Rosheen Kaul lets us in on her classified condiments – and this outrageously easy to make seared salmon number – in her new book Secret Sauce.

“I think of niçoise salad when I eat this dish – of sharp, raw onions, flaked oily fish, the bite of egg whites and the occasional olive that pops up like a salty little greeting,” says Rosheen Kaul. “A fun left-field addition is a pinch of chaat masala in the marinade for the onions – the black salt and mango powder in the spice mix are incredibly complementary to the sulfurous egginess of the sauce gribiche. It’s a perfect case of more is more.”

Charred green chilli gribiche

Ingredients
Makes 1 cup (250ml)

  • 1 green chilli
  • ½ cup (125ml) mayonnaise 
  • 1 tablespoon French shallot, minced
  • 1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped
  • ½ cup (80g) whole cornichons, nely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon or Japanese mustard
  • 1 anchovy, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon sake
  • ½ teaspoon lemon juice

Method

  1. Char the green chilli over an open flame or in a cast-iron pan until blackened.

  2. Chop finely, removing the seeds if you wish, then transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients.

  3. Stir to combine, and add some more seasoning if you wish.

This sauce will keep for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge.

Seared salmon with charred green chilli gribiche

Ingredients
Serves two

  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon pitted green olives, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon thinly sliced mint leaves
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon chilli powder
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil
  • 2 salmon fillets, skin on
  • 2 tablespoons charred green chilli gribiche

Method

  1. Combine the onion, olives, mint, lemon juice, chilli powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside to marinate while you cook the salmon.

  2. Heat the oil in a cast-iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pat the salmon dry with paper towel then salt the skin.

  3. Place skin side down in the hot pan and cook for 6 or 7 minutes or until the skin is crisp, pressing the salmon down with a spatula to maximise contact with the pan.

  4. Carefully flip the fish and cook for a further 3 or 4 minutes or to your liking.

  5. Transfer to a plate and serve with the gribiche and onion salad.

Rosheen Kaul's Secret Sauce.

Images and text from Secret Sauce by Rosheen Kaul, photography by Armelle Habib. Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99. Secret Sauce is out now and yours to purchase from great Victorian booksellers such as Readings and Hill of Content.