Grilled salmon tournedos with eggplant jam

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 8 salmon steaks (80g salmon tournedos)
• 1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sweet paprika powder
• 2 tsp cumin, ground
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• 1 tsp oregano, dried
• ½ tsp pepper, freshly ground
• 270 g potatoes, floury, peeled, cut into 1-2 cm cubes
• 60 ml chicken stock
• 130 g corn kernels, fresh, from a can or frozen
• 50 g cream, heated but not boiled
• 20 g butter
• salt and pepper
• nutmeg
• 400 g eggplant(s)
• 200 g tomatoes, fresh or canned
• olive oil
• 35 g olives, black, pitted and chopped
• 1 large garlic clove(s), chopped (10 g)
• 1 large shallot(s), chopped (15 g)
• 10 g basil, picked leaves
• 3 g thyme, picked leaves
• 200 ml chicken stock
• Salt and pepper from the mill
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Sugar
• 100 g shallot(s), finely chopped
• 2 g thyme, plucked leaves
• 30 g butter
• 200 ml white wine
• 600 ml fish stock
• 170 g cream
• Salt and pepper from the mill
• 10 ml lemon or lime juice
• 1 bunch of fresh herbs (dill, parsley, tarragon, and basil)
• 120 g butter, ice-cold, in small cubes
• flowers (nasturtium)
• chili oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours

For the Cajun seasoning, finely chop the garlic and mix well with the remaining spices. For the corn mashed potatoes, boil the potatoes until soft, drain, and let stand for 1-2 minutes until dry. Bring the chicken stock to a boil, add the corn kernels, and mash. Mash the potatoes, add the hot cream and the corn mash, and mix everything thoroughly. Season with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg, and keep warm. For the eggplant jam, wash the eggplants and tomatoes. Remove the soft core and seeds from the eggplants, peel, and deseed the tomatoes. Cut everything into very small cubes (about 1 cm). Heat olive oil in a pan and fry the shallots and garlic until translucent. Add the eggplants and fry for 1-2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, black olives, basil leaves, and thyme leaves. Stir everything well and pour in 200 ml of chicken stock. Reduce to low heat, stirring frequently to prevent the jam from burning. Season with salt, pepper, tomato paste, and a little sugar, and keep warm. For the sauce, fry the shallots and fresh thyme leaves in the butter until translucent. Deglaze with white wine and reduce by half. Then add the fish stock and cream and reduce by another half. Strain through a sieve and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Finely chop the fresh herbs, reserving a few sprigs for garnish. Bring the sauce to a boil and add half of the chopped herbs. Blend with a hand blender until you have a green sauce. Bring back to a boil and then gradually whisk in the cold butter. Stir in the remaining herbs and season the sauce again. Rub the tournedos on both sides with the Cajun seasoning. Make sure the tournedos are completely coated. Grill the salmon on a charcoal grill or in a griddle pan until medium-rare. Presentation: Heat the corn and potato puree and the eggplant jam. Place two tablespoons of corn and potato puree side by side in the center of each plate. Use two tablespoons of the jam to form dumplings and place them between the puree. Place the salmon tournedos on top of the corn and potato puree and pour the sauce over them. Garnish each with a sprig of fresh herbs, a nasturtium flower, and a few drops of chili oil.