Seared Norwegian salmon on griddled watermelon with an onion sprout salad and beetroot foam

Vrede en Lust is one of the winelands most popular wedding venues and hardly a weekend goes by without a beaming bride and groom celebrating their nuptials there. Located at Simondium it boasts views to die for – of both the Simonsberg and the Drakenstein mountains, vineyards and historic Cape Dutch buildings. Having catered many of the weddings and functions at Vrede en Lust meant that Andrea Foulkes and Martin Rentzke of dish food & social in Cape Town knew both the place and its wines well.

 

"We drink it all the time!" chortled Foulkes. It's what we glug in the kitchen while working.

Handy then that the pair was well acquainted with the coral pink Shiraz, Pinotage and Cinsaut blend which impressed this month's tasting panel with its bold fruity flavours. Playing around in the dish food kitchen in Gardens (the old Avalon ballroom if anyone remembers we even have our own ghost!), they tried to match the strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and ruby grapefruit nuances with equally sweet and fruity flavours.

But we found that didn't work. It seemed to bring out a touch of bitterness – so we decided to rather go with contrasting flavours, something salty and savoury. A chunky piece of Norwegian salmon was seared until the skin was crispy while the soft, pink flesh remained moist. Salmon is not an assertively flavoured fish, which is why the pair chose it, opting instead to bring in savoury flavours in the accompanying elements of the dish. The griddled watermelon adds a succulent yet subtle fruit note – and it rests on a bed of onion sprouts. The spouts add a little peppery zing – along with the rocket. Both have a nice bite that contrasts with the moistness of both the salmon and the watermelon, Foulkes said.

Rentzke raved about the slice of cheese perched on top of the rocket. It's a deliciously distinctive goat's milk cheese from the Drakensberg that has an ash rind – and adds just the right salty element.

The final presentation element is a bright purple beetroot foam dressing drizzled on the plate.

Fillet of Norwegian salmon
Watermelon
Onion sprouts
Rocket
Goat's milk cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

For the beetroot foam

400ml beetroot juice
Balsamic vinegar
1 T red onion (finely chopped)
1 clove garlic
125ml hot water
1 egg yolk
1t soy lecithin

Cut a rectangular wedge of watermelon
and heat a griddle pan until it smokes.
Brush both sides of the watermelon with olive oil
and sear on both sides so that the watermelon
softens slightly and the griddle pan leaves
black ridges on it.
Season a portion of Norwegian salmon
with a liberal amount of
Maldon salt and black pepper and sear both sides
(skin side first so that the skin goes crisp)
in a non-stick pan with a dash of olive oil.
Finish off on the oven at 200°C for 5 minutes

For the beetroot foam:

Reduce 400ml beetroot juice with a splash of good
balsamic vinegar and a generous tablespoon of
finely chopped red onion and one clove of garlic.
Strain once it has reduced by a third.
Take 250ml warm beetroot juice, 125ml hot water,
1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon soy lecithin.
Blitz all of four ingredients with a hand blender
until it foams.
On a plate, make a bed of onion sprouts.
Place the griddled watermelon on top
and the salmon, skin side up, on top of the watermelon.
Position the rocket and slice of cheese on top.
Drizzle the foam over the salmon
and around the plate.

dish food & social, corner of Mill and Hope Streets,
Gardens, Cape Town.
Tel: 021 465 7888