Gennaro’s salmon and fennel – a tasty meal made in no time

Salmon and fennel go well together and the addition of the creamy sauce makes this a very tasty meal, which can be made in no time. As the salmon is coated in flour and fried, it retains a slight crispiness on the outside, which combines perfectly with the slightly crunchy fennel.

Cooking time: 30 minutes (including prep)

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 fennel bulbs
zest and juice of 1 lemon
4 salmon fillets (about 110g)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
plain flour, for coating
80g butter
a splash of white wine
100ml whipping cream
30g grated Parmesan

Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/gas mark 7.

Remove the green fronds from the fennel bulb and set aside. Slice each bulb into 8 segments, place into acidulated water (water mixed with the lemon juice) and set aside.

Cut each salmon fillet into 4 chunks, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and coat in flour. Heat 40g of the butter in a frying pan set over a medium heat.

Add the salmon chunks and seal on both sides, for about 3-4 minutes. Add a splash of white wine and cook for a further minute. Remove the salmon and set aside.

In the same pan, heat the remaining butter, add the fennel segments and some salt and pepper, and cook on a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes on both sides.

Combine the cream, Parmesan and lemon zest and season with some more salt and pepper.

Arrange the fennel in an ovenproof dish, place the salmon chunks on top and pour over the creamy mixture. Bake in the hot oven for 5 minutes, until golden. Serve, sprinkled with the reserved fennel fronds.

Extracted from Gennaro’s Fast Cook Italian by Gennaro Contaldo (Pavilion Books, approx €23).
Photograph by Kim Lightbody.