The World Cook with TUI (Crispy Skin Salmon with Truffle Pea Purée)

This post has been created in collaboration with TUI to help promote their fantastic new show The World Cook.  

A short while back TUI asked me to help them spread the word about their new TV show ‘The World Cook.’  It’s a 7-part series showing on Prime Video which follows the culinary adventures of 16 contestants from all over the world.  They meet in six of TUI’s exciting holiday destinations and compete in a series of cooking challenges to be crowned ‘The World Cook’.  Hosted by Emma Willis and Fred Sirieix the contestants will travel to various countries including Austria, Croatia, and Italy, and finish in TUI’s resort in Mexico for the Grand Finale!

To help showcase this exciting new series I was invited to recreate one of the recipes from the season and I chose one of the Quarter Final recipes of a delicious Crispy Skin Salmon with Truffle Pea Purée.  It sounded right up my street.  I love seafood and I’m always the one eating the skin (as long as it’s crispy) much to my husband’s disgust!  I think it’s the best bit – the pork crackling of the sea!  And who doesn’t love a bit of truffle?  A little bit of added decadence to any dish. I was also intrigued to see how it paired with the sweetness of peas, having not tried it that way before.

So how to make it…

There are four parts to this Crispy Skin Salmon with Truffle Pea Purée recipe, the Salmon, the Truffle Pea Purée, the Truffle Mushrooms, and the Cauliflower Mash.  I think it’s best to make the Cauliflower Mash first, as you can keep it warm easily, then the Truffle Pea Purée for the same reason.  Then make the Truffled Mushrooms and finally the Crispy Skin Salmon as you need to serve it immediately so that the salmon is cooked perfectly and the skin stays crisp.

So Step #1 – The Cauliflower Mash.

Start by removing the leaves from the cauliflower and chopping the florets up into bite-sized pieces.  Steam the cauliflower florets until very tender to ensure the mash is super smooth at the end (around 10 mins).  Once the cauliflower is tender and falling apart, drain it and add it to a food processor.  Add the butter, parmesan cheese, double cream and plenty of salt and pepper.  Blend it on high until silky smooth.  Set aside and keep warm, while you prepare the other components.

Next up is Step #2 – The Truffle Pea Purée

In a saucepan, add the frozen peas, cream, and butter and bring to a simmer for 4-5 minutes until the peas are cooked.  Using a stick blender or small food processor purée the mix well until completely smooth.  Strain the pea purée through a sieve to remove any lumps or pea skins that didn’t blend.  Season well with salt and pepper and stir through the truffle oil.  Set aside and keep warm until later.

Step #3 – The Truffled Mushrooms

Start by melting the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat along with the truffle oil.  Meanwhile, slice the mushroom and remove the thyme leaves from half of the stalks.  Peel and crush the garlic cloves and add the crushed garlic along with the thyme leaves and thyme sprigs to the frying pan.  Cook for around a minute and then turn the heat up to high.

Now it’s time to fry the mushrooms.  You want to do this in batches as if you do them all at once they will not go golden brown and crispy.  Add about 15-20 slices at a time to the pan and fry, turning frequently, until they turn a golden brown colour and the edges begin to crisp up and caramelise.  Remove the cooked mushrooms from the heat and lay them on a paper towel to drain off the excess oil.  Repeat with more mushrooms, in batches, until they are all cooked.

Finally, step #4 is making the Crispy Skin Salmon

The main issue with cooking the salmon is making sure that the skin really crisps up and doesn’t go soggy as flabby salmon skin is definitely not something anyone wants to eat!  To make sure you get the skin really crispy you need to make sure the skin is dry and that you have plenty of oil and that you don’t crowd the pan.  Start by patting the skin with a piece of kitchen towel to remove any excess liquid.  Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat and season with some salt and pepper.

When the oil is up to temperature, place 2 of the salmon fillets, skin-side down in the pan. They should sizzle as it hits the oil.  Press down on the fish with a fish slice to flatten it and ensure that all of the skin gets contact with the bottom of the pan.  Cook for about 4 minutes to allow the skin to really crisp up.  Add a few slices of lemon and thyme sprigs to the pan at the same time, to use as a garnish on the final plate.  Finally, flip the salmon to cook the other side for about two minutes.  Repeat with the other two pieces of salmon.

I like my salmon quite rare in the middle so I cook it for the times stated above, but if you prefer it cooked all the way through then add another minute per side.

Remove from the oil and allow to rest for a couple of minutes while you compile the other elements.

Now it’s time to plate the dish.  Add a dollop of cauliflower mash to the plate and a smear of the truffle pea purée and top with the truffled mushroom.  Finally, add the Crispy Skin Salmon to the plate on top of the mashed cauliflower, garnish with a slice of pan-fried lemon and crispy thyme, drizzle with some extra truffle oil and serve!

So how did it taste? Decadent, in a word.  The salmon skin was perfectly crispy which added a nice crunchy texture to the dish as the other elements were quite soft.  The sweetness of the truffle pea purée was perfectly offset by the creamy, tanginess of the parmesan cauliflower mash and oh my gosh, those garlicky, truffle mushrooms!  They were so incredibly moreish – my husband and my one-year-old, both couldn’t get enough of them.  A really yummy dish that’s perfect for a weeknight meal, or a special occasion!

After creating and tasting this recipe, I’m so looking forward to watching ‘The World Cook’ when it launches.  What could be better?  The chance to learn some foreign dishes all while getting to see some of the amazing locations that TUI flies to.  It really is the perfect chance to choose and book your next TUI holiday!  A series with delicious food and beautiful destinations – the ultimate eating and exploring experience!

The World Cook will be available to stream now on Prime Video.

Crispy Skin Salmon with Truffle Pea Purée

A Crispy Skin Salmon with Truffle Pea Purée, Truffled Mushrooms & Cheesy Cauliflower Mash

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Pescatarian, Refined Sugar-Free, SCD

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• 1 food processor
• 1 stick blender

Ingredients

  

For the Cauliflower Mash

• 1 head cauliflower medium sized
• 50 g butter
• 150 g parmesan cheese grated
• 100 ml double cream
• salt & pepper

For the Truffle Pea Purée

• 250 g frozen peas
• 50 ml double cream
• 50 g butter
• 10 ml truffle oil
• salt & pepper

For the Truffled Mushrooms

• 200 g mushrooms various (I used chestnut & shitaki)
• 100 g butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5 g fresh thyme
• 20 ml truffle oil

For the Crispy Skin Salmon

• 4 skin-on salmon fillets
• 150 ml olive oil
• 1 lemon
• 5 g fresh thyme sprigs
• salt & pepper

For the Garnish

• 10 ml truffle oil

Instructions

 

To Make the Cauliflower Mash

• Break or chop the cauliflower into florets.
• Steam for around 10 mins until very tender.
• Add the steamed cauliflower to a food processor with the butter, grated parmesan, and double cream.
• Blend for around 5 mins until completely smooth.
• Season to taste and then set aside and keep warm.

To Make the Truffle Pea Purée

• Simmer the frozen peas, double cream and butter for around 5 mins until the peas are tender.
• Blend with a stick blender until smooth.
• Strain through a sieve to remove any lumps.
• Stir through the truffle oil and season. Set aside and keep warm.

To Make The Truffled Mushrooms

• Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat with the truffle oil.
• Clean and slice the mushrooms.
• Peel and crush the garlic cloves and remove the thyme leaves from half of the stalks.
• Add the garlic and thyme leaves and remaining thyme sprigs to the pan and fry for about a minute.
• Turn up the heat and add the mushrooms a handful at a time.
• Cook the mushrooms in batches, turning frequently until golden brown.
• Season the mushrooms and set aside on a paper towel to drain off the excess oil.

To Make the Crispy Skin Salmon

• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on a high heat.
• Pat dry the salmon and season with salt and pepper.
• Fry 2 pieces of salmon skin side down for about 4 mins, pressing down occasionally with a fish slice to ensure the skin is flat against the bottom of the pan.
• Slice a lemon and add the slices to the frying pan along with some thyme sprigs.
• Flip the salmon steaks and fry for 1-2 mins on the other side. (Repeat with the other two salmon fillets).
• Remove from heat to rest for a couple of minutes

To Plate the Dish

• Add a large dollop of cauliflower mash to the plate and top with the salmon, crispy-skin side up.
• Add a smear of the truffle pea purée to the plate and top it with some of the truffled mushrooms.
• Add the crispy thyme sprigs and fried lemon from the salmon pan.
• Drizzle over some more truffle oil and serve.

Keyword Cauliflower, Cauliflower Mash, Fish, Mushrooms, Peas, Salmon, Truffle

ALLERGY & DIETARY INFORMATION FOR ASPARAGUS HOLLANDAISE

This recipe is Grain-Free, Gluten-Free & Refined Sugar-Free.  It’s also suitable for Paleo, SCD, Pescatarian & Low Carb diets.

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