Baked Salmon With Mustard Dill Sauce

Hello boys and girls!

Welcome to cooking with Varun! In the summer of 2011, when the UK was experiencing temperatures of up to 24 degrees, one of my roommates and our resident refugee decided to make a trip across the pond from Northern Ireland to Scotland. The land of Scotch whiskey and haggis. The land of lochs and desolate moors. The land of castles and breathtaking beauty. But even more so, the land of very difficult to understand accents! So as my roommate coordinated with a couple of his friends, I booked the passage and the tours for our 5 day trip.

We set off from Belfast in the wee hours of the morning and made our way to the docks for the ferry that was to take us to a Scottish port from where we'd be transferred on to a bus that would take us to Edinburgh. We boarded the ferry and were pleasantly surprised to find that it was not unlike a floating mall. It had 2 restaurants, a shop, a gaming center, a cinema, and (to my roommate's delight) a bar. We walked around trying to get our bearings and 30 minutes after we set off, ended up at the bar sipping whiskey at 8:30 am! Now, despite how my stories are, I'm not much of a drinker but even I couldn't say no to getting into the holiday mode around my roommate's obvious and utterly infectious enthusiasm!

We docked a couple of hours later and got on a bus that trundled along the beautiful Scottish coast for a few hours until we were deposited in lovely Edinburgh. We checked into our B&B and walked around the city for several hours until dead tired, we found ourselves outside an establishment of a rather 'exotic' nature. Our refugee was instantly rejuvenated and begged for us to go inside since this was something he had longed to do for some time. We resisted but gave in in the end and departed 45 minutes later with lighter wallets (On account of the overpriced beer! No idea what you're thinking of!) and a refugee with an ear to ear grin that did not leave his face for the next 3 days.

The next few days were spent with the added company of my roommates friends on tours that covered some magnificent castles (including Alnwick, where the first 2 Harry Potter movies were filmed), wild Scottish countryside, stark moors, beautiful lochs, all accompanied by local ales and meads, and hearty dinners (yes, I tried the haggis). The night of our two day tour was spent in Fort William, a town in the highlands where the tour had booked us into the cottage of a very kindly little old lady who, if my companions are to be believed, made excellent tea. It was a wonderful trip and we were all quite sad when it ended but it did leave us with a lifetime of memories (and a very grateful refugee).

Today's recipe is a baked wild Scottish salmon (but you can use your local salmon instead).

For Baked Salmon With Mustard Dill Sauce, you will need the following:

Salmon	4-6 big fillets
Garlic	4-5 cloves
Sour cream	2 cups
Dill leaves	2 handfuls
Mustard	2 tsp
Butter	2 massive dollops
Parsley	small handful
Salt	to taste

Prep:

1. Soften the butter.
2. Mince the garlic.
3. Chop the parsley.
4. Chop the dill.
5. Mix the butter, garlic and parsley.

Method:

For the Baked Salmon:

1. Turn the oven on (fan at 180 degrees).
2. Grab an oven tray.
3. Cover the bottom of the oven tray with grease paper.
4. Lay the salmon fillets on the tray.
5. Generously coat with the garlic parsley butter. (Make more if you run out.. And you WILL run out.)
6. Cover the tray with a piece of kitchen foil just big enough to cover the fish.
7. Stick the tray into the oven for 8-10 mins (or until you can smell the fish, whichever comes first).
8. Turn the oven off.

For the Mustard Dill Sauce:

1. Put the cups of sour cream into a bowl.
2. Toss in the chopped dill leaves.
3. Mix well.
4. Stir in the mustard.
5. Add salt to taste.

Serve:

1. Serve with fluffy mashed potatoes and toast slathered in garlic parsley butter.
2. Stuff face.
3. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: Make the sauce ahead and bring it to room temperature. Cold sauce doesn't do the dish justice!

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!