Recipe: Igor Macchia's salmon roll with leek and tomato sauce

Here's another recipe from Chef Igor Macchia's cooking class at Mandarin Oriental KL. I think this is a great dish to make for dinner parties. You can make the salmon roll in advance, then freeze it and pop it in the oven when your guests arrive.

When I took my first bite of this dish, it reminded me a little of salmon en croute, except that this salmon roll is coated with mashed potato rather than puff pastry.

Salmon roll with spinach and potato, served with a leek and tomato sauce
Serves 4

For the salmon roll
320g fresh salmon fillet
100g instant mash potato
100g fresh spinach
50g eggs
20g flour
100g bread crumbs

Leek and tomato sauce
200g fish stock
100g tomato concasse
100g leeks, julienned
5g salt
2g pepper
10g olive oil

For the salmon roll:
1. Cut the salmon fillet into rectangular shape 8 x 3cm. Place cling film on work surface and then arrange boiled spinach (approx 8cm too) on the cling film, then place the salmon on top of the spinach. Roll and wrap the salmon with the spinach and keep it cool.

2. Prepare a thick mash potato to wrap the salmon fillet. Apply a layer of mash potato on the cling film  enough to cover the salmon roll (adjust the thickness of the mash depending on whether you wanna taste more salmon or mash in this dish). With the aid of the cling film, roll the mash potato so that it coats the spinach-salmon fillet.

3. Sprinkle some water on the work surface. This will help you roll it into a "sausage". Make sure it is tight and then freeze for at least 12 hours.

4. Pass the frozen salmon roll in flour, eggs and breadcrumb. Deep fry until golden brown, then finish the cooking process in the 160C oven (this will determine how cooked the salmon will be - my guess would be around 6-7 minutes)

For the leek tomato sauce:
1. Heat olive oil in pan, add leeks and cook until soft. Add tomato concasse, season with salt and pepper. Finish the sauce with a dash of extra virgin olive oil.

Plating:
1. Cut the cooked salmon roll into two (in an angle).
2. Place the tomato leek sauce on the plate (preferably a deep pasta or soup plate).
3. Arrange the salmon on top of the sauce.
4. Finish with olive oil and fresh garden cress or herbs.

Please click here to read more about the cooking class.