Tasmanian pepper berries are dark purple, with a lovely sweetness followed by a pungent kick. Jing Tio enjoys using them to flavor salmon, so he adds whole pepper berries to the olive oil he uses to poach the fish. To make the dish spicier, sprinkle the fillets with ground pepper berries, but be warned—it tends to turn food slightly purple. More Salmon Recipes
How to Make It
Finely grate 1/2 teaspoon of zest from the lemon; wrap the grated zest in plastic. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the remaining zest from the lemon in wide strips. Cut the strips into thin julienne. Squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice from the lemon.
In a medium skillet, combine the olive oil with the pepper berries and the lemon julienne and bring to a boil. Simmer the oil over low heat for 20 minutes. Pour the oil through a fine strainer set over a bowl, pressing on the solids.
Return the oil to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Add the salmon fillets, season with salt and pepper and simmer over moderately low heat until cooked on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, carefully turn the fillets over and cook until just opaque throughout, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the salmon to a warmed platter or plates.
Ladle out all but 1/4 cup of the olive oil and set the skillet over moderately high heat. Add the lemon juice and orange juice and boil for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the grated lemon zest and gradually whisk in the butter. Season the sauce with salt, pour it over the salmon fillets and serve.
