This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Can using one spice over another change the taste of a dish? Absolutely, but that doesn’t stop you from replacing it with spices from the same aromatic family, when you know it. This is what the D proposesr Stuart Farrimond in his book The science of spices. Simply understand everything, which offers different variations of this easy-to-prepare Chinese recipe. “This delicately spicy dish owes its slight spiciness to star anise and chili pepper, which flavor it without covering the taste of the fish. This recipe lends itself particularly well to lightly smoked salmon, but you can also use fresh salmon steaks,” he says.
For 4 people
Preparation: 30 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Ingredients
4 lightly smoked salmon steaks, skinless
½ tsp. tsp (2.5 ml) ground white pepper
1 handful of star anise fruits, crushed
1 C. tbsp (15 ml) Shaoxing wine (rice wine) or dry sherry
1 C. tbsp (15 ml) fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 chili pepper, seeded and cut into approximately 12 strips
4 tbsp. teaspoon (20 ml) soy sauce
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1 C. tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
2 tbsp. teaspoon (10 ml) sesame oil
1 C. teaspoon (5 ml) chili oil
Preparation
1. Rub the salmon steaks with white pepper. Arrange them in a single layer in a heat-resistant dish, putting a piece of anise under and on each piece.
2. Moisten with wine or sherry, sprinkle with ginger and place a few strips of chili pepper on each piece.
3. Pour 2 cm of water into a steamer and bring to the boil. Place the dish in the steamer, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
4. Once the fish is cooked, remove the dish from the steamer and remove the star anise pieces. Pour the soy sauce over the fish and sprinkle with spring onions.
5. Heat a wok or casserole dish over high heat. Pour in the three oils and coat the sides of the wok or casserole dish. When the oil is very hot and slightly smoking, remove it from the heat and pour it over the fish. Serve with white rice and sautéed green vegetables, such as bok choy.
Spicy Ideas
· Incorporate peppers of different colors: black pepper for a more aromatic and complex spiciness; green pepper for herbaceous notes.
· Replace star anise with other spices with fresh notes: allspice will reveal the fruity aromas of chili pepper; the floral coriander will enhance the citral of the ginger.
· Replace fresh chiles with dried chiles (rehydrated and minced) for smoky, toasted flavors.
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