a more appealing work lunch idea

I've been quite budget conscious lately, and my lunch has often borne the brunt of it. And last week I think I hit my limit with the boiled egg + carbohydrate + salad combo.

Something a bit nicer was in order - something that would taste lovely, be healthy, and hold me over until dinner time (or at least until late afternoon snack time).

Cue frozen salmon. Added to the potato salad with a lovely, tartar-sauce inspired dressing, and you're good to go. To be safe, I've cooked the salmon in two batches - I'm not sure exactly how long it will keep for in the fridge. (If anyone knows, do tell!)

Salmon with tartar-sauced potato salad
(makes 5 lunch-sized portions)

500 g frozen salmon
500 g baby new potatoes
50 g light mayonnaise
75 g gherkins, chopped
25 g capers, chopped
juice of one lemon
handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Prepare the salmon according to the instructions on the package (generally about 30 minutes at 190 C) and allow to cool.

Boil the potatoes for about 15 minutes, and then submerge into ice water to stop them cooking. Remove and allow to cool.

While the potatoes are cooling, make the dressing - add the gherkins, capers, mayonnaise, parsley and lemon. When the potatoes are ready, add to the dressing and make sure they are combined well.

Each morning, spoon out 1/5 of the potato salad mixture and 100 g of the salmon. Enjoy - it won't be a huge portion, but the salmon is so filling that it will last you through the afternoon without a problem.

Calories per serving: about 290

(By the way, I've not used many veggies here - like baby spinach - this week. I think baby spinach, like egg, is on my "tired-of" list at the moment.)

So yes, salmon isn't cheap. But I think if you can keep your eye out for salmon that's close to its sell-by date, and freeze it, you're laughing. Or look for deals - this week, Tesco was offering 3 packs of fresh salmon for £10.

Young's frozen salmon (500 g) was about £4.49, the potatoes cost about £1.29, and I keep capers, gherkins, lemon and mayo as a norm in my cupboard. Divide that by £5, and lunch cost about £1.16/day. How's that for classy?