- olive oil and butter, for frying
- 4 x 170g/6oz pieces of thick salmon fillet, skin on
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1.5kg/3lb 5oz live mussels
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
- 3 shallots, finely chopped
- 1 small leek, finely chopped
- ½ bulb fennel, finely sliced
- 200g/7¼oz brown chestnut mushrooms, sliced
- pinch curry powder
- pinch of saffron strands
- 25ml/1fl oz pastis
- 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
- 1 bay leaf
- 50g/1¾oz flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- additional saffron strands
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
- To make the salmon, in a non-stick frying pan heat the olive oil and butter.
- Season the salmon and place in the hot pan, skin side down. Leave for 3-4 minutes before carefully turning over. Cook for another two minutes.
- Place in the oven and cook for 5-6 minutes or until cooked to your liking.
- To make the sauce, scrub the mussels well, discarding any that are cracked or will not close when tapped.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the shallots, leeks, fennel and mushrooms. Then add the curry powder, saffron and a splash of pastis. Bring to the boil.
- Add the mussels, the cream and the bay leaf and finally the parsley and the butter. Season to taste.
- Once the mussels open the sauce is ready to serve.
- Serve at once with the pan-fried salmon fillet, sprinkled with the saffron strands.