with Beetroot Purée and Horseradish Crème Fraîche 

Recipe from 'A River Rules My Kitchen', a cookbook by Tony Smith.

 Food Styling and Photography by Deborah Aspray. 

This is more of a restaurant-style dish. Some preparations such as the beetroot purée can be done ahead of time. Fresh horseradish is not always available, so instead of the dressing you could use 4 tablespoons of good quality horseradish sauce; Mandy's Horseradish Cream is a great substitute. 

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

600g salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

avocado oil

your favourite mixed salad leaves (include some rocket)

1 small red onion, finely sliced 

BEETROOT PURÉE

600g beetroot (about 3 tennis-ball-sized beets)

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

HORSERADISH DRESSING

3 tablespoons finely grated horseradish root

2 tablespoons fresh cream 

2 tablespoons crème fraîche

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 150°C. 

To make the beetroot purée, bake the beetroot in foil for around 1 1/2 hours or until cooked. Peel and purée the beetroot, preferably with a stick blender. Place in a saucepan on low heat, add the garlic, brown sugar, vinegar, and olive oil, and cookout to a nice consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Cool and refrigerate. This can be made a few days in advance. 

To make the horseradish dressing, mix the horseradish root with the cream and crème fraîche in a bowl until well blended. 

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Toast the sesame and coriander seeds, then crush lightly in a mortar and pestle.

Season the salmon pieces with a little salt and pepper. Roll the salmon in the coriander and sesame seed crumb to coat well. Heat a little avocado oil in a non-stick pan. Sear the salmon in the hot pan, presentation side down. Turn over to colour the other side. Place in the oven and cook for 3-4 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and rest in a warm place for 5 minutes or so. 

Mix the salad leaves and onion together in a bowl and season with a little salt and pepper. When you're ready to serve, dress the salad with a little extra virgin olive oil. 

Place a good spoonful of the beetroot purée onto 4 plates. Arrange the salmon and salad on top. Place a teaspoon of horseradish cream next to the salmon and, if you have a nice Microplane grater, grate a little extra fresh horseradish over the whole dish.