ROAST SALMON, PEAS, BACON AND BRAISED LITTLE GEM

Serves 4 Preparation 15 minutes Cooking about 30 minutes Wild salmon comes into season at the start of the summer, so this dish is based around pairing it with other seasonal ingredients. As with all seafood, check what you’re buying by consulting the Marine Stewardship Council website (msc.org) or talking to your fishmonger to be sure of its provenance. The accompaniment is a twist on the classic French dish, ‘petit pois à la française’, something I’m quite partial to, in which peas and lettuce are braised in stock and butter. My husband likes the addition of the bacon, but you could happily leave it out to make it a meat-free dish. 320g fresh peas (or use frozen) 250g new potatoes (such as Jersey Royals), halved if large 2 carrots, cut into strips 4 skin-on salmon fillets, about 160g each 60g butter 3 tbsp olive oil 80g back bacon, cut into strips 1 banana shallot, finely diced 120ml vegetable stock 240ml double cream 4 tbsp chopped parsley 4 tbsp chopped mint 2 Little Gem lettuces, outer leaves removed, quartered

1 Blanch the peas in boiling water for 1 minute and then refresh in iced water. Drain and leave to one side. 2 Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes, adding the carrots for the last 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins. 3 Season the salmon with salt and pepper. In a frying pan over a medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil together. Pan-fry the fish, skin-side down, for 8-10 minutes until golden brown, then turn over and cook for a further minute. Remove to a plate and cover with foil. 4 Fry the bacon and diced shallot in the same pan for 2 minutes, before adding the vegetable stock, double cream, potatoes, carrots and peas; bring to the boil. Add the parsley and mint and season to taste. Add the Little Gem wedges and simmer for a further 3 minutes. 5 To serve, place two Little Gem wedges in each bowl or plate, spoon over some creamy vegetables and bacon, and then place a salmon fillet on top.