My first “In The Mix” or Thermomix failure – ever!  Not bad going I guess after two and a half years of ownership, and it wasn’t a complete disaster, maybe I’m just a heathen when it comes to sous vide salmon? Or maybe the fillets I bought were too thick?  And to top it all off, a bad photo to boot.  Just must have been a bad day.  Come to think of it, I did make it on Friday the 13th?!?

I followed the recipe word for word, but to my palate, the salmon was just too under-done for me. I usually don’t mind my salmon very pink in the middle, and I love sashimi and sushi, but maybe I was expecting something more well ummm – cooked.  Or at least warm.  I had already plated the salmon and started to eat it, but had to put it in the microwave for a burst before I could eat all of it.  I put the salmon, oil, lemon rind and herbs in a zip lock bag, squeezed out as much air as I could, and then put it in a sponge tin on the top layer of the varoma.  I struggled to find something that would fit the bag, allow enough water to almost cover the bag, and would fit under the lid of the varoma.  I wanted to use the top tray as I thought then it wouldn’t be such a hassle propping up the dish to leave the steamer holes unblocked.  I’m not sure if using the top tray was one of my mistakes, but I will try it again on the bottom tray and see how it goes.

Anyway, I’ve emailed to check whether there is typo in the recipe and it should be at varoma rather than 100 degrees as is mentioned in the book, so I’ll let you know.

I couldn’t find sorrel – and on googling, it’s a spring crop, so that would explain it – so I used baby spinach instead.  The spinach was lovely, but looked more like a spinach puree than the picture in the book (which I know is probably sorrel, and maybe they wilt down differently). The spinach needed quite a bit of seasoning, so make sure you taste it before you plate it up.

I’m a little greedy and to be honest I never feel like I’ve eaten until there’s some carbohydrate on the plate, so to accompany the salmon and spinach, I made Pommes Anna, which is just a fancy name for thinly sliced potato brushed with butter and cooked at about 200 degrees celsius for about an hour.

So, onwards and upwards.  I’m going to try this again!!

UPDATE!!

Dani has just emailed me – and the temperature is right.  Apparently there are a few variables with this recipe:

– The starting temperature of the water in the TM bowl.  (Mine would have been pretty cold)

– The thickness of the fillets (and mine were on the thick side)

– Air in the bag

So, I’ll give it a crack again this week and let you know how I get on.