Salmon Ballotin

Fresh raw salmon is marinated in fennel, leeks, carrots, salt, sugar and pepper overnight to develop a sweet, spicy and zesty flavor then cut into long pieces, and bound with sautéed mushrooms and leeks to create a delightful and elegant canapé. The fennel marinade subtly pickles the fish giving it aromatic flavor and firmer texture, while retaining its characteristic silky softness and melt-in-your-tongue quality. Marinated salmon ballotin makes an attractive and fabulous hors d’oeuvres for fancy cocktail parties and graceful entrees for formal dinners. Paired with an exquisite bottle of Chablis, rolled salmon is pure luxury in the mouth.

Ballotin is a French term that roughly translates to “small package of goods.” It normally refers to a ornamental cardboard box for the packaging chocolate candies, thought to be a romantic present or thoughtful gift. In this gastronome dish, button mushrooms and leeks are wrapped in salmon to make a roll a la ballotin. This recipe is also similar to sushi rolls as the salmon is eaten raw, only it utilizes European spices and ingredients rather of Asian or Japanese. Like the ballotin, this salmon recipe is as lovely as a wrapped gift.

Fennel has a very strong anise-like flavor and intensely invigorating aroma. Crunchy and more or less sweet, this aromatic plant especially complements most kinds of fish and is also used for therapeutic uses. It is a popular ingredient in Italian and Mediterranean cooking, eaten as a veggie or used as an aromatic herb. The stalks, bulb, leaves, and seeds of fennel are all edible. In this recipe, new fennel leaves and bulbs, as well as dried fennel, are used to marinade the fish. Closely related to dill, parsley, carrots, and coriander, fennel shares many features with these elements and complement them very well.

Get easy recipes for fish now.