You can buy cooked chestnuts in vacuum packed bags in gourmet shops and some grocery stores.
Ingredients
Salmon
1 4-lb salmon, boned and butterflied
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, cracked
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon grated lime rind
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Stuffing
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup coarsely chopped cooked chestnuts
4 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and light green part only)
3 cups sliced Napa cabbage
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cracked fennel seeds
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup whipping cream
Method
Place salmon in a baking dish and season with salt and pepper. Combine fennel and herbes de Provence and lime rind with oil. Brush or spoon all over both inside and outside of salmon. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Heat butter in skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and Napa cabbage and sauté for six minutes or until everything is soft. Add tarragon, lemon juice and chestnuts and cook for two more minutes or until flavours are combined. Stir in cream and bring to boil. Remove from heat and stir in breadcrumbs. Season well with salt and pepper.
Season inside of salmon with salt and pepper and spread in a thin layer stuffing. Place on baking sheet. Place remaining stuffing in a small oiled baking dish and bake in oven alongside salmon. Bake salmon for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 300 F and bake for 10 minutes longer or until salmon is just cooked through. Let rest 5 minutes. Transfer fish to a serving platter and remove top layer of skin to make it easier to slice fish. Use a sharp carving knife to cut fish into portions.
Serves eight to 10.
Lucy Waverman