The Shiatsu Bus Food Energetics Series: Baked Sake Salmon with Potatoes & Creamy Mushroom Dill Sauce

This Bank Holiday weekend

The Shiatsu Bus was fortunate enough to be cooking at The Roaches in the Staffordshire Peak District and was blessed with stunning scenery and warm Spring weather. As the sun affords us Brits the long awaited opportunity to wake our systems after the long winter cycle, we can turn to certain foods and herbs to assist in this process of dispelling the

Cold and welcome the nourishing Warmth of Spring deep within our bodies.

This is a gently warming dish that will suit all constitutions. The Salmon nourishes the Yin and Blood whilst also mildly warming the Yang, with assistance from the rice wine. The potatoes strengthen the Ki and the onions warm the body and counteract Phlegm, Dampness and Stagnation. The Dill benefits the digestion.

Oriental Medicine talks in terms of Cold penetrating the Organs which is why an internal remedy is required in the form of food and herbs. Warming foods and warming cooking methods are used to drive out the Cold and transform Stagnation. Internal Cold or Yang Deficiency are what this recipe is all about addressing and counteracting.

The presence of Cold manifests as chilliness, a desire for warm places, foods and drink. External causes of Cold invading the body are exposure to to a cold climate or cold working conditions. Cold can also develop internally from an intake of cold food such as ice cream or Cold energy foods such as yogurt or salad, or it may manifest from a constitutional lack of the Warming principle, Yang, usually the Yang of the Kidneys or Spleen. The most common symptom of someone with a Cold condition is Pain: pain from excess Cold is one of the worst types of pain. It can also manifest as lethargy and inertia in the functioning of the organs or in the person as a whole, with a slow flow of Ki and Blood inevitably leading to Stagnation.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 2 salmon fillets, about 280 g each, skin-on, pin-boned

• 80g Japanese Shitake mushrooms, cut into strips

• 2 heads pak choy or baby bok choy, quartered

• 1 bunch spring onion sliced into 1 inch pieces

• 60g butter

• 4 tsp soy sauce

• 6 tsp sake rice wine

• 150g New potatoes

• 150g Chantenay Carrots

• 1 Lemon quartered

• 1 Bunch fresh Dill finely chopped

• 3-4 Cloves garlic ( I used smoked garlic for extra flavour)

• 1 Bunch fresh Parsley finely chopped

• 100ml regular white wine

• 150ml Double Cream

Instructions

1. Marinade the salmon in soy sauce for at least 30 mins before cooking. Place flesh side down in the soy sauce in a container and place in the fridge.

2. Slice in half lengthways and boil the potatoes for about 40 mins or until tender. Once cooked drain and place cooked potatoes in the centre of a large piece of baking foil or parchment paper.

3. Cut the salmon fillets in half lengthways and place each piece, skin-side down into a hot pan with a mixture of oil and butter and cook on a fairly high heat for one minute to crisp the skin. Set on top of the potatoes.

4. Sprinkle the pak choy, spring onion, carrots, Lemon quarters, half the Dill and butter equally over the four pieces of salmon. Drizzle each piece with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and 1-2 teaspoon of sake. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Gather the foil around the salmon and crimp it at the top to form an enclosed package. Place in a preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes at 200 *C.

5. Meanwhile, fry the sliced Shitake mushrooms in a little butter until browned on both sides, season with salt and pepper.

6. Slice the shallots and smoked garlic finely and fry for 5 minutes until soft. Throw in the remainder of the dill and mix together. Add the wine and increase the heat until reduced by at least two thirds.

7. Add the cream and heat through for ten minuted. If the mixture starts to dry loosen with a splash of water and continue stirring. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a saucepan and press down with a spoon to out get all of the liquid and flavour. Add the cooked Shitake mushrooms and reduce the sauce on the hob until desired consistency is achieved. Discard the shallots, garlic and dill mixture.

8. Retrieve the salmon parcel from the oven and carefully unwrap the contents being careful of the steam that will be released. Discard the lemon quarters and divide the mixture between 4 serving plates and pour over the sauce liberally and serve with a sprinkling of finely diced fresh Parsley and Dill.

For more recipes and articles on Shiatsu, Oriental Medicine and Food Energetics, please follow this link https://www.theshiatsubus.co.uk/blog