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What to Do with Watercress

peppyre

By peppyre
in Cooking

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peppyre

peppyre

Posted
Posted

I'm cooking a dinner to impress tomorrow night, yes, for a new man, so of course it has to be spectacular and sensual. I'm trying to combine very delicate and sensual flavours for the entire menu and I was planning on having salmon as the main. The salmon is lovely wild Sockeye and won't need a lot to enhance the flavour. It's pretty damn tasty as it, but I also have some watercress in the fridge and I was thinking along the lines of a watercress sauce of some sort to lightly garnish the salmon. I know there are brilliant minds out there that have probably done something similar and I would love some advice. I was thinking watercress, Cilantro or flat leaf parsley, lemon, Thai bird chili for just a little kick, I'm not sure what kind of liquid to use. I could reduce some white wine? I want to try and avoid garlic too, I don't think it would be a good idea :unsure::biggrin:

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jackal10

jackal10

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Hot or cold sauce?

Cold start with a mayonnaise (bought jar will do), and whizz the watercress/herbs/lemon/seasoning into it.

Hot start with a hollandaise and do the same.

You might be thinking of a Sauce Gribiche style - basically a vinagrette with lots of herbs chopped into it. Some shallot or spring onion as well.

Easy on the chilli.

If the evening is going well you might feel moved to lick the sauce off each other and too much chilli burns the wrong places... :smile:

Edited by jackal10 (log)
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Malawry

Malawry

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I'd do something like a watercress aioli, just a big dollop on each serving of salmon. Sounds goooooood to me.

Or just sear the salmon and serve it atop the watercress so the cress gets wilted and fishy from the heat and juices.

Rochelle Reid Myers aka "Malawry"

Diary of a Cooking School Student

Foodblog: 34 Hungry College Girls

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Lots of Everything

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Jinmyo

Jinmyo

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Or just saute the watercress with dashi and minced Thai bird chile, buzz with a hand blender and trickle grapeseed oil, put back on gentle heat, a few shavings of bonito. Place salmon flesh side down on the sauce. Gomasio or fleur de sel on the skin.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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PCL

PCL

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Or just saute the watercress with dashi and minced Thai bird chile, buzz with a hand blender and trickle grapeseed oil, put back on gentle heat, a few shavings of bonito. Place salmon flesh side down on the sauce. Gomasio or fleur de sel on the skin.

Oh Jin-san...

I'm not totally with it on the chile and grapeseed oil... Can I suggest the following modification:

- blanch in dashi

- flavor with mirin, sushi soy, sesame oil, pinch of sugar, and pinch of the chile, squeeze of lime, and yeh... the bonito flakes...

"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"

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peppyre

peppyre

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WOW!! Fantastic ideas! This is why I love this site. All these brains to pick. I think I'm going to go with a watercress aioli idea. I'm not going to have much time when I get home from work, so it needs to be simple. Thank you all soooo much. If I had a camera I'd post pictures of how it turns out, but..c'est la vie.

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PCL

PCL

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WOW!!  Fantastic ideas!  This is why I love this site.  All these brains to pick.  I think I'm going to go with a watercress aioli idea.  I'm not going to have much time when I get home from work, so it needs to be simple.  Thank you all soooo much.  If I had a camera I'd post pictures of how it turns out, but..c'est la vie.

I thought you were staying away from garlic...

"Coffee and cigarettes... the breakfast of champions!"

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phaelon56

phaelon56

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When I looked at the thread title I was thinking of the de-crusted black bread, watercress, cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches we used to serve to the gray haired ladies back when I was a waiter. Not good to impress a new man. But I like the way you think. Win him over with food (it always worked well for me with women but now tha I have the right one I have to keep cooking well enough to keep her :biggrin: ).

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peppyre

peppyre

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Thank you to everyone for the great tips. Unfortunatley I was too distracted and forgot about the watercress. Ooops! But everything else turned out fabulously and the evening was a success. Looks like we're doing it again this Friday! :wub: Thanks.

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