Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Preparing the fennel

1. Cut 400 g (14 oz.) of the fennel into pieces;
2. wash well and cook for 30 minutes in rapidly boiling salted water to which you have added the juice of half a lemon.
3. From the remaining fennel, cut 8 lengthwise strips using a paring knife.
4. Chop the remaining fennel into pieces, wash them and put through a juice extractor; heat the resulting juice until it is reduced by half.
5. Drain the cooked fennel, blend it with the reduced juice and pour the mixture into a saucepan.
6. Correct the seasoning and set aside.

Preparing the cheese

1. Remove the rind from the Saint-Nectaire;
2. cut the cheese into pieces and melt over very low heat.

Preparing the salmon

1. Using a very sharp knife, cut the salmon as thinly as possible into escalopes, placing them as they are cut onto plastic wrap to form 4 rectangles, each 22 x 12 cm (9 x 5").
2. Finely chop the fennel seeds. Season the fish with salt and pepper and sprinkle with the chopped fennel seeds.
3. On a marble or plastic board, shape the melted cheese into 4 rectangles, each 16 x 10 cm (6 1/2 x 4")
4. Place one rectangle of cheese onto each piece of salmon, lining the edges up along one of the wide sides.
5. Place two strips of fennel on top, then roll everything up in the plastic wrap, pressing it tightly, and set aside in the refrigerator.

Cooking and Serving

1. Just before serving, reheat the fennel coulis and cook the salmon roulades in a steam cooker for 4 minutes.
2. Remove the plastic wrap and cut the roulades in half on a slight bias.
3. Spoon the fennel coulis onto the plates and arrange the salmon on top.

Châteaumeillant or Côtes-du-forez from the Loire Valley