a late spring classic

I cooked for three on Sunday evening. A friend, visiting from Canada, was popping over for an early evening meal. Normally, I roast a chicken, but it almost seemed too heavy. Something lighter – maybe salmon – I thought.

What I love most about salmon is the way it fills you up. It’s pretty high on the satiety index. And when you get a good cut, it just needs straightforward treatment and high-quality vegetables. I added Hollandaise Sauce in as a special treat – and did it without using butter. The results are tasty, and not nearly as heavy as when made with butter. The result was light and foamy. A perfect accompaniment to the produce.

Foil-baked salmon with Jersey royals, asparagus and Hollandaise sauce
(serves 3)

3 good-quality salmon fillets, between 100-150 g each
3 lemon wedges
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 splashes of white wine
fresh thyme
3 foil sheets
6 sprays of olive oil

500 g Jersey royals, cleaned and scrubbed
500 g asparagus, cleaned, with any chunky ends peeled off

6 tablespoons of olive oil spread
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp hot water
a dash of Tabasco
2 medium egg yolks

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Prepare the salmon packets by spraying the foil, placing the salmon in the centre, and seasoning with salt and pepper. Squeeze a lemon wedge over top of the salmon, and leave the wedge on top. Sprinkle fresh thyme leaves over the top, and add a splash of white wine. Fold up the foil packets, ensuring that there’s enough space for the salmon to steam within, while no gaps will allow the air out.

Place the salmon on a baking tray – or even on the rack. Then, place the cleaned Jersey Royals over a steamer filled with boiling water over medium heat. Both the salmon and the potatoes will need 20 minutes to cook.

With about 6 minutes left to go, add the asparagus to a second tier of the steamer.

Now make the hollandaise sauce. Melt the olive oil spread to a shimmering foam, though don’t let it brown. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, hot water, and Tabasco. Add the butter little by little, whisking furiously. Pour the mixture back into the pan you melted the butter with, and place over the slightest of heats. Continue whisking – and if it appears to separate, use a hand blender to bring to a foam (you may want to do this anyway.) Serve immediately in a boat alongside the salmon (removed from the foil), the potatoes and the asparagus.

Calories (for 150g salmon, 150g potatoes, 7 spears of asparagus, and ¼ of the Hollandaise): 490

For hungry eaters, making more potatoes is always a filling option. And a glass of white wine wouldn’t go unappreciated here! Fresh strawberries for dessert, perhaps? Or the first of the Kentish raspberries? You decide.

april cometh

It’s spring. Has it sprung? Probably not if you live on my little island. But nonetheless, more brightly-coloured creatures are beginning to be born, be they Spanish strawberries or little pea shoots. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited. I’m sick of root vegetables. They’re brilliant in November, but boring in April.

It’s not all new in April though. We’re still getting carrots and kale, though we can use them with newer ingredients to come up with something wholly seasonal. New herbs are popping up – we’ve been using mint, but rosemary’s coming now too – and there’s spring lamb. One of my springtime goals is to cook more lamb.

It’s about time to turn our heads away from apples as our monthly fruit. I stopped picking up English apples a month or two ago – I’m finding them too mealy and simply not enticing. Golden Delicious and Granny Smith from France have been good friends, but soon we’ll leave them to it while we hang out with the cool berry crowd. And I’m not mentioning rhubarb, simply because I don’t think I’ll ever truly fancy it.


spring lamb
A bit of a lamb novice, I haven't quite gotten my head around buying lamb that's travelled all the way from New Zealand, even if it is tasty. I'd rather go with what's nearby. It may need spicing up, though, as the meat is so new. Use strong flavours and lots of herbs.

Lamb with anchovy and mint is another Nigel Slater triumph. Anchovies are a great way of introducing strong flavours into your food - although they are an oily fish, it doesn't take much. And one fillet is something like 9 calories! So go crazy, use a handful if you like.

spring herbs
Rosemary, wild garlic, mint... these are all fabulous flavours to use this time of year. While wild garlic is really only sourced from a stroll through a field (or a farmer's market), rosemary and mint can be growth from the comfort of your own window box. It's really up to you how you use them. But I think they're best used with the root vegetables that we're still using - carrots, new potatoes, and so on.

spring greens
These first shoots remind us that warmer weather is on the way. Pea shoots and greens, and even the new season of spinach, can be eaten raw and don't need any cooking. In fact, they're probably best raw, in a salad with lemon juice and a dribble of olive oil. If you must cook them, just lightly steam them.

I'm really starting to crave salads again, after a winter of heavier meals. Try a salad of pea shoots, sliced beetroot, fresh French goats cheese and a drizzle of honey. It will taste just so fresh.

strawberries
Like I said, these strawberries aren't from England - yet. But the Spanish variety aren't so bad. I greedily downed a punnet of these a few days ago. And to be honest, I don't think anything should be done with them - save any strawberry recipes for the summer, when there's a glut of them. For now just enjoy biting into this juicy, tongue-pleasing fruit.

Jersey potatoes
The new season of Jersey new potatoes has arrived. Please, please, please don't buy any of those potatoes on the shelf from Israel when we've got these just off shore. Like all the other delicate produce we have in April, these potatoes benefit from less treatment rather than more. Steam them and crush with a fork, adding your favourite herb. Earlier this week I used chopped rosemary and salt - but mint would be amazing as well.