Recipes: Burns Night

Soy-glazed Salmon with Butter Bean Mash (pictured above)

An unusual way to serve the pride of Scotland's crystal clear waters is to accompany the salmon with mashed butter beans instead of the more traditional creamed potatoes. Wild rocket adds a pleasant tang to the mash. Serve with a wee dram on Burns Night!

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
4 x 150g/5oz Scottish salmon fillets, skinned
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
3tbsp Kikkoman Soy Sauce
1tbsp runny honey
2tsp wholegrain mustard
3 x 400g/14oz tins of butter beans, drained and rinsed
25g/1oz butter
5tbsp crème fraiche
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
50g/2oz wild rocket
Lemon or lime wedges, to garnish

Method
Lay the fish, skinned side down, in a non-stick frying pan. Mix the lime zest and juice, soy sauce, honey and mustard together and pour over the salmon.

Slide the pan under a hot grill and cook for about 5 minutes or until the fish is done, basting once or twice with the pan juices.

Meanwhile, heat the butter beans in a pan with the butter, crème fraiche and garlic. Roughly mash with a potato masher and continue to heat until bubbling. Add the rocket and cook until it wilts.

Serve the salmon on a bed of the butter bean mash, pouring over the cooking juices from the pan. Garnish with lime wedges.

Tip:
Using a frying pan, rather than placing the fish on the grill rack, traps any juices that would otherwise drain away during cooking.

Variations:
Other fish can be cooked in the same way. If using whole trout, slash the skin several times each side before cooking and turn the fish over half way through.

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Venison with Blueberry Sauce

Lower in fat than a skinned chicken breast, venison is the healthy choice for red meat lovers. In Scandinavia, berries are often served with meat and here the fresh blueberries perfectly balance the full-flavoured game.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes


Ingredients
225g/8oz blueberries
175ml/6fl oz apple juice
2tbsp Kikkoman Less Salt Soy Sauce
2tbsp olive oil
4 venison steaks, each about 175g/6oz
4 shallots, peeled and sliced
1tbsp cranberry jelly
2tsp fresh thyme leaves

Method
Put about three quarters of the blueberries in a pan, add the apple juice, cover and simmer until soft then liquidise or push through a sieve. Stir in the soy sauce.

Heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the venison 3-4 minutes each side, depending how rare you like your meat. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the remaining oil and cook the shallots gently for 5 minutes until softened. Pour in the blueberry sauce and stir in the cranberry jelly and thyme. When simmering, return the steaks to the pan and add the reserved blueberries. Cook for 2 minutes more until the blueberries are soft but hold their shape.

Serve with broccoli or sugar snaps and a mix of mashed parsnip and swede.

Tip:
Sear the venison steaks quickly on both sides so the juices are sealed inside, then lower the heat and continue cooking until the meat is done.

Variations:
Experiment with other seasonal berries such as blackberries, cranberries or raspberries for making the sauce. Cranberries may need an added spoonful of sugar to taste.

More recipes available at: www.kikkoman.co.uk