After browsing many Scandinavian recipes for this issue, we struck upon one that is summery, Swedish-inspired and delicious. The place where we found it is sort of the Swedish stereotype—eh hem— Ikea . Just because Ikea makes some of the most popular furniture worldwide doesn’t mean they can’t cook as well so we thought we would give it a try. The verdict? We were impressed, particularly that it tastes great and is easy to make. It ties in three of the most popular ingredients in Swedish cooking: salmon, potatoes and dill. A great dish for busy parents, we thought it was perfect to share with you. So here it is: (thanks Ikea!)

Ingredients:

1 pound (500g) of salmon fillets
¾ pound (400g) potatoes, boiled and sliced
1 leek, cut diagonally into thin slices
1 medium-large Chinese cabbage*
butter

For the glaze:

3.5 tbsp. (1/2 dl) sugar
1/3-1/2 cup (1 dl) apple cider vinegar (between 1/3 and ½ cups)
1¾ cups (4 dl) chicken stock or such like
1/4 cup (50g) fresh ginger, peeled and shredded fine
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 tbsp. Spanish pepper
corn flour
salt

 
Instructions:

1. Melt the sugar to a pale caramel in a saucepan. Add the vinegar and stock.
2. Boil briskly, skim and add the ginger, the garlic and the Spanish pepper. Boil for about 15 or 20 minutes. 3. Add salt to taste and thicken to the right consistency with corn flour.
4. Salt the pieces of salmon and put them into an ovenproof dish. Brown in the oven at 200°C (400°F) for about 8-12 minutes.
5. While the salmon is cooking, shred the Chinese cabbage and flavor with salt, black pepper and dill.
6. Brown the potato, leek and cabbage lightly in a little butter over a low flame. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Make a bed of the warm potato salad on the plate, with the salmon on top and pour the ginger glaze over it. Garnish with a sprig of dill. A green vegetable makes a good companion piece.

 
Notes and Modifications:

Regular pepper works just fine. Also, although not very Swedish, adding a splash of soy sauce tastes great.

*Chinese cabbage is the green kind; bok choy is one common type of it.

© 2011 – 2013, Stephanie Meade. All rights reserved.

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