Recipe: Salmon saltimbocca with gremolata potatoes and crispy sage leaves

My dad, who speaks many, many languages – he’s a Spanish teacher – tells me that in Italian saltimbocca literally means ‘to jump in the mouth’. It is a traditional European dish usually made with meat wrapped up in sage and prosciutto. So this is my ‘jump in your mouth salmon’

Time from start to finish: about 30 minutes

SERVES 4

GREMOLATA POTATOES

large handful of fresh
flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves
zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
750g • 1lb 10oz baby new potatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
knob of butter
handful of toasted pine nuts (they come ready toasted from the supermarket)

FISH

8 slices of prosciutto or pancetta
4 x 125g • 4½ oz (approx) sustainably caught
salmon fillets,
preferably skinless
16 good-sized fresh
sage leaves, plus extra to serve (optional)
vegetable oil

SALAD

1 bag of baby spinach or other salad leaves
drizzle each of extra virgin olive oil and
balsamic vinegar
large handful of sundried tomatoes

Put the kettle on to boil for the potatoes. While you are waiting, get started on preparing the gremolata. Rip the parsley leaves off the stalks and place in a blender (a stick blender works a treat and is less hassle to wash up). Peel and add the garlic, grate in the lemon zest and add the oil.

Tip the potatoes into a large pan and pour over the boiling water to cover. Put the lid on, bring back to the boil and then, when the pan lid starts to rattle, turn down the heat and leave them to simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender.

Now back to the gremolata. Briefly whiz the ingredients in the blender until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Next prepare the salmon. Lay two slices of prosciutto or pancetta on a board, overlapping lengthways. Sit a piece of salmon, curved side up, near one short edge. Season with salt and pepper and arrange three sage leaves along the length of the fish. Roll the prosciutto around the salmon until completely wrapped. Repeat until all four are wrapped (the remaining sage leaves will get used shortly).

Put a large frying pan on a high heat and add a little oil. Once hot, add the fillets, sage-leaf side down, turn the heat to medium and leave them to cook for about 3 minutes.

While the fish cooks, throw in the remaining sage leaves. They crisp up in seconds. Then remove them with tongs or a slotted spoon on to kitchen paper to drain off the excess oil. Now flip the salmon over and leave to cook for another 6 minutes on the other side.

Check on the potatoes – a knife should glide through to the centre. Once they are cooked, drain them well and return to the pan. Add some salt and pepper, a big knob of butter, the gremolata, four of the crisp fried sage leaves and the pine nuts. Now I like to use a masher or end of a rolling pin to very gently crush (rather than mash) the potatoes so they are still fairly whole. Put the lid on to keep them warm.

To check the salmon is cooked, cut a little slit through to the centre. The flesh should be just turning opaque and pale pink all the way through. If so, remove the pan from the heat.

Divide the potatoes among four plates and top with salmon and the remaining crisp sage leaves. For the salad, place a handful of leaves to the side, drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar, scatter over the sundried tomatoes and serve.

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First published in YOU, Mail on Sunday

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Larita Shotwell

Update: 2024-08-03

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