Salmon with Herb Grana Padano Sauce and Spring Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 400 g whole wheat Spirelli pasta (or other pasta variety)
• Salad
• 400 g green asparagus
• 7 tbsp olive oil
• 4 radishes
• 2 handfuls arugula (40 g)
• 30 g Kalamata olives (pitted)
• 50 g walnut kernels
• 100 g Grana Padano
• 3 tbsp Lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
• Pepper
• 1 Shallot
• 0.5 bunch mixed herbs (10 g; e.g., thyme, parsley, basil)
• 100 ml White wine
• 100 g heavy cream
• 100 g Sour cream
• 600 g salmon fillet (4 pieces of 150 g each)

Instructions

1. 1.

   For the salad cook pasta in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes until al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water and let drain. Meanwhile trim asparagus, wash and cut off woody ends. Split lengthwise and cut diagonally into pieces. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and sauté asparagus pieces over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove and cool.

2. 2.

   Trim radishes, wash, halve and slice thinly. Shake arugula dry after washing. Halve olives lengthwise. Roughly chop walnut kernels. Grate 60 g Grana Padano. Whisk together 4 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, maple syrup and 2 tbsp water; season with salt and pepper. Combine pasta with all prepared ingredients into a salad and set aside.

3. 3.

   For the sauce peel and finely chop shallot. Wash herbs, shake dry, pluck leaves and finely chop. Grate remaining Grana Padano. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a small pot, sauté shallot over medium heat for 3 minutes. Deglaze with white wine and reduce over low heat for 5–10 minutes. Stir in heavy cream, sour cream and Grana Padano; cook over low to medium heat while stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Add herbs and season with salt and pepper.

4. 4.

   Rinse salmon fillets under cold water and pat dry. Heat remaining olive oil in a pan and sear salmon over medium heat for 4–5 minutes on one side, then flip and cook another 4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and remaining lemon juice.

5. 5.

   Distribute pasta salad onto four plates and serve each with one salmon fillet and a drizzle of sauce.