Heston Blumenthal’s Salmon With Bois Boudran Sauce

If you’re looking to experiment a little bit with your usual weeknight salmon recipe, this recipe will not disappoint!

The recipe below is adapted from chef/restaurateur Heston Blumenthal’s creation, one that he featured in his phenomenal cookbook, “Heston Blumenthal at Home.”

Heston’s version is a tad too complicated for a weeknight meal, so I’ve swapped out the more complicated bits and bobs from his recipe to make it more accessible.

Simplifying the Salmon Cooking Technique.

Most notably, I’ve swapped out his sous vide technique for a much easier but still-delish pan-fry technique.

While I love to sous vide because it does, in fact, create a very unique texture to the fish, it requires special equipment and much more time to cook, neither of which are essential components for enjoying this dish in its entirety. 

How to Make Bois Boudran Sauce With Everyday Ingredients.

I’ve kept the Bois Boudran Sauce recipe VERY similar to Heston’s, although my version provides more flexibility in the ingredients used so that you will likely be able to make the sauce from what you’ve already got in your kitchen, thus avoiding a trip to the supermarket. 

If Ketchup Could Talk, It Would Say “You Complete Me” To These Crushed Potatoes.

The crushed potatoes that are tucked nicely in between the sauce and the salmon provide a nice mouthfeel when paired with the silky salmon and also act as a great compliment to the spicy ketchup-based sauce. 

There’s a reason why potatoes and ketchup are a classic pairing, and this recipe reconfirms these two are a pair made in heaven. 

Overall, the preparation of this dish might take a little bit longer than a simple lemony salmon you're used to making on a weeknight, but the little extra effort is totally worth it.

Yield: 2 servings

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Salmon With Bois Boudran Sauce And Crushed Potatoes

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Ingredients

Salmon:

• 2 salmon fillets, skin on
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt

Crushed Potatoes:

• 1/2 lb new potatoes, washed and halved
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
• 1 large shallot, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Bois Boudran Sauce:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar (alternately, if you have in your pantry, you can use sherry vinegar or champagne vinegar, either of which will add a tinge more sweetness)
• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cups water
• 2 large shallots, peeled and finely diced (or you can use 1 large white onion, peeled and finely diced if you don’t have shallots in the house)
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoon of either parsley, basil, oregano, or tarragon (you can mix these all up together, or just choose one of them)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes

Preparation

First, make the sauce. If you’d like, the sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time to make the actual meal prep fast and easy. For the sauce:

1. Place the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mustard, and olive oil in a bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan and then add the shallots/onions for about 30 - 45 seconds, to soften them a bit, and then drain. Set drained shallots/onions aside.
3. Chop the herbs (whichever you decide to use) and add to the ketchup mixture.
4. Add the softened shallots/onions to the mixture.
5. Add the cayenne and chili pepper flakes to the mixture.
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the mixture in the fridge for at least two hours to allow the herbs to infuse into the sauce.

Next, bake the salmon:

1. Preheat the oven to 370F degrees.
2. Spray a baking tray with a little cooking spray and then place salmon fillets skin side down on the tray.
3. Massage olive oil onto the top and sides of the salmon and then sprinkle with a little salt.
4. Bake salmon for 20 minutes.

While salmon is baking, cook the potatoes:

1. Put the halved potatoes and garlic in a saucepan, cover with water and add a teaspoon of salt.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 15-20 minutes.
3. In a small pan, cook the shallots gently in the olive oil for about 5 minutes and then set aside. When the potatoes are done, drain them, discarding the garlic. Place the potatoes in a bowl and pour the shallot & olive oil mixture over them. Add the mustard and vinegar and then crush with a fork so that they are roughly broken up but not mashed. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and then throw the parsley on top.

To plate it all together:

1. First, spoon a few tablespoons of the sauce onto a plate. Top the sauce with some of the potatoes, and then gently top with the salmon fillet, skin side up.

Did you make this recipe?

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