Norwegian salmon smoked and blackened with cajun spice and rooibos tea

Posted by David Henning on 15 September 2021

Season 6 winner of Ultimate Braai Master, Corné Bornman – affectionately known as “Borries” says with the near-death of the hospitality industry as a result of the pandemic, he has been spending more time than ever in front of the fire. It also gave him time to perfect his new line of braai spices and sauces, called, Brafia available online from the Brafia Facebook page for those that want to replicate the flavours at home.

Season 6 winner, Corné “Borries” Bornman, a.k.a the “Braai-father” has shown how versatile Rooibos is by creating several braai dishes, ranging from savoury to sweet. Here is his recipe for Norwegian Salmon smoked and blackened with cajun spice and rooibos tea served with grilled fennel, fire-roasted beetroot and Aji Amarillo Chilli sauce

Ingredients:
· 300 g Norwegian Salmon Fillet
· Cajun spice
· ¼ cup semi coarse salt (kosher or sea)
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground white pepper
· 1 to 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1. Combine the above ingredients, generously season the top of the fillet and keep the rest of the mixture for future use in any chicken or seafood dish. Open two bags of Rooibos tea of good quality and sprinkle on top of the spice. Rest for 1-3 hours.
2. Using cold smoke, with wood of apricot or other fruit trees, smoke the fillet on a non-stick mat for 20-30 minutes, without cooking the fish. Let it cool down and rest while prepping the garnish.

Garnish:
· Brush 2 whole beetroots with oil and season. Wrap in foil and cook on the side of the fire. Watch that you do not get them too hot as they are cooking in themselves with concentrating flavours and could burn easily. Once cooked and cooled down, peel and cut into cubes. Drizzle with olive oil and season.
· Trim and blanch baby fennel. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Grill over hot coals and set aside.

Aji Amarillo Sauce:
· 1/2 cup Aji Amirillo Chillies
· 30 ml oil
· 1 bay leaf, 1 clove of garlic – In pan-roast chillies with oil, bay leaf and garlic
· 2 eggs, boiled hard (7-10 minutes) and peeled
· ½ cup water
· 10 ml salt
· 5 ml mustard
· ¼ cup vinegar
· ¼ cup sour cream – combine all of the above in a food processor and liquidise till smooth.

Plating
Make a fire with good wood. With the fire underway, arrange the prepared garnishes on the plate. When there are some coals, but still a bit of a flame, use a “braai mat” on top of your grill. Melt a bit of butter. Lift the fish and place it crust down onto the mat until a nice colour is achieved. Turn over and crisp up the skin. Serve on a garnished plate. Drizzle with Aji Amarillo sauce and sprinkle some chilli salt on the plate.

Recipe courtesy of Corné “Borries” Bornman

Pictures: Marius Henning






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