About this recipe
I first created this Tasmanian grilled salmon dish when appearing on TV in Nagoya Japan and it went down well with the Japanese hosts. The subtle flavours of the grilled salmon blend well with sweet flavours of the riberries and the macadamia nut sauce combines well with the rest of the ingredients.
A key ingredient in the macadamia nut sauce is macadamia nut butter which is similar to peanut butter and contains roasted macadamia nuts and sea salt. Macadamia nut butter is high in monounsaturated oils which help lower cholesterol and what’s more tastes great.
Ingredients
4 x 200g salmon steak
50g (1½ oz.) chopped macadamia nuts
5ml (1 teaspoon) paperbark smoke oil
pinch lemon myrtle
30g (1 tablespoon) riberry confit
For the macadamia nut sauce
5ml (1 teaspoon) macadamia nut oil
1 small onion
30ml (2 tablespoons) riesling
70g (5 tablespoons) macadamia nut butter
300ml (1½ cups) full cream
pinch of alpine pepper
pinch salt
Cooking instruction
Finely dice the onion. Place into a saucepan with macadamia nut oil on low heat and sauté until lightly golden in colour. Salt the onions at this stage as it brings out the sweetness in them. Deglaze the saucepan with the white wine, stir to lift the pan juices and add the cream and macadamia nut butter. (This can be made, if necessary, by blending toasted macadamia nut pieces in a food processor for 10 to 15 minutes or until the butter forms.) Allow the sauce to simmer, and reduce until slightly thickened. Season with alpine pepper to taste.
As a garnish, toast the chopped macadamia nuts in a saucepan on medium heat. Toss them around until the smallest pieces are just lightly golden and then transfer the toasted nut pieces to a plate to cool.
Lightly rub macadamia nut oil over the salmon steaks, then place them onto a pre-heated BBQ or grill on medium heat. Ideally the salmon steaks should be served medium rare which is warm inside but still dark orange-pink with the edges cooked to pale pink. Remember that the steaks will tend to cook on a little even when removed from the heat. When cooked, remove the steaks and brush with paperbark oil and dust with lemon myrtle.
To serve, ladle the macadamia nut cream sauce on the plate, then place the salmon on top and garnish with the riberry confit and toasted macadamia nuts.
Serve with mixed greens or steamed vegetables.
