Baked salmon fillet with pickled cranberries, parsley & pistachios

‘Pickled cranberries are a great accompaniment as they really balance out an oily fish like salmon – they also add a real Christmassy feel. Adding spices and pistachios to the breadcrumbs gives the crust a punch of flavour that goes perfectly with the cranberries.’

SERVES 6-8 PREP 15 mins plus at least 1 week pickling

COOK 30 mins EASY

For the pickled cranberries 300ml cider vinegar

300g caster sugar

340g fresh cranberries

1/2 tsp whole cloves

1/2 tsp juniper berries

For the salmon

75g panko breadcrumbs

1/2 tbsp dried thyme

2 tbsp sumac

1 lemon, zested

5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1kg salmon fillet, pin-boned (you can ask your fishmonger to do this for you)

60g pistachios, crushed

1/2 small bunch of parsley, chopped, to serve 1 Make the pickled cranberries a week or two ahead. Put the vinegar and sugar in a pan over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Stir in the remaining ingredients and continue to boil for 4 mins. Pour the mixture into a 1-litre sterilised jar, or two smaller ones, and seal well, then leave to cool. Chill in the fridge for at least a week.

2 Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Toast the breadcrumbs in a dry frying pan for 2-3 mins until golden and toasted, then tip onto a plate and leave to cool.

3 Combine the breadcrumbs, thyme, sumac, lemon zest and some seasoning in a mixing bowl. Drizzle with the 5 tbsp olive oil and mix in thoroughly. 4 Lay a piece of baking parchment on a baking tray large enough to fit the salmon fillet. Put the salmon fillet skin-side down on top, and carefully spread the crust mixture over the top of the salmon. Don’t press the mixture down too much. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil.

5 Bake the salmon for 20-25 mins ideally until it is just cooked and the crust has turned a golden colour. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with the pistachios, some drained pickled cranberries and the parsley. Serve with buttered greens and roast new potatoes. For a recipe using up the leftovers, see p119.

GOOD TO KNOW omega-3

PER SERVING 451 kcals • fat 26g • saturates 4g • carbs 25g • sugars 18g • fibre 3g • protein 28g • salt 0.3g

Rick and Katie Toogood are co-owners of fishmongers and restaurant Prawn on the Lawn (prawnonthelawn.com) in London and Padstow, serving seafood and tapas-style fish dishes. In 2018, they opened their third restaurant Barnaby’s (barnabyspadstow.com), also in Padstow. @prawnonthelawn