Pan Seared Salmon with Mashed Peas

I was walking around Cold Storage, looking for something to cook dinner. The Salmon fillets look nice and I thought sure why not? I had half a pack of frozen peas that have been in the freezer for a while, so I thought I might as well use them. Peas and fish usually go well together. This brought me to my next thought "sauce". I decided on a simple white wine butter sauce. Then I thought, why not throw in some shrimp in the white wine butter sauce. So one thing led to another, which led to dinner being served :)

Pan Seared Salmon with mashed pea, white wine butter shrimp and double baked potatoes

Just gotta love the crispy salmon skin. Wifey thought it was good, so that's a win for me. :)

Here's what you'll need for a meal for 2:

2 Salmon fillets - about 180 grams each, de-boned

Mashed Peas:
200 grams peas (frozen will do fine)
1 yellow/white onion - diced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil

White wine butter shrimp.
100grams shrimp - shelled
2 cloves of garlic - sliced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1-2 tablespoons dry white wine
2 sprigs of thyme (leaves only)
salt and pepper to taste


The recipe for the potatoes is here. 

Steps:

For the mashed peas:
1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. (about 1 tablespoon of salt to a medium sized pot of water) Once water is boiling, add in the peas and blanch for 3 minutes. Remove from heat, strain the water and set aside.

2. In a medium sized frying pan, heat a little oil. Then add in the diced onions and fry for about 3 minutes. Until the onions turn translucent and soft. Add in the blanched peas and fry for 30 secs. Turn of heat and set aside in a bowl.

3. In a blender, add the peas, onions, olive oil and butter. Start to blend. Add the milk gradually, to help loosen the mixture, allowing it to blend more easily. (you can use water instead of milk). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Once well blended to a smooth paste, spoon out and set aside.

For the Salmon Fillets:
1. Season the fillet with salt and pepper. Heat some oil over medium heat in a frying pan. When oil is heated up, lay in the salmon, skin side down. Cook for about 3 minutes and turn over and cook for about 1-2 minutes. You want the skin nice and crispy. Cooking times may vary based on the thickness of your fillets. When done, remove from pan and set aside.

For the shrimp:
1. Heat some oil over medium heat in a frying pan, add in the garlic and fry or about 1-2 minutes. At this point add in the shrimp and fry for a minute on each side.

2. Add in the white wine, butter and thyme leaves. Stir and mix well. Allow the liquid to simmer for 1-2 minutes. (If you need to, you can remove the shrimp to prevent overcooking).

To plate:

1. Spoon a generous dollop of mashed peas on the plate, lay the salmon over the peas, skin side up.

2. Spoon shrimp and potatoes on the side. Drizzle remaining white wine butter sauce over the salmon.

3. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

Enjoy!