Crispy Italian-Style Salmon Recipe

A sheet of filo comes with a world of possibilities, and its crispiness allows you to give free rein to your creativity. Olivier Sébastien proves his own once again by playing with flavours. The chef of Le Garage restaurant, near Les Halles Bocuse in Lyon, has come up with a unique way of preparing salmon – a recipe you must try!

• 1 sheet filo pastry
• olive oil
  
• 1 slab of salmon, 30g
  
• 20g ricotta
  
• 5 basil leaves
  
• 1 small cucumber
  
• 1 tomato
  
• 1 small shallot
  
• 4 stalks coriander
  
• 2.5 tsp cumin
  
• 1/2 lemon
  
• a few lettuce leaves

Prepare the crispy salmon: Preheat oven to 180°C. Spread out the filo pastry and brush it with olive oil. Trim the salmon into a rectangle and place it in the centre of the filo, then top with the ricotta and 2 basil leaves. Salt, pepper and wrap like a package. Bake for 15 minutes.

Make the fresh salad: Brunoise (julienne and then dice) the cucumber. Peel the tomato by first plunging it into boiling water for a few seconds, after which the skin should slide off, then deseed and dice 1/4 of it. Mince the shallot and snip the coriander and rest of the basil. Combine all the vegetables in a bowl with the cumin, 1 tbsp olive oil and juice of the lemon half. Season to taste.

To serve, cut the wrapped salmon in half and place it on a plate with the salad and a few lettuce leaves.

For even more flavour, mix together the ricotta and basil. And as a delicious variation, you could substitute parmesan, goat cottage cheese or mozzarella for the ricotta – the choice is yours!

We recommend a Viré-Clessé Cuvée Spéciale 2014 – this fresh and lively Chardonnay brings a certain roundness with its dry and fruity side. You can also enjoy this fish starter with a mild Ardèche white wine, such as Le Viognier 2015 from the cuvée Les Granges de Mirabel.

Enjoy!