Morel mushrooms signal the arrival of spring to me. So, yesterday when I saw some perfect morel mushrooms in the market, I knew that I had to make a spring celebration dish. Spring foods are all about simplicity. Just cooking the mushrooms in cream creates a deeply flavored and satisfying sauce in under five minutes. In fact this whole dish came together in under twenty minutes and has so many wonderful tastes and textures.

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Ingredients

• Salmon
• White Wine
• Lemon
• Fennel
• Pernod
• Olive Oil
• Morel Mushrooms
• Cream
• English Peas
• Snow Peas
• Spring Onion
• Baby Carrots
• Radish
• Dill

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Method

• Boil two cups of water with two cups of white wine with a big pinch of salt and a few slices of lemon for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the salmon. Let the salmon poach for five minutes.

• Cut the fennel into small dice and put into a pressure cooker with a few spoons of olive oil, a large splash of Pernod and just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Pressure cook for 5 minutes then uncover and cook until all the water evaporates. Season with a squeeze of lemon juice and then fold in some minced fennel fronds. The fennel should be soft.

• Cook the morel mushrooms in cream and a pinch of salt until the water releases from the mushroom and then continue cooking until the sauce thickens up. Add a drop of lemon juice to balance the richness of the cream.

• Steam the English Peas, snow peas, spring onions and the baby carrots.

• Thinly slice the radish on a mandoline and pick some sprigs of fresh dill.

• Take the salmon from the hot poaching liquid and blot it dry on a towel. Put the fish onto a warmed serving plate and season with coarse salt. Top the fish with the fennel compote. Arrange the steamed vegetables and mushrooms around the the fish and spoon the sauce over the vegetables. Garnish the dish with the radishes and dill.

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This dish is so welcome after a long and cold winter. The clean and fresh flavors of spring get me thinking about the upcoming foraging season and how summer's bounty is just around the corner.

Thanks for stopping by today to read my post. Please ask me any questions about this dish in the comments section below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Chef Steve