Plums (and Salmon!)
It's that time of year again! And even without being able to access my new plum trees in the jungle that is my steeply slope 'tomt', norsk plommer are everywhere right now. So, of course, i picked some up -- Victorias, i think they are called. And was gobsmacked by their ripe sweetness! I wasn't thinking, and just expected them to be hard and bitter and to require a week or so of ripening. But not in September.... These were so good that the bowl of them you see in the picture is considerably diminished from what it was when i came home with them.
Of course, if you have access to amateur plums (not retail), you will be once again seasonally challenged by the "Oh my God, what do i do with all these plumbs!" refrain. Well, this little recipe won't make a big dint in your bushel, but boy, it turned out good!
Basically, i had a bit of salmon loin that was getting near its use date. Salmon is one of those foods in which use dates do matter. If fish tastes fishy, it is TOO OLD! This wasn't fishy, but i wasn't going to use it for sushi, that's for sure. It needed a sauce or marinade with a bit of flavour just in case, but not something that was over the top. Casting my eyes around the kichen, they kept coming back to this bowl of plums.... Why not? What the heck.....
And they turned out to be sooo good. Take a small risk. Try it. You won't be sorry!
Of course, if you have access to amateur plums (not retail), you will be once again seasonally challenged by the "Oh my God, what do i do with all these plumbs!" refrain. Well, this little recipe won't make a big dint in your bushel, but boy, it turned out good!
Basically, i had a bit of salmon loin that was getting near its use date. Salmon is one of those foods in which use dates do matter. If fish tastes fishy, it is TOO OLD! This wasn't fishy, but i wasn't going to use it for sushi, that's for sure. It needed a sauce or marinade with a bit of flavour just in case, but not something that was over the top. Casting my eyes around the kichen, they kept coming back to this bowl of plums.... Why not? What the heck.....
And they turned out to be sooo good. Take a small risk. Try it. You won't be sorry!
So, for plums and salmon....
I decided to grill them on a skewer and serve with japanese sticky rice. First question was, what is to go on the skewer? Well, chunks of salmon, obviously, and plums. But what else? In the end i chose big pieces of red pepper and some rather solid tomatoes that had started out green (for fried green tomatoes, but that's another story) which had ripened whilst i was away all last week.
And they had to be marinated. So i grabbed four skewers and put them in a tall glass of water to soak. I wanted a perky, sweet and fresh marinade. So i got out the blender and loaded it with one whole Clementine orange. I cut it into small chunks and left about a quarter of the skin on to give it some zest. In went some chopped spring onion, flat leaf parsley, the juice of half a lime, a tblsp of maple syrup (you could use sugar), salt, pepper and a couple of tablespoons of juice (i used some passionfruit juice that was in the fridge. Orange would work, or even water). A longish session in the blender produced a perfect marinade, thick but liquid and all the skewer ingredients (salmon, tomatoes, red peppers, and plums) went in it to bathe for an hour.
I decided to grill them on a skewer and serve with japanese sticky rice. First question was, what is to go on the skewer? Well, chunks of salmon, obviously, and plums. But what else? In the end i chose big pieces of red pepper and some rather solid tomatoes that had started out green (for fried green tomatoes, but that's another story) which had ripened whilst i was away all last week.
And they had to be marinated. So i grabbed four skewers and put them in a tall glass of water to soak. I wanted a perky, sweet and fresh marinade. So i got out the blender and loaded it with one whole Clementine orange. I cut it into small chunks and left about a quarter of the skin on to give it some zest. In went some chopped spring onion, flat leaf parsley, the juice of half a lime, a tblsp of maple syrup (you could use sugar), salt, pepper and a couple of tablespoons of juice (i used some passionfruit juice that was in the fridge. Orange would work, or even water). A longish session in the blender produced a perfect marinade, thick but liquid and all the skewer ingredients (salmon, tomatoes, red peppers, and plums) went in it to bathe for an hour.
The fish and veg were threaded onto the skewers and when the rice had cooked and was 'steaming', they went under a hot grill with the oven door open. I left them what felt like 'too long' so they blackened a bit, turned them over once, and blackened them again. Perfect! Well, almost.... Like all good cooks, i am always critical of my products and next time i think i would substitute red onions for the tomatoes. Or maybe even just pig out and only put the salmon, peppers and more plums!
Served with the rice and a bit of wasabi, they were great, tho. The plums caramelized but were so soft that the pits were not a problem, and made a perfect complement to the salmon. Who woulda guessed eh? :>)
Served with the rice and a bit of wasabi, they were great, tho. The plums caramelized but were so soft that the pits were not a problem, and made a perfect complement to the salmon. Who woulda guessed eh? :>)
So there you have it -- Plums and Salmon. And now i am inspired to try using fresh plums in other sweet and savoury combinations. They would be great with chicken breasts, roasted in an oven pan. Or even, maybe, with burnt aubergine....
At any rate, if you got em, flaunt em! Plums are for more than just chutney! enjoy....
At any rate, if you got em, flaunt em! Plums are for more than just chutney! enjoy....
