Posts tagged with “Melendez”

09/02/10

Luis Meléndez – Baked Salmon with a Dijon-Tarragon Crust

Although Piece of Salmon, Lemon and three Vessels is Meléndez’s best-known painting, I initially skipped over the small canvas when selecting the work for this post. The brown area within the oily flesh of the fish was a bother – it does not look particularly appetising which is an issue when it is intended to inspire a recipe. The image was fixed in my thoughts and I kept returning to the painting, even if I was slightly repulsed. My solution was to first not buy a rotting piece of fish, and second, cover the top of the fillet with a crust so that, if there happened to be an unsightly bit, it would be carefully concealed and hidden from view. The crust also enabled the creation of both visual and edible texture – a facet important to Meléndez’s art. The mustard crust appears rough against the smooth coral flesh and provides a bit of crunch among the flakes of fish. I portioned the recipe out for an indulgent dinner for one – the mustard sauce could easily cover two salmon fillets for a less pushy flavour.

Luis Meléndez, Piece of Salmon, Lemon and three Vessels, 1772
oil on canvas, 42 x 62 cm, Museo del Prado

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08/13/09

Luis Meléndez – Baby Octopus in Sofregit Sauce

Although I have not been very adventurous with the ingredients in the original Daring Kitchen challenge recipe, I did take many liberties with the proportions and the processes. Octopus is a very finicky ingredient that is very easy to overcook and turn into a rubbery mess. If cooked correctly it is succulent and yielding to the bite and is the perfect accompaniment to the paella-like dish. The original recipe called for only 3TB of the sofregit sauce leaving a rather large portion that would not be used in the conceivable future. To remedy this, I added all of the sofregit and reduced the amount of stock required so the rice would not become soupy. It is a delicious but filling dish that had me craving a Spanish siesta.

Luis Meléndez, Still Life with Tomatoes, a Bowl of Aubergines and Onions, c. 1771-1774
Oil on canvas, 36.8 x 49 cm, framed Derek Johns, London

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