Spinach and salmon parcels with scallops and saffron sauce

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 200 g spinach, root spinach (important: large leaves)
• Salt
• butter
• 150 g salmon fillet(s)
• 1 tsp parsley, chopped
• 1 pinch(s) of Allspice d’Espelette
• 1 pinch(s) of salt (fleur de sel)
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• 6 scallops
• olive oil
• Salt (Fleur de Sel)
• 500 g tomatoes, ripe
• Salt
• 1 small shallot(s)
• 1 small garlic clove(s)
• Saffron
• Salt (Fleur de Sel)
• 35 g butter

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest period approx. 1 day; Total time approx. 1 day 1 hour

refined and elegant starter, beautiful in a multi-course menu

Spinach and Salmon Balls: Wash the spinach thoroughly and separate the leaves into individual leaves. Blanch briefly in salted water and immediately plunge into ice water. Carefully remove the spinach leaves and place them on a kitchen towel, then cover with a second towel. Press firmly to dry. Cut 12 square pieces of cling film (the narrow rolls are sufficient in this case) and lay them out individually on a large work surface. Melt the butter and place a square in the center of each piece of film, roughly the size of the spinach leaves. Now trim off the thick parts of the stems and place the leaves, veins facing up, on the buttered film. Cover the open cut of the stem with an overlap. This also applies to any damage to the leaf. For small leaves, you can also combine two leaves to make one large one. Remove the dark layer from the salmon fillet. Then dice the fillet very finely and chop it if necessary. Add the parsley and spices and season to taste. Place a heap of 1-2 teaspoons on each spinach leaf. Fold the spinach over the salmon tartare. Grab the foil at all four ends and pick up the ball with the foil in your hand. Now twist the four foil ends together until a compact ball is formed. Clamp the twisted foil firmly under the ball. The balls can be prepared up to this point a day in advance. They must be kept in the refrigerator. Steam the balls for 3 minutes shortly before serving. This can also be done in a pot or wok with a steamer insert. Saffron sauce: The basis for the saffron sauce is a tomato stock, which must be made the day before. Peel the shallot and garlic, and roughly dice both, along with the tomatoes. Place in a pot and heat. Once the mixture is warm, puree everything. This is easier than if everything is raw. Bring the puree to a boil once, add salt, and bring back to a boil. Line a sieve with a diaper or a kitchen towel and pour in the mixture. Let it drain overnight. You will have a clear tomato broth and a compact dry residue. This can be discarded. You will need 100 ml of the tomato stock. The remainder can be used for a small soup or other sauce, or you can freeze it. Bring 100 ml of the tomato stock to a boil with saffron and reduce by half. Cut the ice-cold butter into pieces and mix it in with a hand blender. Season with a little fleur de sel. Scallops: Heat a little olive oil in a non-stick pan and fry the scallops. I prefer them slightly translucent and season them only with fleur de sel. You can also press them crosswise with a slicing knife before frying. This will give them a distinctive striped pattern when frying. To serve: Pour a layer of the saffron sauce over the scallops. Place a scallop in the center and a spinach and salmon parcel on the left and right (please remove the foil first). If desired, garnish with a few finely diced tomatoes, briefly warmed in the oven.