Featured Recipe
by Jessica Booth
Thai Roasted Salmon The next recipe is Lynne’s own version of an alternative to a Sunday roast. It is a Thai roasted salmon. This is a dish that Lynne makes regularly for her own family during the summer. It is versatile as it can be eaten cold the next day, great for a picnic. It can be cooked on a BBQ - and you would be BBQ royalty if you turned up with this! Again it is really easy to make, focusing on fresh ingredients which you can get locally (there are several excellent fishmongers in Pwllheli). The salmon comes out fragrant and light. The heat from the chillies is perfectly balanced by the delicate coconut. The prawns add depth and the herbs lift the whole fish to the next level. This salmon dish will be one you make again and again. And if you don’t love salmon, Nigel suggests you try it with another fish, such as trout or sea bass.
Ingredients • 1.8kg salmon (sustainably sourced), de-scaled, filleted and cut lengthways into two halves (ask your fishmonger to do this) • 1 bunch spring onions • 2 fresh red chillies • Large knob of fresh ginger, about 3 inches, peeled • 2 garlic cloves • 2 tbsp oil • 50g creamed coconut
Method 1. To make the stuffing, trim the spring onions and cut on the diagonal. Half the chilli lengthways and scrape out the core and seeds. Cut this and the ginger into needle thin strips. Crush the garlic. Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan, add the onions, chilli, ginger and garlic and stir fry over a medium to high heat for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the creamed coconut and stir until it melts and thickens. Add the prawns and toss until they turn pink all over – about 2-3 minutes. Leave to cool. 2. To prepare the salmon, pull out any pin bones from the flesh. Rinse in cold water. With a very sharp knife score through the skin of one fillet in criss-cross lines. Lay a large piece of kitchen foil in a roasting try – large enough to fully encase the salmon – with one long side facing you. Lay three pieces of string, 30cm in length, vertically at regular intervals along the foil. 3. Put the unscored fillet, skin side down, across the string. Spread the stuffing over the fillet and top with the scored fillet, skin side up. Bring the string round the fish and tie on top to make a long parcel. 4. Preheat the oven to gas mark (220C). Place the salmon in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes. Open one of the central slashes with a knife to see if the flesh is cooked. When cooked place the salmon on serving dish and leave to rest for 5 minutes. 5. Garnish salmon with spring onions and chilli and serve with a simple green salad and new potatoes.
• 400g peeled large prawns • Garnish – 1 red chilli, cored, seeded and cut into very thin strips and 1-2 spring onions shredded
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6. This dish is can also be served cold - use any leftovers for picnics on the beach the next day!