This vibrant, warming dish layers sweet leeks and creamy butter beans enriched with crème fraiche, topped with crisp-skinned salmon fillets. It’s a comforting yet elegant meal, full of texture and subtle aniseed notes from fennel seed.
Serves 2
Extra virgin olive oil
1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp The Spice Trader fennel seeds
700g El Navarrico large white farmhouse beans, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp Zany Zeus Crème Fraiche
2 salmon fillets
2 slices Julie Le Clerc preserved lemon, pulp removed and rind chopped
Parsely, chopped
Heat a little oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks with a pinch of salt, cover, and cook gently for 8–10 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and fennel seeds, cooking for 1 minute more. Add the butter beans and preserved lemon and mix gently. Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the crème fraîche. Keep warm.
Pat the salmon fillets dry with kitchen paper, then season well and rub the skin with extra virgin olive oil. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over high heat. Place the salmon skin-side down and cook until the skin is crisp and golden. Flip and cook for another 1–2 minutes, until the flesh is nearly opaque and just cooked through.
Season the creamy leeks and butterbeans to taste and serve with salmon, topped with chopped parsley. Pair with a glass of Izadi Blanco Rioja 2023. Enjoy!
