Salmon with fennel salad and pea mash

Quick, nutritious and packed with flavour.  Despite being autumn, the days here are still very warm - so a light, fresh dinner is a perfect choice. Thanks to Delicious Magazine for the inspiration.

Serves 4

Time:  Prep 10 minutes  Cooking  8 minutes

Ingredients

4 salmon fillets – size depends on appetites – check for bones.  Skin-on portions if possible

500 gram frozen peas.  (note – later -1 cup will be reserved to serve whole in the salad)

Kettle full of boiling water

1 fennel bulb – fresh and young.  Thinly sliced.    Reserve the fronds and chop finely

4 – 6   young fresh radishes – thinly shaved / sliced – depends on how much you love radishes

1 cup celery leaves – only the ones from the heart – from the inner stalks – rough chopped.

1 small red onion – finely shaved / sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice and some fine lemon zest if possible

¼ cup Australian Extra Virgin Olive Oil    – may not need all of this.

Handful fresh basil leaves

1 Lebanese cucumber – use a speed peeler and shave into long thin strips, leave out the seed middle

Salt and Pepper

Dollop of Greek yoghurt

Method

Add the boiling water and all the peas to a heatproof bowl.  Stand for 1 minute covered. 

Drain well.       Remove and save 1 cup of the now cooked peas.  Reserve for later.

Add a little of the chopped fennel fronds and dash salt and pepper to the larger amount of peas then Puree in a blender, or with a stick blender or a hand masher.  Does not need to be too precise, roughly is fine.

Keep the pea mash in a warm place til ready to serve.

Heat a tiny amount of oil in frypan and cook salmon pieces, skin side down side for 2 – 3 minutes per side until cooked to your preference.  Remove and keep warm – cover with foil if necessary.

Combine the lemon juice and Olive Oil in a mixing bowl. Don’t use all the oil – you can add a little more at the end if you think it needs a dash more.

Gently toss the shaved fennel, radish, onion, cucumber, celery leaves, chopped fronds, basil, the whole cooked reserved peas into the oil mixture.

Season with salt and pepper.  Because it is seafood – I feel this dish does need a good grinding of salt and pepper.

To serve

Serve salmon fillet with the pea mash and fennel radish salad and teaspoon of Greek yoghurt on top.

Options

You could use mint leaves for a change.

or bulk up the salad by adding some cooked, drained cannellini beans or orzo pasta. 

                                                            Enjoy!     Colleen