I always as a child loved the story of Fionn Mc Cumhaill and the Bradán Feasa, the salmon of knowledge.
Briefly this told how Fionn and his teacher Finneagas had after many years of searching had finally caught the salmon of knowledge and were cooking it over a fire when Fionn felt thecrispy skin of the fish with his thumb, burnt it, and then put his thumb in his mouth to cure it, and thereby acquired the knowledge before his teacher.

I decided to invent a dish to celebrate this legend while I was in the restaurant and it turned out to be so popular that I rarely took it off.

An Bradan Feasa - The Salmon of Knowledge
(Serves 6)
1 3-4 lb piece of tail salmon
1 Tablespoon of honey
1 Head of Butterhead Lettuce
2 Scallions
30g(1 oz) butter
30g(1 oz) Flour

Get the fishmonger to fillet the salmon and keep the bone
(and a few more salmon bones if he has them).
Cover these bones with water and bring to the boil, boil for twenty minutes.
Strain, and then boil the stock again to reduce to ½ pt.
Knead the flour and butter together.
Whisk into the hot stock to make a light sauce and keep warm.
Put the oven on to full, 220 C, 450 F or gas 9
Get out your largest frying pan and oil lightly. Put onto the heat and let it get really hot.
Put one of the pieces of salmon on the pan and sear on the flesh side only.
The take the salmon off the pan and put it on a baking tray.
Re-heat the pan and sear the other piece in the same way.
Coat both pieces lightly with the honey and put into the hot oven (they will only take 8 to 10 minutes to cook)
While they are cooking make the sauce.

Wash the head of lettuce and chop the scallion. (keep the green part and reserve the white for some colcannon)
Bring the fish sauce up to boiling point and throw in the lettuce and the green of the scallion.
Let it boil for one minute and then liquidize until smooth and bright green (only do this at the last moment or it will lose it’s colour)
Divide the roast Salmon up between the plates and serve the sauce on the side.