Salmon & Pesto

HOME Academy cooking student Jean Paller shares with us her recipe for salmon. So if you want to impress your employer or family, do check it out.



SALMON AND PESTO with DRESSED VEGETABLE

INGREDIENTS:

600 g new potatoes

200 g fine green beans

200 g tender stem broccoli

4 x 120 g salmon fillets, scaled and pin-boned, from sustainable sources

Olive oil

1 lemon

PESTO
:

25 g pine nuts

½ a small clove of garlic

50 g fresh basil

Extra virgin olive oil

15 g Parmesan cheese

Lemon



METHOD:

  1. To make the pesto, place a small frying pan over a medium heat, tip in the pine nuts and toast until very lightly golden – keep them moving so they don’t burn, then place in a small bowl and put to one side.

  2. Peel the garlic, and then place in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of sea salt.

  3. Pick and tear in the basil leaves.

  4. Bash the mixture to a paste, then add the pine nuts and pound again, leaving a little bit of texture. Scrape the mixture into the small bowl.

  5. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil – you need just enough to bind the pesto and give it an oozy consistency – then finely grate and stir through the Parmesan.

  6. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Have a taste and season with a pinch of black pepper and a squeeze more lemon juice, if you think it needs it.

  7. Scrub the potatoes well, then trim the beans and broccoli.
Fill a large pan three quarters of the way up with boiling water, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil.

  8. Once boiling, carefully add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes, adding the beans and the broccoli for the final 5 minutes.

  9. Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat.
Rub the salmon fillets all over with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

  10. Place in the hot pan, skin-side down, turn the heat down to medium and cook for 4 minutes, or until golden underneath.
Use a fish slice to turn them over, then cook the fillets for a further 2 to 3 minutes, or until just cooked through.

  11. Remove the pan from the heat, rest for 30 seconds, then add a good squeeze of lemon juice and give the pan a good shake.

  12. Drain the vegetables well, then tip into to a large bowl. Add the pesto, then use tongs to coat everything nicely.

  13. Divide the fish fillets and vegetables between your plates, drizzle over the juices from the pan, then serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over.

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