Grilled salmon with basil sauce is a quick and delicious way to serve salmon at a dinner party or special lunch. This is an easy salmon recipe. If you’re worried about slicing the salmon you can always ask your fishmonger to slice the salmon fillet for you into thin escalopes about ¼” (6mm) thick. Remember to take out any stray bones with tweezers. It’s best to feel along the middle of the salmon from tail to head, that way the any bones will stick up and you’ll feel them with your fingers.
Ingredients - serves 4
675g/1 ½lb Salmon fillet, sliced thinly (see above)
25g/1oz fresh basil leaves (chop half the amount finely), save a few for garnish
50g/2oz unsalted butter
3 shallots, finely sliced
450ml/¾ pint dry white wine (I use Sauvignon Blanc)
450ml/¾ pint fish stock (available in the chiller section of your supermarket)
450ml/¾ pint double cream
125g/4oz unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces
salt & pepper to taste
Method
Basil Sauce
In a medium sized saucepan melt the 2oz piece of butter over a low heat. Add the shallots and cook for 10 minutes or until the shallots are soft. Add the dry white wine and the chopped basil. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the fish stock and reduce to half again. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the cream to the reduced liquid and cook out until the sauce has thickened enough to thickly coat the back of a spoon. Strain the sauce through a chinois/fine sieve into another saucepan. Pour 125ml/4floz into a blender along with the remaining basil and wiz until smooth. Pour this puree back into the sauce in the pan. Put the pan over a low heat and whisk in the butter pieces one at a time until it‘s all amalgamated. Season to taste and pass again through the chinois/fine sieveinto a bowl. Stir in the reserved 1 or 2 tablespoons of cream.
The Salmon
Pre-heat an overhead grill or broiler to high. Pour the basil sauce over the base of an ovenproof dish, arrange the salmon escalopes over the top, brush with some melted butter and place under the grill about 3” away from the element. Cook for 2 -3 mins or until the salmon turns opaque but still slightly underdone. Serve garnished with the reserved basil and fresh vegetables.
Based on a recipe by Wolfgang Puck. For more delicious salmon recipes and other recipes go to
Wolfgang Puck
into another saucepan. 
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