A tian is a Provencal layered vegetable bake, and this one hides salmon in the middle and wears a savoury crumble on top. Zucchini, cherry tomatoes and red onion go into the dish in two layers with the fish between them, then a sandy mix of flour, parmesan and Bordier Seaweed Butter goes over the whole thing and bakes to a crust. It is about fifteen minutes of slicing and thirty in a hot oven, and it comes out of the oven ready to serve as it is.
At a glance
- Difficulty: Medium
- Serves: 4
- Active time: About 15 minutes
- Cook: 25 to 30 minutes at 210°C (410°F, gas mark 7)
- Key ingredient: 50 g (1/4 cup) Bordier Seaweed Butter
Why this works
A savoury crumble is one of the most reliable ways to use a flavoured butter, because the butter never gets hot enough to lose its character. Rubbed into flour and parmesan it stays in small cold pieces, and those pieces melt as the topping bakes, seasoning the crumbs from the inside. Bordier Seaweed Butter, the house's original flavoured butter from 1986, carries iodised Breton seaweed folded into hand-churned butter. Against salmon it reads as a marine seasoning rather than a novelty: it does for the fish roughly what a sprinkle of nori does for rice.
The layering matters too. Vegetables underneath, fish in the middle, vegetables and rosemary on top, then the crumble. The salmon is insulated on both sides, so it steams gently in the moisture the zucchini and tomatoes give off while the crust above browns in the dry heat. That is why the oven is set high at 210°C. You want the top to colour before the fish overcooks.
Ingredients
The crumble is the first four rows: flour, butter and parmesan, rubbed together. Everything else is the tian itself.
| Ingredient | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Salmon fillets, cut into pieces | 500 g | 17 1/2 oz |
| Bordier Seaweed Butter | 50 g | 1/4 cup (about 1 3/4 oz) |
| All-purpose flour | 75 g | 1/3 cup |
| Parmesan, grated | 30 g | 2 tbsp |
| Multicoloured cherry tomatoes | 20 | 20 |
| Zucchini (courgettes) | 2 | 2 |
| Red onions | 2 | 2 |
| Garlic | 2 cloves | 2 cloves |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Rosemary | 2 sprigs | 2 sprigs |
Method
Step 1: Slice the vegetables and rub the crumble
Slice the zucchini and the tomatoes. Slice the garlic thinly and slice the onions. Toss them carefully with the olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary. Then make the crumble: work the flour, seaweed butter and parmesan together until you have a sandy dough.
Step 2: Layer, top and bake
Spread half the vegetables in a baking dish and lay the pieces of salmon over them. Cover with the remaining vegetables and rosemary, then moisten with a little water and the rest of the olive oil. Scatter the seaweed butter crumble over the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 210°C (410°F, gas mark 7). The vegetables should be tender but still with some bite, and the crumble golden brown.
Tips from our kitchen
- Keep the butter cold for the crumble. Cut it into small cubes straight from the fridge and rub it into the flour and parmesan with your fingertips, lifting as you go. If the butter warms into a paste you get a solid lid instead of a crumble. Ten minutes in the freezer resets it.
- Slice the zucchini thin, about 3 mm. Bordier does not give a thickness, and this is where the recipe goes wrong most often. Thick coins are still squeaky at thirty minutes while the crumble has already browned. Thin slices collapse into a soft bed in the same time the crust needs.
- Salt and pepper are in the method but not the list. Bordier's ingredient list leaves them out and then calls for them when you dress the vegetables. Season the vegetables properly at that stage: the parmesan brings salt to the topping, but nothing else seasons the layers underneath.
- A little water means a little. Two or three tablespoons, no more. The tomatoes and zucchini release plenty as they cook, and a wet dish steams the crumble instead of crisping it.
- Cut the salmon into even pieces. Chunks of roughly 4 cm cook through in the same time the vegetables need. Ask for centre-cut fillet if you can, since tail-end pieces are thinner and will be dry by the time the top colours.
- If the top is pale at thirty minutes, move the dish to the upper third of the oven for the last three or four minutes rather than extending the bake. That browns the crumble without cooking the fish further.
How to serve it
This needs almost nothing beside it. A green salad with a sharp vinaigrette cuts the richness of the crumble, and bread is worth having for the juices at the bottom of the dish. Chilled Muscadet or a dry Breton cider both work. If you are wondering which butter to reach for next and why the flavoured ones behave differently in cooking, our guide to Bordier butter covers the whole range.
Where to buy Bordier Seaweed Butter in the US
The French Pantry ships Bordier butter across the United States in insulated overnight packaging, straight from the workshop in Brittany.
- Churned Seaweed Butter by Bordier (4.4 oz): hand-churned Breton butter with iodised seaweed, the flavour that made Bordier's reputation and the backbone of this crumble.
For the rest of the flavours, browse the Maison Bordier collection.
Frequently asked questions
How much Bordier Seaweed Butter do I need for this recipe?
You need 50 g and a Bordier block is 125 g (4.4 oz), so one block makes this tian twice over with a little left for toast.
Can I use a different Bordier butter in the crumble?
Yes, and the crumble technique is identical. Lemon-Olive Oil Butter is the closest thing to a natural second choice with salmon. Plain Salted Butter also works, though you lose the marine note that ties the topping to the fish.
Can I make the crumble ahead?
Yes. Rub it together up to two days ahead and keep it in a covered box in the fridge, or freeze it for a month. Scatter it over straight from cold, which is better than room temperature anyway.
How do I store the butter once it is open?
Wrapped in its paper inside an airtight container, in the coldest part of the fridge, for about two weeks. It takes on other smells easily. It also freezes well for up to three months.
Does Bordier butter need refrigeration?
Yes. Bordier butter is a fresh, hand-churned product and ships cold in insulated overnight packaging. Unpack it into the fridge as soon as it arrives.
Can I use frozen salmon?
Thaw it fully in the fridge first and pat it dry, otherwise the water it gives up will waterlog the dish and stop the crumble crisping.
Related reading
- Bordier Butter: What It Is, Why Chefs Love It, and How to Use It
- How to Choose Your French Butter: A Buyer's Guide
- La Brújula Spanish Conservas
Recipe and photograph adapted from Maison Bordier, with thanks. The French Pantry is an authorized US retailer of Bordier butter.