Salmon Tournedos With Mango, Brie Cheese and a Roasted Tomato Veloute
Topped with a hibiscus flower, these salmon towers look very tropical but can, in fact, be made anywhere. Roasted tomato sauce surrounds a stack of seasoned mashed potatoes topped with a salmon roulade. Vegetables stir-fried with teriyaki sauce add an Asian touch.
Ingredients
- Roasted Tomato Veloute
- Cloves Garlic - 2, peeled
- Shallot - 1, peeled
- Lemongrass - 2, inner stems, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Red or green jalapeno chili peppers - 1 to 2, stemmed and seeded
- Basil leaves - 1/2 cup, fresh
- Cilantro Leaves - 1/2 cup, fresh
- Vegetable Oil - 2 tablespoons, divided
- Coconut Milk - 1/2 cup, canned
- Plum Tomatoes - 1, split in half and roasted until tender
- Romano or Parmesan cheese - 2 tablespoons, grated
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Salmon Tournedos
- Salmon fillets - eight, 1-inch pieces skinless, boneless center, cut 1-inch thick (about 2 pounds)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Ripe Mango - 12, thin strips, peeled
- Brie Cheese - 8 (1/4-inch thick by 2 inches long) strips
- Mashed Potatoes - 2 cups, hot cooked seasoned with grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper
- Asian Vegetables
- Vegetable Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Napa Cabbage - 4 cups, diced
- Carrots - 1/2 cup, julienned
- Yellow Onion - 1/2 cup, julienned
- Green Onions - 1/2 cup, julienned
- Bottled stir-fry sauce or teriyaki sauce - 2 tablespoons
- Optional Garnishes
- Blanched and grilled broccoli stalks
- Deep-fried julienned sweet potatoes
- Hibiscus flower
Instructions
To make the roasted tomato veloute: Combine garlic cloves, shallot, lemongrass and chile peppers in a food processor. Process until finely chopped. Add basil and cilantro leaves; process until finely chopped. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil; process until a paste forms. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half of the paste; saute 2 minutes. (Reserve remaining paste for Asian vegetables). Add coconut milk to skillet; simmer 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Add tomato halves; heat through. Add cheese; transfer to a food processor and puree. Strain sauce, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm.
For the tournedos: Heat oven to 375 F. Wrap two pieces of salmon together forming a circle or tournado; tie with cotton string. Repeat with remaining salmon. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tournedos (in batches if necessary) and sear for 1 minute per side. Transfer salmon to shallow roasting pan and roast in oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until opaque in center. Top salmon with mango strips and brie; return to oven and roast for 2 to 3 minutes or until brie begins to melt.
For the vegetables: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables; stir-fry 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Add reserved paste; stir-fry 1 minute. Add stir-fry sauce; stir-fry 1 minute.
To serve: For each serving, place a 3-inch ring mold in the center of a warmed dinner plate. Spoon 1/2 cup mashed potatoes into the ring. Lift the mold; repeat for each plate (or, spoon potatoes into a 3-inch mound). Spoon veloute sauce around potatoes. Spoon Asian vegetables in mounds around potatoes. Top potatoes with salmon. If desired, garnish each plate with broccoli, sweet potato julienne, and a hibiscus flower.
Substitute for salmon: firm-fleshed white fish, such as halibut or tilapia; Arctic char; mahi-mahi; striped bass; trout
If concerned about contaminants in farmed salmon, wild-caught salmon is the first choice for substitution (contaminants in farmed salmon are concentrated (PCBs) in the skin; removing the skin and draining the oil after cooking is a help).
