Celebrate CNY 2019 with Norwegian Salmon and Fjord Trout

Cooking with Norwegian Salmon and Fjord Trout for Good Health and Prosperity during Chinese New Year

Left to right: Mr Jon Erik Steenslid, Norwegian Ambassador to Malaysia HE Gunn Jorid Roset and Chef Jimmy Chok

Its that time of the year to toss to a Chinese New Year filled with much prosperity, joy and health being! And there’s no better way to do this than to gather with family, friends and loved ones to usher in the Year of the Pig with Yee Sang or Yu Sheng and other festive good eats.

Yee Sang is made tastier with Norwegian salmon and fjord trout. The Norwegian Seafood Council recently hosted a workshop on “Cooking Healthy and Prosperous Chinese New Year Dishes with Norwegian Salmon and Fjord Trout” at KDU University in Shah Alam.

Members of media, bloggers and honorary guests were treated to a delectable cooking demonstration by the jovial Chef Jimmy Chok. This is no ordinary workshop but rather an in-depth class of how Norwegian Seafood Council is ensuring diners all over the world that Norwegian Salmon and Fjord Trout is deliciously safe for consumption and how theses fishes are reared and harvested out of the cold, clean waters of Norway and within hours are sent for export to more than 100 countries around the world.

The perfect timing of the festive season, Norwegian salmon is now a Malaysian favorite when it comes to Yee Sang. Fjord trout is also another good option for the festive Chinese dish. Norwegian salmon is one of the richest sources of Omega 3 fatty acids and a normal meal of 150g of salmon covers a person’s weekly needs of Omega 3, according to the European Food Safety Authority recommendations.  It is also a rich source of iodine, selenium and other key nutrients.

The Norwegian Fjord Trout is similar to salmon, but its flesh has a deep red-orange colour with white marbling that gives the fillets a luxurious feel. Norwegian Fjord Trout has a remarkably rich flavour, with a pure aftertaste. It has a lustrous and silvery skin like salmon and grows to a weight of 2.5 kilos, which is a bit smaller than salmon.

Norwegian Ambassador to Malaysia HE Gunn Jorid Roset kicked off the event with a speech...

“The auspicious colour of Norwegian salmon and fjord trout makes it so suitable for these fish to be served during the Chinese New Year celebrations,” says Mr Jon Erik Steenslid, the Norwegian Seafood Council director for South-East Asia. “Besides, they are widely and easily available throughout the festive season in markets, supermarkets and seafood stores in Malaysia.”

Chef Chok proceeded to explain that salmon has a layer of rich oils that is release during cooking hence one doesn’t even have to add any oil while cooking the fish. It only takes a few minutes to cook to a perfect doneness with a soft pink doneness in the middle. One should also leave the fish to seared well on the skin side down first and then flip over for another few minutes before the fish is ready to be seasoned or jazzed up with sauces. The fish is so versatile that one can also steam, bake, deep fried, stir fry and pan seared it. Same goes for the fjord trout and both fishes from the waters of Norway are safe for raw sashimi consumption on its own or with yee sang.

A simple tomato-based sauce and micro greens with pan seared salmon…

Steamed baked at low temperature, the fjord trout literally melts-in-the-mouth!

Chef Chok, together with Mr Jon Erik Steenslid and Norwegian Ambassador to Malaysia HE Gunn Jorid Roset proceeded to whip up their Yee Sang. There are no limits when it comes to ingredients for a Yee Sang although there are some basic classic ingredients to balance up the dish for its signature savory, sweet and sour notes. Textural components are also essential to making a great Yee Sang. Of course, the Norwegian Salmon is the highlight of the yee sang!

We also had the opportunity to make our own yee sang. Our yee sang had plenty of fruits like Mandarin segments, juicy pomelo sacs as well as pomegranate, dried apricots, dried figs, dried berries, pickled ginger and radish, crispy salted egg fish skin and more, all tossed with a kaffir lime leave infused plum sauce and slices of delectable Norwegian Salmon.

The workshop was followed by a luncheon showcasing how versatile the Norwegian Salmon and Fjord Trout can be in Chinese cuisine for this festive Chinese New Year. Easy to prepare and cooking time is minimal compared to other meat and poultry, one can easily whip up these dishes for this festive reunion dinner or festive parties in a jiffy. Recipes are provided below…

Our lunch includes Sweet Sour Soup with Norwegian Fjord Trout, Steamed Norwegian Salmon Head with Fermented and Salted Garlic Chilli Sauce, Deep Fried Norwegian Salmon Cubes with Szechuan Pepper Salt, and 41C Norwegian Fjord Trout with Japanese Mushroom Black Pepper Sauce.

After the yee sang, Chef Chok serves up a tasty Sweet and Sour Soup with Norwegian Fjord Trout. Taking the classic soup and adding the fjord trout pieces are much welcomed by everyone. The trout is utterly tender and goes well with the richness of the soup.

Deep Fried Norwegian Salmon Cubes with Szechuan Pepper Salt takes on simple cooking with basic seasoning, reminding us that as long as the ingredient such as the salmon is fresh and of premium quality, the salmon can really be amazing when its cooked just right.

Another great way to enhance the lusciousness of the fjord trout would be to slow baked them at low temperature. The 41C Norwegian Fjord Trout with Japanese Mushroom Black Pepper Sauce had everyone enjoying the creamy and melt-in-the-mouth trout paired with a robust black pepper sauce with mushrooms and iced vegetables.

I was particularly fond of the Slow Cooked Norwegian Salmon with Chili Bean Tomato Sauce. A whole fillet of Norwegian Salmon slow baked and sauced up with a rich and piquant sauce that beckons for steamed rice. The dish is perfect for foodies who enjoy Chinese dishes with rich and spicy flavours.

Nothing is ever wasted and one of the recipe to use up Norwegian Salmon head is flagged by Chef Chok in his dish of Steamed Norwegian Salmon Head with Fermented and Salted Garlic Chilli Sauce. Another dish that is bound to be a hit, this dish had a sublime umami flavour from the fermented tauchu, black beans, garlic and other aromatics.

Let’s usher in this festive Chinese New Year with a Norwegian Salmon and Fjord Trout feast! Both salmon and trout are available at all leading grocery stores. For more information, please visit their website: https://en.seafood.no/ or Facebook: www.facebook.com/seafoodfromnorway/

Norwegian Seafood Council: Origin matters

The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) is owned by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. The Norwegian seafood industry finances its activities through fees levied on all exports of Norwegian seafood. NSC is the approval authority for Norwegian seafood exporters.

Headquartered in Tromsø, NSC has presence in major markets around the world aiming to increase the value of Norwegian seafood resources. NSC oversees the administration and use of the trademark “Seafood from Norway”, a joint value for the Norwegian seafood industry. Together with the industry, NSC aims to increase the demand for and consumption of seafood from Norway. For more information, please visit https://en.seafood.no/

NORWEGIAN SALMON YU SHENG (serves 10)

Ingredients

Slices of raw Norwegian salmon

Carrot, white radish and green radish, julienned 

Enoki mushroom – 1 pkt

Roasted salted peanuts – 100gms

White sesame seeds – 1 tsp, roasted

Slice into thin strips:

Japanese pickled red ginger – 80gms

Japanese pickled yellow daikon – 80gms

Dried mango – 80gms

Dried figs – 80gms

Dried apricot – 80gms

Dried cranberry –  80gms

Dried pineapple – 80gms

Ingredients for sauce:

Kaffir lime leaf – 3 pcs, cut into fine threads

Ginger flower, cut finely

Pomelo – 200gms, peeled fruit

Pomegranate – 80gms, peeled

Ingredients to finish Yee Sang:

Thai crackers – 1pkt

Olive oil – 150 ml

Lime juice – 80ml

Combine:

Lee Kum Kee plum sauce – 1 jar of 260gms

Honey –  1 ½  tbsp

Rice vinegar – 3 tbsp

Method

Arrange all the vegetables, fruits and dried fruits attractively on a large plate.  Top with kaffir lime leaf shreds, ginger flower.

When ready to toss, add crackers, salmon, lime juice, oil and plum sauce mixture.  (You can add less of the liquid ingredients according to your preference)

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SWEET SOUR SOUP WITH NORWEGIAN FJORD TROUT (serves 5)

Ingredients

Fish stock –1 litre

Chinkiang black vinegar – 150ml

Fresh wood ear mushroom – 100gms thinly sliced

Oyster mushroom – 100gms – thinly sliced

Soft tofu – 1 pkt cut into cubes

Shitake mushroom – 100gms thinly sliced

Potato starch flour – as needed to thicken soup

Norwegian fjord trout – 600gm sliced thinly

Chicken stock cube – ½

Salt/pepper/sugar to taste

Coriander to garnish

Chilli oil

Method

Bring stock to a boil and adjust sourness of soup with black vinegar

Season to taste

Add all the ingredients into the soup except for fish

Bring soup to a boil and adjust thickness of soup with potato starch

Place sliced trout in bowl and top with a piece of coriander

Pour hot soup over and add chilli oil as needed.

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STEAMED NORWEGIAN SALMON HEAD WITH FREMENTED AND SALTED SOYA BEAN GARLIC CHILI SAUCE

Ingredients

1 whole salmon head – cut into 2

Salted fermented soya bean – 2 tbsp wash and soak

Black fermented soya bean – 1 tsp soak

Red chilies– 2 pcs chopped

Garlic – 10 cloves chopped

Spring onion – 200gms chopped

Oyster sauce – 2 tbsp

Sesame oil – 1 tbsp

Ginger – 100gms chopped

3 tbsp oil

Sugar/salt /pepper to taste

Chicken stock – 500 ml

Potato starch – 1 tbsp

 Method

In a pan or wok sauté garlic, ginger until fragrant

Add black and salted soya beans, cook till soft and then season with oyster sauce, sesame oil and stock, bring to a simmer

Adjust seasoning and add chopped chili

Thicken with potato starch

Cut salmon head into half and steamed with some ginger for 10 minutes

Remove and pour away water

Spoon sauce over fish and garnish with spring onions

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DEEP FRY NORWEGIAN SALMON CUBES, SZECHUAN PEPPER SALT (serves 5)

Ingredients

Salmon belly and top loin – 1 kg

Peanut oil for deep frying

Corn flour – 150gms to coat fish

Szechuan pepper – 2 tsp

Salt – 1/2 tsp

White pepper – pinch

Togarashi chili - 1 tbsp

5 spice powder – pinch

Method

Season salmon cubes with salt and pepper and then coat with corn flour

Heat oil and fry salmon to golden brown and set aside

Lightly toast Szechuan pepper till fragrant then pound

Mix Szechuan pepper with salt, 5 spice, togarashi and white pepper

Serve on the side to fried salmon cubes

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41C NORWEGIAN FJORD TROUT WITH JAPANESE MUSHROOM BLACK PEPPER SAUCE

Ingredients

Fjord trout top loin only – 2 whole fillets

Shimeiji mushroom– 2 pkt

Lee Kum Kee black pepper sauce – 3 tbsp

Green bell pepper – 1 nos

Garlic – 5 cloves chopped

Ginger 100gms chopped

Salt/pepper/sugar to taste

Chicken stock 300ml

Method

Salt trout for 20 minutes and wash away salt after that. Dab dry with paper towels.

Wrap trout loin tight with cling film

Bake in oven at 41c for 1.5 hours. Once done, remove and allow to cool in fridge

In pan sweat garlic and ginger, then stir fry mushroom and green peppers

Add black pepper sauce, stock and adjust seasoning

Cut trout to portion and place on plate

Pour sauce over and garnish

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SLOW COOKED NORWEGIAN SALMON WITH CHILLI BEAN TOMATO SAUCE

Ingredients

Salmon fillet – 1 whole fillet

Lee Kum Kee toban sauce [ chilli beans ] – 3 tbsp

Roma tomatoes – 500gms – cut diced

Red onion large – 1 nos – chopped

Garlic 5 cloves – chopped

Ginger 100gms – chopped

Spring onion 1 sprig – chopped

Chicken stock 300 ml

Oil 2 tbsp

Salt/pepper/sugar to taste

Red chilli 2 nos - sliced

Method

Put salmon on tray and baked whole fillet in oven at 55c for about 45 minutes

Once done remove from oven

In pan heat oil and fry garlic, ginger and onion until fragrant

Add chilli bean sauce and stock, adjust seasoning

Add tomato and sliced chilli, bring to a boil

Pour over fish and garnish with spring onion