Fine Cooking Magazine - November/December 2020

Servings: 4

This is the dish Patrick Dempsey’s character tells Renée Zellweger’s Bridget Jones that he would have brought her on their imaginary second date in Bridget Jones’s Baby. “From Ottolenghi,” says Dempsey, “delicious and healthy!” And easy, we might add! What sounded like a bit of product placement on our part was in fact no such thing. The recipe didn’t even exist on our menu, so this is a retrospective acknowledgment.

Ingredients

3/4 cup currants
4 salmon fillets, skin on and pin bones removed (1 lb. 2 oz.)
7 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and black pepper
4 medium celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch dice (1-3/4 cups), leaves removed but kept for garnish
1/4 cup pine nuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup capers, plus 2 Tbs. of their brine
1/3 cup large green olives, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 8)
1 good pinch (1/4 tsp.) of saffron threads, mixed with 1 Tbs. hot water
1 cup parsley, roughly chopped
1 lemon: finely zest to get 1 tsp., then juice to get 1 tsp.

Preparation

Cover the currants with boiling water and set aside to soak for 20 minutes while you prep the salmon and make the salsa.
Mix the salmon with 1 Tbs. of the oil, a rounded 1/4 tsp. salt, and a good grind of black pepper. Set aside while you make
the salsa.
Put 5 Tbs. of the olive oil into a large sauté pan and place on high heat. Add the celery and pine nuts and fry for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the nuts begin to brown (don’t take your eyes off them, as they can easily burn). Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the capers and their brine, the olives, saffron and its water, and a pinch of salt. Drain the currants and add these, along with the parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Set aside.
Put the remaining 1 Tbs. of oil into a large frying pan and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and fry for 3 minutes, until the skin is crisp. Decrease the heat to medium, then flip the fillets over and continue to fry for 2 to 4 minutes (depending on how much you like the salmon cooked). Remove from the pan and set aside.
Arrange the salmon on four plates and spoon on the salsa. Scatter the celery leaves on top.

(5 ratings) Read Reviews

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Reviews (6 reviews)

Lpilon | 05/30/2021
I've made this several times for company to family dinners and always love it. I usually omit the saffron. Tonight I had fresh fennel bulb to use up and substituted it for the celery - it was a keeper! I'm sometimes tempted to use craisins instead of currants - be strong - currants are better. The salsa is lovely. I removed the salmon skin as I knew certain family members wouldn't eat it. It's a solid recipe! Served with brown basmati and salad.
wheatprincess | 02/21/2019
This is really good! It's easy and comes together relatively quickly. I almost have all the ingredients on hand, including frozen salmon. I thought the saffron added subtle depth. Thanks to other reviewers for serving suggestions. I served it with orzo. Next time I am going to serve it with cauliflower for a lovely low-carb meal.
joannalynn60 | 02/13/2019
Have made this three times now and I am still craving it! Definitely company worthy. Served over risotto with lemon and rosemary.

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What We're Cooking Now

Name: Bridget Jones's Pan-Fried Salmon with Pine-Nut Salsa
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 3/4 cup currants; 4 salmon fillets, skin on and pin bones removed (1 lb. 2 oz.); 7 Tbs. olive oil; Salt and black pepper; 4 medium celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch dice (1-3/4 cups), leaves removed but kept for garnish; 1/4 cup pine nuts, roughly chopped; 1/4 cup capers, plus 2 Tbs. of their brine; 1/3 cup large green olives, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 8); 1 good pinch (1/4 tsp.) of saffron threads, mixed with 1 Tbs. hot water; 1 cup parsley, roughly chopped; 1 lemon: finely zest to get 1 tsp., then juice to get 1 tsp.