GEOFF’s Ōra King Salmon Tail, Casareccia Pasta with Salsa Verde…

This is a leftover dish. The tail section of an Ōra King salmon – what’s usually left once the fillets are done – gets a second life here and it’s a better dish for it. The skin goes in dry, cut into strips, crisping in its own fat the way pancetta would. The flesh gets minced into the pan with two minutes left on the Casareccia Pasta and the oil that comes out of Ōra King Salmon is what carries the flavour through the whole dish. That’s the reason for Casareccia: the ridged, twisted surface of each piece catches every drop of that oil. The salsa verde goes through at the end, green and punchy. Quick to make, colourful on the plate.

⏱️ Preparation Time: 5 minutes
🍳 Cooking Time: 12 minutes
🍽️ Serves: 6

👩‍🍳 Cooking Method: Induction or Gas stovetp

📝 Ingredients:

• 500gm Rustichella d’Abruzzo Casareccia (70gm dry per person)
• 300-350gm Ōra King salmon tail section, skin removed and cut into strips, flesh pin-boned
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2gm Pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)
• 3gm sea salt flakes, to taste
• 2gm black pepper, to taste
• For the salsa verde:
• 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 35gm Osti anchovy fillets in oil, drained
• 40gm capers, rinsed
• 120ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 5ml Leonardi Oro Nobile white balsamic vinegar

👩‍🍳 Method:

1. Cut the salmon skin into strips before anything goes on the heat. Put a large pot of well-salted water on to boil at induction setting 9 or a high gas flame. At the same time, lay the skin strips in a cold, dry heavy-based fry pan – no oil. Start at induction setting 7 or a medium-high gas flame.
2. While the water comes to the boil and the skin begins to render, make the salsa verde. Place the parsley, garlic, Osti anchovies and capers into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture forms a loose, coarse sauce. Stir in the lemon juice, zest and Leonardi Oro Nobile white balsamic. Taste — with anchovies and capers, salt is unlikely to be needed. Set aside.
3. After 3–4 minutes, reduce the pan to induction setting 5 or a medium gas flame and continue cooking the skin strips, turning occasionally, until deeply crisp 8–10 minutes total. Lift them onto a board, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
4. Drop the Casareccia into the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions.
5. With about 2 minutes left on the pasta, add the salmon tail flesh and sliced garlic to the pan with the rendered fat. Mince the flesh directly in the pan using a whisk or fork, working it continuously over induction setting 6 or a medium gas flame until broken down fine and beginning to crisp at the edges.
6. Add the chilli flakes if using. Reserve 150ml of pasta water, then drain the Casareccia and tip it straight into the pan.
7. Add the salsa verde and toss everything together over the heat, loosening with a splash of pasta water until the Casareccia is well coated and the sauce gets into every twist.
8. Scatter the crispy skin strips over the top and serve immediately.

🥣 Serving Instructions:

1. Serve straight from the pan into warmed bowls — this dish doesn’t wait.
2. A rocket salad with lemon alongside cuts through the richness of the salmon.
3. Crusty sourdough on the table.
4. Wine: a crisp Vermentino or unoaked Chardonnay.

📝 Notes:

• No oil goes into the pan as Ōra King salmon skin renders enough of its own fat, and that fat is what the tail flesh cooks in. The oil from the salmon is also one of the main flavour carriers in this dish.
• Cutting the skin into strips rather than leaving it whole means it crisps evenly and scatters easily over the finished dish the same effect as pancetta without the pork.
• Ōra King tail is rich and the dish is built around the salsa verde and the oil the fish provides, not the protein weight.
• The timing is designed so everything moves together: water and skin go on at the same time, salsa verde is made while both come up, pasta goes in, tail added with 2 minutes to go.
• The salsa verde should be loose enough to coat the Casareccia generously – if it looks too thick from the processor, a splash of pasta water in the pan will loosen it.
• Ōra King salmon tail works harder here than the fillet ever would. It’s a great use of a no waste philosophy. Ask Fair Seafood for it specifically.

Download Recipe Here

🧊Storage:

Fridge Friendly Instructions:

Refrigerate in an airtight glass container for up to 1 day.

Reheat in your steam oven at 100% for 6 -7 minutes in the bowls you’re going to serve in. Reheat gently in a fry pan on induction setting 4 or a low-medium gas flame with a splash of water, stirring for 3–4 minutes.

Best eaten fresh – the minced salmon softens on reheating and the crispy skin loses its crunch.

Freezer Friendly Instructions:

Not suitable for freezing

🥗Nutritional (6 servings, amount per serving):

• Calories – 498
• Kilojoules – 2,083
• Total Fat – 27gm
• Saturated fat – 4gm
• Monounsaturated Fat – 16gm
• Polyunsaturated Fat – 4gm
• Trans Fat – 0gm
• Cholesterol – 38mg
• Sodium – 498mg
• Potassium – 412mg
• Total Carbohydrate – 48gm
• Dietary Fibre – 3gm
• Sugars – 2gm
• Protein – 19gm
• Vitamin A – 18%
• Vitamin C – 22%
• Calcium – 5%
• Iron – 14% 

*The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie / 8370 Kilojoule diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie/kilojoule needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated.