Toasted Baguette Served with Burrata, Serrano Ham, and Parsley Mint Pesto

The moment I saw boxes of burrata cheese sold at the grocery store, I immediately knew what I'm going to make with it. Despite its hefty price, "oh well" I thought, a little home-cooking indulgence once a while shouldn't hurt much.

By the way, I'm pairing this recipe with parsley and mint pesto that doest not contain any nuts. However, if you'd like, throwing a spoonful of pine nuts to the food processor sounds good too.  

Toasted baguette served with burrata, Serrano ham, and parsley mint pesto - 

Ingredients?

• 1 ball/125 grams solids burrata cheese
• 100 grams Serrano ham
• 1 baguette
• 1 garlic clove
• Some olive oil
• Some balsamic vinegar (optional)

Parsley and mint pesto:

• 50 grams flat leaf parsley
• 10 grams mint leaves
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 small chunk aged Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Few grinds black pepper

How?

Use the leafy part only for the pesto. Perhaps you can finely chop the stems and mix in other dishes later. As for mint, maybe add the unused section to icy cold water for a refreshing touch.

Add the parsley leaves and mint leaves to the food processor. Also add 1 peeled garlic clove and a small chunk of aged Parmigiano Reggiano. The cheese is about the size of a thumbnail, no need to use too much of it. 

Also pour in 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil to the food processor. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and few grinds of black pepper. Blend and stop, scrape down any bits sticking onto the side. Continue to blend till evenly mixed. Scoop out for later use.

Slice the baguette and drizzle some olive oil over on one side. 

Use a grill pan and heat up the baguette slices, oiled side down. See if you can get some nice grill marks on it.

Once ready, use a peeled and halved garlic, rub that on the toasted side while the baguette is still hot. 

Bring out a serving plate, lay the Serrano ham on 2/3 side of the plate and grilled baguette slices on the other 1/3 side.

Transfer drained burrata on top of the ham and drizzle parsley mint pesto all over the cheese and Serrano ham. Also drizzle some balsamic vinegar if using.

Absolutely loving that burrata cheese, silky and milky at the same time, works so well with salty Serrano ham and refreshing pesto sauce. 

The burrata was gone in no time. I should have bought two boxes instead.

After enjoying the toasted baguette with all these other things I've prepped for, there were some unused pesto sauce afterwards. I simply mixed that with pasta sauce for the spaghetti. Even if you are using tomato-based pasta sauce, adding a bit of pesto won't hurt. In fact, it'll boost up the flavors even more.  

Extended reading:

• Salsa salad with roasted chicken and baby greens
• Crostini with Serrano burrata and hot honey

Seared Salmon Chunks with Asian Aromatics

Considering salmon being one of my regularly cooked fish, I'm constantly trying to come up with new ways to enjoy it. 

Salmon can be cooked as simple as baked in western ways or steamed in Chinese ways. Perhaps a bit more complicated with blackened in western or stir-fried in Asian. Let it be an array of variations, but always leading with one single "delicious" result. Not because of my cooking, but thanks to salmon's meatiness and flavorful profile.

Seared salmon chunks with Asian aromatics -

Ingredients?

• 2 medium salmon fillets
• 1 stalk scallion
• 1 small chunk young ginger
• 4 garlic cloves
• Some flour
• Some light cooking oil (olive oil is fine too)

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped red chili sauce (or use fresh chilies)
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

How?

Destem and chop the scallion. We are going to use most of it in stir-fry but do save a little for garnish in the end. Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Scrape the skin then finely chop the young ginger. We will need about 1/2 teaspoon of prepped ginger. If using fresh chilies, destem and chop the remaining section.

Slice the salmon to medium bite size pieces. Pat dry with paper towel and dust with flour.

Mix all the ingredients listed under the "sauce" section and set aside for later use. If using fresh chilies instead, don't add that to the sauce mixture.

Prepare a non-stick pan. Drizzle some oil over to evenly coat the bottom of the pan plus a bit more oil. Switch to medium heat and wait till the oil gets warm.

Add in salmon and do not move them around early on. Simply let it sear till the bottom turns golden color, then you can flip the fish and continue to sear the other side. 

Prepare a plate lined with paper towel. Scoop the salmon over. the paper towel will help absorbing excess oil from the fish. Meanwhile let's prep the sauce.

Still using the same pan and still under medium heat. Drizzle more oil if needed. Add in chopped garlic, most of the scallion, and ginger. Also add in fresh chopped red chilies here if using. Stir-fry till aromatic but not burnt.

Pour in the sauce mixture and bring the entire thing to a boil then quickly lower the heat. Let it cook just a few seconds more.

Transfer the salmon back to the pan and gently move the fish around. Make sure all sides of the fish are coated with the sauce.

Plate and garnish with the remaining chopped scallion. 

To sum up, if you can get a hold of chopped chili sauce, use it in the sauce mixture. However, if using fresh chilies, you sear that together with other Asian aromatics instead of adding to the sauce mixture.

Simply searing the salmon with some salt and black pepper is good enough, but I layered up more flavors with Asian aromatics and seasonings. Worry not, these ingredients will not overpower the taste of the fish, but actually create more layers of savory touch. 

And the best part, also perhaps the main reason why I intended to cook salmon this way, is that the sauce clinging on to the flour coating pairs really well with steamed rice. 

Other salmon recipes:

• Salmon en papillote with cherry tomatoes and dill
• Honey and Cajun spiced salmon
• Salmon and chorizo in tangy tomato sauce
• Maple glazed salmon (no oven involved)
• Garlic soy and butter salmon fillets
• Oven-baked gochujang salmon fillets