SALMON ROULADE WITH CRAB SAUCE

I made this recipe for New Year's Eve dinner. It was the main dish. It was delicious, and if you make the sauce ahead, it doesn't take long to prepare. Our guests loved it and so did we. I had some leftover sauce, so I cooked it again a couple of days later. Still beautiful!!

INGREDIENTS

4 thin salmon fillets, pin-boned
3 Tbsp plain flour, plus 2 tsp extra for the sauce
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups (320g) grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp paprika
150ml dry white wine
1 cup (250ml) thick cream
250g fresh or tinned crab meat
2 Tbsp basil leaves, finely sliced, plus extra leaves to garnish
25g butter

METHOD:
To make the roulades, remove the skin of the salmon using a sharp knife. Reserve.

Cut each fillet through the centre horizontally, nearly cutting through to the end, but stopping short so you have one long strip of fish.

Starting at one end, roll each fillet into a neat round.

Secure with a toothpick.

Wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour to firm up.

Meanwhile, season the salmon skins on both sides and fry on a cold frypan with a bit of oil until crisp on both sides.

Remove from pan and drain excess oil on a bit of kitchen paper. Cool and reserve.

To make the sauce, heat some oil in a frypan and add the tomatoes.
Cook over medium-low heat, stirring for about 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften, then stir the 2 teaspoons of extra flour and 1/2 teaspoon of paprika into the tomato juices.
Add the wine and cook for 1 minute.

Add the cream and cook stirring for 5 minutes or until thickened. Add the crab to warm through, the sliced basil, the butter and season.

Transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until pureed. Put the sauce through a sieve on top of a saucepan. Reheat before serving it with the salmon.

When ready to cook the salmon, preheat the oven to 160°C.
Combine the flour, paprika and pepper in a bowl or plate.

Add a bit of salt to both sides of the salmon roulades.

Dip both flat sides of the roulades in the mixture. Heat some oil in a non-stick frypan over a high heat and when hot, sear the salmon on one flat side for about 1 minute, or until a crust forms.

Turn and repeat on the other flat side, then place on a tray in the oven for 5 minutes until just cooked.

To serve, place a little of the sauce on each plate, top with a salmon roulade and drizzle with extra crab sauce. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and the skin, cut into a triangle.

Serves 4