Food Pairing | Wine Lovers Shiraz with Seared Salmon

2024 Wine Lovers Shiraz with Seared Salmon

Red wine with salmon raises eyebrows, and then it works. The trick is the plum-soy glaze, which meets the plum and cherry in the glass halfway. This is the everyday celebration plate: bright, generous, no occasion required.

2024 Wine Lovers Shiraz

Seared Salmon with Plum-Soy Glaze, Charred Bok Choy and Black Sesame

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 salmon fillets, skin on, about 180g each
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 4 baby bok choy, halved lengthways
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper

For the plum-soy glaze

• 3 ripe plums, stoned and roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 2cm piece ginger, finely grated

Method

1. Make the glaze first. Put the plums, soy, sugar, vinegar, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until the plums collapse, and the mixture thickens to a loose syrup. Blend smooth if you like it glossy or leave it rustic. Set aside.
2. Pat the salmon dry and season the skin well. This matters more than anything else for a crisp finish.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium-high. Lay the salmon in skin side down and press gently for the first few seconds so it stays flat. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes without moving it, until the skin is deeply golden and releases easily.
4. Flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes only. The centre should stay blushing pink. Rest on a warm plate.
5. In the same pan, add the bok choy cut side down and char for 2 minutes until the edges blacken slightly and the stems soften.
6. Plate the salmon skin side up, spoon the glaze over generously, add the bok choy and scatter with black sesame.

Why it works: the fruit sweetness in the glaze bridges the gap between a rich fish and a red wine, while the wine's black pepper lift keeps everything fresh.

Not cooking tonight? Butter chicken and garlic naan

The everyday celebration wine deserves an everyday celebration order. Butter chicken is creamy and mildly spiced rather than fiery, which is exactly where this wine is comfortable: its juicy red fruit and silky tannins have enough sweetness to sit alongside the sauce, and the black pepper lift stops the whole thing from turning heavy. Tear the garlic naan, pour a glass, and call it a Friday.