Crispy-skin salmon with chorizo and red pepper stew, served with baby potatoes, and a caramelized balsamic sauce

This is a quick and easy recipe that follows the formula of: simple ingredients+common sense=deliciousness. The rule of thumb is: you do not need to be precise to the ounce, but you do need to understand ratios and flavour combinations to cook well. This recipe is an example of the universal fish+tangy flavour combo: fish and TANG belong together: fish and lime, fish and lemon, or fish and vinegar, you may have noticed acidity is applied to many fish dishes, no matter where the cuisine comes from. The smokey chorizo sausage improves the flavour profile of the dish, taking it up a notch.

Ingredients (for 4 hungry adults):
- 4 salmon fillets, with skin on. The skin gives an extra 'dimension' to the texture of the dish, when crisped up
- 1 large smoked chorizo sausage, sliced thinly
- 16 baby potatoes, washed and skin on (or however many you feel like, really)
- 4-5 red capsicums (for this recipe, red capsicums work better than green ones, as they are sweeter)
- A handful of rocket leaves for garnish
- 1 large leek, finely chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Olive oil (standard virgin olive oil for cooking, and extra virgin olive oil to dress the dish at the end)

- 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed (we do not want the garlic to overtake, so it is better to just 'crush' the garlic cloves)
- Caramelized balsamic vinegar (I got a bottle of 'Little Fish Cafe' caramelized balsamic vinegar from a friend who brought it back from Port Macquarie in Northern NSW. If you do not have it, just use balsamic vinegar, but a little less of it, or it would be a bit more acidic).

Method:

1. Rub salt and pepper on the salmon fillets. NOTE: ensure the skin side is salted. Leave on kitchen bench for a few minutes to allow the seasoning to penetrate. Pat dry the fillets with kitchen towel. These steps ensure that excess moisture in the skin is drawn out, so it becomes crispy when pan-fried
2. Wash the potatoes, and cut them in half. Wash and cut the capsicums into thin strips. Wash and cut the leek into fine pieces. Crush the garlic cloves
3. Heat a good quality non-stick pan on low to medium heat, and add sliced chorizo. Render the fat off the sausage and cook until crispy. Set aside the cooked sausage and leave the fat in the pan
4. Rub a little olive oil on the fish fillets to prevent sticking. Fry the salmon fillets skin-side down in the chorizo fat. Add a little olive oil if needed. NOTE: do not overcrowd the pan so the fish 'fries'. Cook until the skin becomes crispy and golden brown. Turn over to cook the other side. NOTE: the best way to check if fish is cooked on the inside is to poke a bamboo stick in the fillet, and if the white 'protein foam' comes out, then the inside is cooked
5. Boil the potatoes to 90% done. To check, poke a knife in the potatoes, there should be some 'resistance'. This way, when the potatoes are cooked again in the pan, they retain their 'structural integrity'. Drain well
6. Set the cooked fish aside. 'De-glaze' with leek, crushed garlic and capsicum strips. Season with salt and pepper to draw the moisture out of the vegetables and speed up the cooking process. Cook the vegetables until soft and tender. Drizzle a generous amount of caramelized balsamic vinegar over the vegetable mixture and toss in the baby potatoes. Mix well to coat the potatoes. Cook for a couple of minutes, or until the potatoes are 100% tender. Toss the cooked chorizo back into the pan. Check for seasoning
7. Garnish with rocket leaves and drizzle a little virgin olive oil over the top. Serve and enjoy the more-ish crispy-skin salmon on a bed of tender baby potatoes, creamy leek and sweet stewed capsicum, topped with the crispy, sweet and smokey chorizo. The vegetables are well integrated into the slightly smokey, sweet and tangy sauce, and the rocket adds a peppery twist. I don't know about you, but I sure am starving!