepared the day before up to this step.

10. 10.

    Clean parsnips and grate them with a vegetable peeler. Halve lengthwise, cut into small pieces and place in a large bowl.

11. 11.

    Wash rosemary, shake dry, pluck needles and finely chop. Mix with remaining oil, a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss with parsnip pieces, spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (gas: level 3, convection not recommended) on the second rack from below for about 30 minutes. Flip after 15 minutes.

12. 12.

    Five minutes before the end of the parsnip cooking time, wipe the seasoning paste off the salmon. Cut the salmon from the skin and divide into eight equal pieces.

13. 13.

    Heat a non-stick pan and sear the salmon pieces for 1-2 minutes on each side. Bring the sauce to a boil again and season with salt and pepper. Peel horseradish and grate finely. Plate the pan-seared brined salmon fillets and parsnips, drizzle with sauce, and sprinkle with freshly grated horseradish. Traditionally, separate white bread croutons are served alongside this salmon dish.