Potato Gratin with Spicy Salmon, Fennel and Crumb Crust

Ingredients

• 2 bulbs of fennel
• Salt
• 600 g salmon fillet
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• chili flakes
• butter (for greasing the dish)
• 200 g heavy cream
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cooked potatoes (from the day before)
• 3 slices of toast bread (without crusts)
• 2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
• paprika powder
• Cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp butter (in small pieces)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Clean, wash and cut the fennel into bite‑size pieces. Blanch in boiling salted water for about 3 minutes, then cool with cold water and drain. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (top/bottom heat). Season the salmon fillet with salt, pepper and sprinkle with chili flakes. Place it in a buttered baking dish.

2. 2.

   Whisk together the cream, eggs, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pour one third of this mixture over the salmon. Peel and slice the potatoes. Mix them with the fennel and layer both on top of the salmon, then pour the remaining egg‑cream mixture over everything. Bake in the oven (middle rack) for about 30 minutes.

3. 3.

   Crush or finely dice the bread. Combine with Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle this over the gratin. Dust with paprika and cayenne pepper, add the butter pieces on top, and bake at 220 °C for 5–10 minutes until a nice crust forms.