I’m slowly but surely getting more adventurous with fish. This is a great dish to dip your toe in the fishy sea water. Even though it’s a creamy sauce, the crème fraiche, mint and lemon juice bring a lightness to the dish.
I used Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc in the sauce but also enjoyed a nice cold glass of it with the pasta for dinner. I don’t have expensive tastes when it comes to wine; I like what I like. I did go to a winery in the Tamborine mountains in Australia and I mentioned that I wasn’t a massive red wine drinker and the sommelier told me that I didn’t have a sophisticated palette 😊 whatevs.
This is my go-to white, it’s hard to beat a New Zealand, Marlborough.
The makers describe the flavour profile as being “alive with a myriad of flavours” and I agree. It’s got a fresh citrus taste with undertones of gooseberry and passionfruit.
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp salt
1 brown onion, diced
100g frozen peas, thawed
150g smoked salmon, torn into pieces
100g farfalle pasta
2 cloves garlic, minced
50ml chicken/vegetable stock
400 ml white wine
50g parmesan cheese
200ml crème fraiche
Juice 1/2 lemon
Salt & pepper
Small bunch mint, finely chopped
Method
1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook as per the packet instructions. Normally around 8-10 mins until el dente.
2. Meanwhile make the sauce. Heat a pan on a medium setting and add the olive oil and allow to heat up. Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes, be careful not to let it burn.
3. Add in the peas. Increase the heat and add the stock and wine. Allow the liquid to reduce to about half of the original amount.
4. Take the pan off the heat temporarily. You will need to add the crème fraiche, spoon by spoon to prevent the sauce from splitting. A little tip that I learnt on the Rouxbe course is to get your spoon of crème fraiche and before adding it to the sauce, warm the back of it in the sauce and then stir in slowly.
5. Once all the crème fraiche has been incorporated into the dish, add the smoked salmon to the pan, stir and place back on a low hear. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat. Stir in the parmesan and lemon juice. Season to taste.
7. Sprinkle the mint over and serve straight away.
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