Salmon Tartare with Mint and Peas

Beautiful plates of delicious food are often some of the easiest to make at home, and this Salmon Tartare with Mint and Peas recipe is a great example of that. The dish consists of three simple components; preparing the Salmon, making a wonderful Asian-inspired marinade, and creating the delicious Mint and Pea Salad. Preparation is key with this dish, and the results are phenomenal. A fresh and vibrant dish that is light, yet surprisingly filling. Enough for a hearty lunch or a light dinner, it’s a fantastic dish to enjoy, showcasing the flavor and versatility of serving Salmon raw

As this dish is served raw, ensure you are using Sashimi grade Salmon

This one is mandatory for the dish. Don’t just pick any Salmon you find in the store and assume it will work. Look for specifically marked ‘Sashimi-grade’ Salmon in the store. Or, even better, get advice from the fish monger on what they have in stock that makes sense

There are plenty of Sashimi-grade types of Salmon all over the world that you can use for this dish. So, whether you’re using Salmon from the Atlantic, Pacific, or other places local to you, you’ll be able to find some good quality Seafood if you look

The good news about our Salmon Tartare with Mint and Peas dish is you can interchange the Salmon for other seafood. Tuna will work great, as will Shrimp and even Scallops. As with the Salmon, just check that whatever Seafood you are purchasing is ok to eat raw. I truly believe the most challenging part of this dish is sourcing the right Seafood. Once you’ve done this, the rest is easy!

The Salmon is marinated in a beautiful Asian-inspired marinade which includes Anchovies!

That’s right, Anchovies! Well, this is a Seafood dish after all, and Anchovies are a fantastic ingredient that is very commonly used in marinades to add beautiful briny, salty flavors. Finely chop the Anchovies along with some Garlic Cloves so they closely resemble a paste

A nice way to do this is to chop them as fine as you can, then use the side of a large knife to squash everything. It’ll turn the Garlic and Anchovies into a wonderful paste that can simply be scraped off the cutting board and added to the marinade

To the Garlic and Anchovies, we add Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil, Lemon Zest and White Sugar. There’s no need to add any Salt as the marinade is already seasoned with Salt from both the Anchovies and the Soy Sauce. Mix everything together in a bowl large enough to accommodate your Salmon and then set aside

Preparing the Salmon

For this dish I like to cut the Salmon into rather large chunks. Ones that you can technically eat with one mouthful, but it’ll be a full fork of food! Prepare the Salmon by first removing its skin (check out our video here on how to do that) and remove any bones

Cut the meatier part of Salmon filet into large chunks and place into the bowl with the marinade and mix well to coat. Chances are you’ll have some thinner parts of the Salmon, usually from the bell part of the filet which won’t be the same size as the other pieces

For the Belly part of the Salmon, I like to cut these into long strips and utilize them as a nice garnish. You can roll them up and turn them into a cone-like shape. On the plate these can almost resemble flowers, which is a beautiful way to present the Salmon Tartare with Mint and Peas

Place the Salmon that’s been coated in the marinade into the refrigerator for 15 minutes. I like to mix it through about halfway through to ensure all pieces have an even coating. While the Salmon is marinating you can begin to prepare the Peas

Why Mint and Peas? Well, it’s a classic combination, that’s why!

Perhaps one of the most common pairings of Mint and Peas is in classic English pub food. Whether it’s Mushy Peas served with beautiful Fish and Chips, or Mint Sauce drenched over Peas for a Sunday Roast Lunch, the pairing of Peas and Mint is a timeless classic

So, perhaps unsurprisingly it pairs great with Asian-inspired recipes such as this one too! The Peas are lightly boiled until they’re just cooked (takes about 2 minutes) and then immediately placed under cold water or ice water to drop the cooking process. This process gives the Peas the most brilliant bright green color which looks fantastic on the plate.

Now, it’s time to crush the Peas!. This step doesn’t do much for the flavor of the dish, but it helps give the dish some different textures, and I think it just looks nice on the plate. You can crush the Peas in the bowl with the back of a fork or even use a Mortar and Pestle. Personally, I just like to crush them with my hand

The final step before we plate is to finish the Peas. To the Peas we add some finely chopped Mint Leaves along with Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, and some finely diced Scallions and a pinch of Salt. Mix it all together then taste for seasoning

Plating the dish

The final step is plating, which is super-simple. Place a few spoonful’s of the Pea and Mint mixture in the center of a plate and spread it out a bit. Add about 3 – 4 large pieces of Salmon on top of the Peas and spoon over a little more of that delicious marinade

To finish, crumble over some fresh Goats Cheese. The Goats Cheese may seem like an odd pairing (Cheese and Seafood anyone?), but the bright sharpness of the Goats Cheese brightens the whole dish up, and it tastes amazing!

The final step is to add some of those Salmon Belly pieces we set aside earlier. Roll them up so that they can resemble a flower and place them on top of the dish and you’re now ready to enjoy! I like to serve this Salmon Tartare with Mint and Peas with a Lemon Wedge on the side. A fresh squeeze of Lemon Juice at the dinner table finishes off this amazingly tasty, yet super-simple dish

Salmon Tartare with Mint and Peas Recipe

Ingredients

• 250g / 8 oz. Sashimi Grade Salmon, skin removed
• 1 Garlic Clove, peeled
• 1 Anchovy Filet
• 1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 1 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Zest of ½ a Lemon
• Pinch of White Sugar
  
  

Crushed Peas and Mint Ingredients

• 150g / ½ oz. Frozen Peas
• 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Lemon Juice
• 1 Scallion, finely diced
• ¼ cup Mint Leaves, finely shredded
• a Pinch of Salt
• 2 tbsp. Goats Cheese
  
  

Instructions

1. Remove the skin and any bones from the Salmon and then cut the thicker section into large chunks. Cut the belly section into long strips and set aside
2. Finely dice the Garlic and Anchovy on a large cutting board, then use the side of a large knife to squash them against the board, creating a paste-like texture. Place the paste in a bowl along with Soy Sauce, Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil, Lemon Zest, and White Sugar. Mix well
3. Place the Salmon Chunks into the bowl and mix well to coat, then refrigerate for 15 minutes, mixing once halfway through
4. While the Salmon is marinating, bring a pot of water to the boil then add the Peas. Cook for 2 minutes then strain and immediately place them under cold water / ice water to stop them cooking
5. Crush the Peas roughly using a fork, Mortar and Pestle, or simply by hand then place in a bowl along with Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Scallion, Mint, and Salt. Mix well and taste for seasoning
6. To place, add a few spoonful’s of the Pea mixture to the middle of a plate and spread it out a bit. Place 3 – 4 Salmon pieces on top and then roll one of the Salmon Belly pieces into a flower-like shape and place on top
7. Drizzle with a spoonful of the marinade mixture then finish by crumbling over some goats cheese. Serve with a Lemon Wedge on the side
   
   

Recipe Notes

• This recipe will produce about 2 appetizer-sized plates of food
• You can replace the Salmon with Tuna, Shrimp, or Scallops. Just ensure that you are using Sashimi-grade Seafood for the dish
  
  

This amazingly simple, yet beautiful plate of Salmon Tartare with Mint and Peas is the perfect appetizer for a fancy home cooked meal. The simplicity of its preparation is what makes this dish so great, as you’ll be surprised at the depth of flavor it produces on the plate

If you enjoy this recipe then we highly recommend you check out these other amazing Seafood appetizers:

• Teriyaki Shrimp Skewers
• Scallops with Garlic Butter Breadcrumbs
• Tuna Carpaccio with Lemon and Soy
• Salmon Sashimi with Scallion Sauce
  
  

Happy Cooking!